Every Wednesday I'm going to (try to) post a memory from my childhood. As I mentioned before, the reason for this is because I really don't remember all that much, and I'm hoping that by actively thinking about it every week, I'll start to put the pieces together.
Today I thought I would make up for last week's post when I should have written about Ground Hog Day.
Growing up, Ground Hog Day, the movie, was always one of our favorite movies. We watched it pretty often because we all liked it a lot. We would quote many of the lines before they happened or in a fitting situation in real life. If one of us kids wanted to be extra annoying we would pretend to be Ned Ryerson. If one of us was getting angry, another would quip "Don't drive angry, Phil." If we wanted to display our ornery side, we would quote something like "Too early for flapjacks?"
My mom loved it most of all, though. She would get so into the movie that at times it was more entertaining to watch her than the movie. She has that childlike way about her when she's watching movies that makes it quite entertaining to be with her. She cracks up at the same jokes every time. She laughs in anticipation of jokes. It's really fun to watch it with her (and movies in general).
Watching Ground Hog Day is a great memory because I remember it being a very happy time with the family. We loved watching Phil try to blow himself up. We loved watching him slowly reform his ways.
And as I got older, I used to even get a little jealous of the idea. The idea that you could get an unlimited amount of time to do the things you've always wanted to? That just sounds great. He became fluent in another language, he became a master pianist, he even got a littler bit of culture and learned about poetry, and he learned something about himself and about others along the way. I've always been fascinated with both music and languages and the idea of being able to sit down and learn both only using up one day of my life would be awesome. I thought it would be so cool if I could get that chance, too (very twilight zone with the books and the glasses and the eternity).
If you had a day that lasted forever like in Ground Hog Day, what would you do with it? Would you master a sport, language, or instrument? Would you learn to cook? What would you do?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday Trimmings
Today I thought I would give a brief update on my goals for the month. I was also going to post about my kombucha, but alas, that will have to come another day!
Eat Better
So far we've done well. I used up the last of my failed yogurt batch and I am ready to try again, this time I think I'll follow the directions. :) I had a nice chat with DH about sugar and how I'm trying to reduce and it felt good to get on the same page about a topic pertaining to food (for once!). But then at my family's superbowl party we both got sick from eating so much sugary food. Goes to show us, I guess. DH said "Never let me eat like that ever again" while we laid awake in bed wondering what we did to ourselves.
Finances
We still haven't gotten our dirt yet, blargh. This past weekend was busy, but we could have made time for it. I'm still working on sticking to our new budget. I think we're doing well so far. And as part of that, I've been using Mint.com more than I was before to keep myself in line with our budget. We've been very meticulous this week in recording every dollar we spend on groceries so we can better evaluate our spending. I even figured out on Mint.com how to enter a manual cash transaction which means we can also track our spending at the farmer's market with ease, now. Love it.
Personal Goals
Clean out closet -- DONE. Eat it. I organized my way down to the very carpet and up to the ceiling. And I also just last night took pics of the last few holdout items I'm going to try and sell on craigslist. I'll post those later today.
Recyclables -- DONE. I recycled the box from our aquarium into a nifty recycling receptacle. Say that 3 times fast.
Driving -- Fail. Once again, stupid weekend. I think I'm going to ask DH take me on Wednesday this week instead of / possibly in addition to the weekend. I must get this going.
Posture -- Meh, so so. I'm doing better but I'm not where I need to be.
Simpler meals to free up time -- Ha. Hah, ha. Ha, I say. Hasn't happened yet.
House
Indecision is killing us, here. I keep trying to talk to my wonderful hubby but he's been a man of fewer than normal words lately, it seems (or maybe I've been on overdrive?? Hmm..).
Weight Loss for DH
I haven't talked to him yet. I will though. All in due time.
Eat Better
So far we've done well. I used up the last of my failed yogurt batch and I am ready to try again, this time I think I'll follow the directions. :) I had a nice chat with DH about sugar and how I'm trying to reduce and it felt good to get on the same page about a topic pertaining to food (for once!). But then at my family's superbowl party we both got sick from eating so much sugary food. Goes to show us, I guess. DH said "Never let me eat like that ever again" while we laid awake in bed wondering what we did to ourselves.
Finances
We still haven't gotten our dirt yet, blargh. This past weekend was busy, but we could have made time for it. I'm still working on sticking to our new budget. I think we're doing well so far. And as part of that, I've been using Mint.com more than I was before to keep myself in line with our budget. We've been very meticulous this week in recording every dollar we spend on groceries so we can better evaluate our spending. I even figured out on Mint.com how to enter a manual cash transaction which means we can also track our spending at the farmer's market with ease, now. Love it.
Personal Goals
Clean out closet -- DONE. Eat it. I organized my way down to the very carpet and up to the ceiling. And I also just last night took pics of the last few holdout items I'm going to try and sell on craigslist. I'll post those later today.
Recyclables -- DONE. I recycled the box from our aquarium into a nifty recycling receptacle. Say that 3 times fast.
Driving -- Fail. Once again, stupid weekend. I think I'm going to ask DH take me on Wednesday this week instead of / possibly in addition to the weekend. I must get this going.
Posture -- Meh, so so. I'm doing better but I'm not where I need to be.
Simpler meals to free up time -- Ha. Hah, ha. Ha, I say. Hasn't happened yet.
House
Indecision is killing us, here. I keep trying to talk to my wonderful hubby but he's been a man of fewer than normal words lately, it seems (or maybe I've been on overdrive?? Hmm..).
Weight Loss for DH
I haven't talked to him yet. I will though. All in due time.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday Life Awareness
Well, it's a fact, I am crabby on Mondays. The weekend always goes too fast and I'm left staring at my phone asking why it is telling me to get up and go to work. Well, this prompted me to start focusing on being aware of all the good in my life. So every Monday, I'll be posting something that I am thankful for. Hopefully this will get me in the habit of being grateful even when I am cranky and hopefully will counteract the acute "case of the Mondays" I seem to contract every week.
Today I don't really know what I will write about. I've been feeling really down lately. I had some challenging questions from a friend on Thursday and I haven't really quite gotten over them yet. This has caused me to also be a lot less productive over the weekend because I am working on figuring out said questions. It's been rather uncomfortable.
I have a whole host of other things I can complain about, but I am instead going to find something positive.
...
*15 minutes later*
...
I am grateful for my 1st batch of kombucha! I had some of my first bottle on Saturday and it was great. Not quite like the store bought--but hey, at pennies on the dollar I'll definitely take it. I've got my second batch brewing so all is good in that realm.
And I think I am thankful for my friend asking hard questions. I would share them but it's a bit too hard right now (and way too in-depth). My biggest problem is I don't know how to answer them. And that leaves a hole inside me. I feel like I have an opportunity at my door but like any good questing game of old, it takes a yellow key and all I have is 17 green ones.
Today I don't really know what I will write about. I've been feeling really down lately. I had some challenging questions from a friend on Thursday and I haven't really quite gotten over them yet. This has caused me to also be a lot less productive over the weekend because I am working on figuring out said questions. It's been rather uncomfortable.
I have a whole host of other things I can complain about, but I am instead going to find something positive.
...
*15 minutes later*
...
I am grateful for my 1st batch of kombucha! I had some of my first bottle on Saturday and it was great. Not quite like the store bought--but hey, at pennies on the dollar I'll definitely take it. I've got my second batch brewing so all is good in that realm.
And I think I am thankful for my friend asking hard questions. I would share them but it's a bit too hard right now (and way too in-depth). My biggest problem is I don't know how to answer them. And that leaves a hole inside me. I feel like I have an opportunity at my door but like any good questing game of old, it takes a yellow key and all I have is 17 green ones.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Food Waste Friday
Well, as you can see see, my scheduling of blog posts has not been as much of a success as I would have liked.
But, on a more positive note,
My Food Waste
I wasted a little bit of leftovers at work one day this week because I just couldn't eat it. I ate about half of it and my stomach told me in no uncertain terms that it was done with this food.
And I think I wasted something else but I don't remember.
What about you? How did you do this week?
But, on a more positive note,
My Food Waste
I wasted a little bit of leftovers at work one day this week because I just couldn't eat it. I ate about half of it and my stomach told me in no uncertain terms that it was done with this food.
And I think I wasted something else but I don't remember.
What about you? How did you do this week?
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My Childhood: Bedtime Stories
Every Wednesday I'm going to (try to) post a memory from my childhood. As I mentioned before, the reason for this is because I really don't remember all that much, and I'm hoping that by actively thinking about it every week, I'll start to put the pieces together.
Happy Ground Hog day!
I've been trying to think about what to write, but today has been pretty busy, so I haven't come up with anything yet. [Edit: And after realizing it was Ground Hog day, I realized exactly what I should have written about, but I had already written this before I realized what day it was. I think I'll just this idea for next week.]
......
...
.... ... ..... . . . ... Aha!
I never remember getting bed time stories as a kid. I don't remember my parents reading to me (although I'm sure they did). I don't remember the stereotypical childhood pleadings for "one more chapter!" It's probably because I learned to read when I was 3-4 years old. But I do remember a funny thing my mom and I started when I was a preteen / teen.
I don't remember when this happened, but one day, we decided that we would "alternate" being the adult. From then on, sometimes I would come into her bedroom after she went to bed and tell her a bedtime story. It was a lot of fun because I got to just completely pull a story out of thin air to tell her. I think once or twice I even talked her into coming in and tucking me in.
I remember we would joke about it all the time. She would say something silly and I would take it very literally (not part of the game) and then mom would joke about how it must have been my turn to be the parent. Or we would get into mock fights about it "It was my turn last time, it's definitely your turn!"
My favorite thing was getting to tell her stories, though. Like I said, I loved getting to use my imagination. I would tell her stories about princesses getting rescued from the bad guys (usually some sort of ugly animal which I anthropomorphized for the story). But it was a lot of fun. Mom would lay in bed and I would sit on the edge of it and tell her a story. Then I wold pull up the covers and kiss her goodnight.
As an aside, don't get the idea that this happened every night, or even every week. It was just an occasional fun thing we did.
Weird? Yeah. Had unhealthy psychological undertones? Possibly. A lot of fun? Definitely.
What fun memories do you have with your parents? Did you ever take a turn being the adult?
Happy Ground Hog day!
I've been trying to think about what to write, but today has been pretty busy, so I haven't come up with anything yet. [Edit: And after realizing it was Ground Hog day, I realized exactly what I should have written about, but I had already written this before I realized what day it was. I think I'll just this idea for next week.]
......
...
.... ... ..... . . . ... Aha!
I never remember getting bed time stories as a kid. I don't remember my parents reading to me (although I'm sure they did). I don't remember the stereotypical childhood pleadings for "one more chapter!" It's probably because I learned to read when I was 3-4 years old. But I do remember a funny thing my mom and I started when I was a preteen / teen.
I don't remember when this happened, but one day, we decided that we would "alternate" being the adult. From then on, sometimes I would come into her bedroom after she went to bed and tell her a bedtime story. It was a lot of fun because I got to just completely pull a story out of thin air to tell her. I think once or twice I even talked her into coming in and tucking me in.
I remember we would joke about it all the time. She would say something silly and I would take it very literally (not part of the game) and then mom would joke about how it must have been my turn to be the parent. Or we would get into mock fights about it "It was my turn last time, it's definitely your turn!"
My favorite thing was getting to tell her stories, though. Like I said, I loved getting to use my imagination. I would tell her stories about princesses getting rescued from the bad guys (usually some sort of ugly animal which I anthropomorphized for the story). But it was a lot of fun. Mom would lay in bed and I would sit on the edge of it and tell her a story. Then I wold pull up the covers and kiss her goodnight.
As an aside, don't get the idea that this happened every night, or even every week. It was just an occasional fun thing we did.
Weird? Yeah. Had unhealthy psychological undertones? Possibly. A lot of fun? Definitely.
What fun memories do you have with your parents? Did you ever take a turn being the adult?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Have You Checked Your Cervical Fluid Today?
Ok, so I just had to stop in to say this:
This is a quasi-book review, but in reality it's more along the lines of personal revelation.
Taking Charge of Your Fertility is possibly the best book I've read in a long time. It is a wealth of information about how the female body works and I loved it. I could hardly put it down and read it in 2 sittings (only because I was falling asleep during the first sitting).
Its premise is to use the three signs your body gives you to either get pregnant, or not. The three signs are basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervix position. Basal Temperature tells you when you have just ovulated / when to expect your period / early pregnancy detection. Cervical fluid tells you when you are fertile / unfertile. Your cervix position is just sort of an accomplice, confirming the other two signs.
It also talks about something which I never knew about male fertility as well, but the focus is on females. Things like, did you know that "male" sperm (Y chromosome) are faster than "female" sperm (X chromosome)? Seriously, who knew?
The process of tracking your own fertility is actually really simple, and I love it. I take my temp every morning and I check my cervical fluid and I'm already learning so much I never knew! I know that soon I will ovulate, based on my cervical fluid, and I can confirm I've ovulated with my temperature. I'm sure you don't need to know that I will ovulate, but hey, it's my blog, and I'm excited about it.
This book has taken the mystery of the period and explained it in plain words. I don't have to live in ignorance of my body anymore. I am more connected with women as a whole than I ever have been because, after reading this book, I realize everything I experience is absolutely normal. What I used to sit and wonder/worry about, I can now know with certainty. It's strangely empowering.
I can't say enough good things about this book. You should go read it!
No one paid me to say nice things about this book--I don't have nearly enough readers to make that profitable for them!
This is a quasi-book review, but in reality it's more along the lines of personal revelation.
Taking Charge of Your Fertility is possibly the best book I've read in a long time. It is a wealth of information about how the female body works and I loved it. I could hardly put it down and read it in 2 sittings (only because I was falling asleep during the first sitting).
Its premise is to use the three signs your body gives you to either get pregnant, or not. The three signs are basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervix position. Basal Temperature tells you when you have just ovulated / when to expect your period / early pregnancy detection. Cervical fluid tells you when you are fertile / unfertile. Your cervix position is just sort of an accomplice, confirming the other two signs.
It also talks about something which I never knew about male fertility as well, but the focus is on females. Things like, did you know that "male" sperm (Y chromosome) are faster than "female" sperm (X chromosome)? Seriously, who knew?
The process of tracking your own fertility is actually really simple, and I love it. I take my temp every morning and I check my cervical fluid and I'm already learning so much I never knew! I know that soon I will ovulate, based on my cervical fluid, and I can confirm I've ovulated with my temperature. I'm sure you don't need to know that I will ovulate, but hey, it's my blog, and I'm excited about it.
This book has taken the mystery of the period and explained it in plain words. I don't have to live in ignorance of my body anymore. I am more connected with women as a whole than I ever have been because, after reading this book, I realize everything I experience is absolutely normal. What I used to sit and wonder/worry about, I can now know with certainty. It's strangely empowering.
I can't say enough good things about this book. You should go read it!
No one paid me to say nice things about this book--I don't have nearly enough readers to make that profitable for them!
February Goals
Already? I'm not done with January goals! Oh... You're serious about February being here, aren't you? Well fine. The first part of each goal is how it fits into my annual goals.. unless it doesn't. In which case, it's just a random monthly goal.
Eating Better: Continue slowly reducing sugar.
Eating better: Work on encouraging DH to eat more fermented foods; use up last of failed yogurt batch so I can make a new batch which he will eat. (I hate failed cooking).
Finances/Eating Better: Get dirt, start seedlings indoors.
Finances: Work on sticking to newly revised budget; Use mint.com at least weekly to keep an eye on spending.
Personal: Clean out the closet. Seriously. No ifs, ands, or buts. Get it done.
Personal/Sanity: Come up with a better system for recyclables.
Personal: Go on 4 driving lessons. One a week. Do it.
Personal: Seriously resume posture plan.
Personal: Start brain storming about simpler meals to free up time in the evenings for projects / fun.
House: Get a realtor (if this longshot doesn't pan out).
Weight Loss: Talk to DH about starting weight loss for him. Wish me luck!
Eating Better: Continue slowly reducing sugar.
Eating better: Work on encouraging DH to eat more fermented foods; use up last of failed yogurt batch so I can make a new batch which he will eat. (I hate failed cooking).
Finances/Eating Better: Get dirt, start seedlings indoors.
Finances: Work on sticking to newly revised budget; Use mint.com at least weekly to keep an eye on spending.
Personal: Clean out the closet. Seriously. No ifs, ands, or buts. Get it done.
Personal/Sanity: Come up with a better system for recyclables.
Personal: Go on 4 driving lessons. One a week. Do it.
Personal: Seriously resume posture plan.
Personal: Start brain storming about simpler meals to free up time in the evenings for projects / fun.
House: Get a realtor (if this longshot doesn't pan out).
Weight Loss: Talk to DH about starting weight loss for him. Wish me luck!
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