As I was typing in my password for the hundredth time today, I thought: Why don't I change all my passwords to something that will remind me of all the good things in life? Something to make me think happy thoughts? Something like "justkeepswimming" or "youareawesome!" A mantra of sorts.
Then I thought of how long it would take to change all those passwords.
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Ahhhhh..... Last week, I took advantage of a free babysitter and scheduled a massage and mini-facial at Ergo Aveda Salon & Spa in Northfield. it was a chakra balancing massage - where you pick an aromatherapy oil that relates to one of the 8 chakras. I picked living with intention, which smells like balsam and fir and eucalyptus.
It was lovely.
But more than just a frivolous leisure activity, massage is something I am learning to think about differently. It's becoming part of my exercise plan, my monthly routine, my physical therapy.
Serious runners know massage is sometimes the only way to unkink muscles. Yogis know it's an important part of their practice. For me, it's an important way to relax the muscles where I hold all my tension and stress (shoulders).
Then the facial. I'm reaching that certain age where a skin care regimen becomes important. I've never been one to give much thought to skincare: put on some moisturizer with sunscreen, and I'm good to go.
I've written about the dangers of phthalates and other chemicals in your skincare products: your skin is your largest organ and it absorbs everything you put on it. Aveda products are the original all-natural but effective skincare line. Ergo Aveda Spa follows that philosophy.
Do you get regular facials and/or massages?
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I still remember those summer evenings watching Nadia Comenici in the 1976 Olympics. I was 6 years old. (There. Now y'all know how old I am.) Every family was gathered around their TV's - there were only 4 channels to watch then. The Olympics were a huge deal! Every little girl wanted to be a gymnast. My mom signed me up for gymnastics taught by a huge, muscle bound Iranian man - he looked just like Bela Karosi to me!
Who inspired you?
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What better way to spend a 97 degree day than exploring the Museum of Nature & Science with my 3 year old, while big brother was in the "Dinosaurs Rule" camp!
We slithered like snakes. We went backwards through the dinosaurs to see the "big bad wolf" (aka the Nebraska pig). We sat in the Apache Indian hut. We explored the magical golden caves (aka the gems). We made gauzy scarves float in The Discovery Zone, we played African drums, we saw a pencil get shot into a piece of plywood and explode. It was delightful.
It seems like Kid #1 got all the cool mom stuff: music classes, trips to museums, the zoo, the Lego store, story time at the library. Then life got busy, and Kid #2 just gets dragged to the grocery store.
Well, today was a good reminder of how magical the world can be to a 3 year old and why mom should take a break from all the busy stuff every once in a while. The house will still be messy when you get home.
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In my quest to return to some of the activities I enjoyed in my pre- kids life, I've learned a few things.
1. Fashions have changed in the past 6 years. Ok, truth be told, my ski jacket is about a decade old by now, as you can see. My Jamba Juice bike shirt looks like it could fit a 12 year old, and the bike shorts? Well, let's just hope the material wasn't worn so thin back in the day.
2. Technology has leaped and bounded so much that our equipment should be hung on lodge walls or made into fences. We might as well strap 2x4's to our feet than head for the slopes with our skis. And my road bike looks like it belongs in the era of a Schwinn 10-speed. When I brought it into Cycleton for a tune-up, the mechanic looked at me doubtfully. "We'll try blowing out the gear shifter, then call you to see if the rest is worth it." (Or something like that.)
3. We might as well start fresh. I'm signing up for a ski lesson, a "refresher," if you will, at Keystone. I don't even know how to ski on the new skis. Weight forward or back? Hips squared? Yeah, I need a refresher.
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Imagine this scenario: your toddler brings home a nasty bug, and of course passes it on to you. You take him to the pediatrician. It's strep throat. They write a prescription for antibiotics for your little one, but they can't culture you or write you a prescription. You'll have to make a second appointment at your doctor for yourself.
Wouldn't it be great if you had a doctor who could take care of all of you in one trip?
Hey, this is Stapleton: ask and you shall receive.
A few weeks ago in my meditation class (9:00 Saturday mornings, right after hot yoga at Core Power Yoga Stapleton), we meditated on doing with the least amount of effort.
We fill our lives with so much busyness- from our ever present phones and Facebook and email, to our kids' nightly routine of bath/PJs/eat an apple/brushing teeth/read a book, to our own quirky busy things... sometimes it's just stimulus overload. What if you took a day and accomplished just what you need to do (nothing more), with the least amount of effort? What if you took a week?
It really hit home to me. With a gluten and dairy free diet, every single meal is a regimented ordeal. I'm preparing one thing for my family, and something else for me. Without grains or breads, I need to eat every three hours just to fuel up. Add in my son's daily allergy/asthma medication, which I had to set an alarm on my phone for so I wouldn't forget. School, playdates, carpools, sports. Working out, walking the dog twice a day, making sure she gets her glucosamine/chondroitine. Wash Mount Laundry. Dry Mount Laundry. Fold the clothes. And put them away. Every day I've got loads in, loads out, loads piling up.
What would it look like to forget the regimen for one day? I can't skip meals or medication, but what about letting the laundry go, or skipping a playdate or the trip to the Museum? What about putting the grocery shopping off and using up the stuff in my overstuffed pantry?
It looks like this: sun-dried tomato risotto for dinner, with fresh herbs from my garden. Simple, cheap, and in my pantry. Leaving the car parked in the garage, just not going anywhere. Staying in our PJ's all morning long. Pulling out the old Thomas the Train set and building a huge railway in the playroom, and spending hours playing train. Leaving the laundry doors shut and quiet for two whole days. If we run out of underwear, I guess we'll buy more. Leaving the iPhone, iPad and laptop in my office and shutting the door (that one was hard). Walking the dog a new route, instead of letting her out in the field across the street.
What would your day look like?
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My sister-in-law from Boston told me that after watching the HGTV Green Home Stapleton special, her friends think that there are no men in Stapleton. Just a bunch of housewives letting our kids and dogs run wild in the parks while we get manicures and drink wine on our front porches in the middle of the afternoon. Read the full story
5. Time for a pedicure. And a wax. And a massage. And the Yoga Nidra Meditation Om Healing circle class.
4. Mount Laundry to go away. For just one week. Or at least be magically folded.
3. A bra that really fits.
2. My comfy Tempur-Pedic bed back to ourselves. Just when we had it down, the kids started creeping back in - first it was 5am, then 3am, now it's pretty much all night. Woke with a sweet little foot in my neck this morning.
1. A hike. In the mountains. (Boulder will do.)
Happy Mother's Day!!
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't know how you moms who work full-time do it. It was another week of sickness. Doctor's appointments, runny noses, missed school, missed playdates, cancelled meetings, sleepless nights, children's tylenol, "Mom, the momometer's red!" cabin fever, the house is a disaster, Mount Laundry, haven't been to the grocery store, when was the last time I showered? If I had a job, I would have been fired. Read the full story
One of my New Year's Resolutions is to meditate. Or get some instructions so I can attempt it, and keep trying it, practice it. I'm a lot like the scene in Eat Pray Love: "My legs are already asleep. Would I disturb everyone if I laid down now? I should have just laid down at the start. I have an itch on my nose, should I scratch it? No. Eggs benedict from Udi's sounds good. I wonder if my husband fed the kids breakfast. I need to remember to put the laundry in the dryer. Oh no, I feel like I have to cough. No, no, no, don't cough, swallow, maybe spit will make it go away. I should have taken a decongestant. That reminds me of my mom making me cinnamon toast when I was sick. She'd fix me a nest on the couch and let me watch TV all day. Whoa, come on back. Breathe. So-Hum. Say the mantra. Breathe in, breathe out."
That's got to be the universal experience, no?
Well, I love my teacher, RuthAnn. She studied with Deepak Chopra, and really, that's all I need to know. You can check out her half-hour meditation classes at Core Power Yoga in the Town Center, Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9:00. $10. Right now we're going through the chakras - those energy points up and down your spine. When she's guiding us into the meditation, she always says something that relates to my mental state of mind right now. Weird cool.
She's got another meditation class coming up this Wednesday, check it out:
Phew. It's over.
Like most holidays, Valentine's Day is not a day of relaxation for moms.
Sure, there's the sweet hugs and kisses from my boys, and the lovely flowers my husband surprises me with every year. (And he broke with his favorite Asian flower shop downtown tradition to support Amore Fiori this year. Aww, thanks honey, I loved the tulips! I wonder how many other moms got tulips as a result of my hint?)
But mostly, the day is a flurry of Elmer's glue and construction paper and scissors and crayons -- and don't forget the stickers, Mom! -- as we scramble to make 18 Valentine's for my boy's preschool class. He managed to write his name on 5 of them before he completely lost interest. I had to finish the rest solo.
Then there's sugar cookies and candy hearts -- what does this one say, Mom! -- and chocolate and lollipops and sugar highs and crashes. Just when they're wiped out in front of Toy Story, the doorbell rings and another exciting round of Valentine's from neighbors begins! Mom, let's make more!
This round, my boy filled gallon-sized Zip-Loc bags with handfuls of candy hearts, and delivered them door to door. Forget the glue and paper hearts.
They didn't touch their dinner, couldn't decide on a bedtime story, and went to bed happy and exhausted.
And I am looking forward to my bed. My amazing new Tempur-Pedic bed, where I lay down and don't move a muscle the entire night long. Not TV, not books, not romance (sorry, honey), just 8 hours of uninterrupted, REM-filled, deep sleep. Isn't that what all moms really want?
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Snow falls once again
Cabin fever setting in
Let's destroy the house
Dump all the toys out
Make pillow forts with the couch
Draw, paint, cut and glue
Mom, I want a snack!
Let's make brownies, crack the eggs
Let me lick the bowl!
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