As I sit here watching my 5 year old surf Justin Bieber Youtube videos, I'll share with you some of my observations after 10 days of being a midlifer...
I can still sport a flush as red as a Danish flag - especially while 190 people are singing "Happy Birthday" to me while waving it...
I can still contemplate entering what looked like a bong cafe (but no, I didn't - I probably would have just ordered a coffee anyway.)
My ass still inspires wolf-whistles - well, they originate from my husband but hey, I'll take them while I can get them...
In the spirit of keeping said ass, I was still able to make an 8:30 AM BodyJam class after a longer than 9 hour flight home the afternoon before...
I'm still young enough to appreciate Eclipse (wooden acting notwithstanding) but old enough to love The Kids are All Right (beautiful Annette and Julianne make it easy, and I'd take Mark Ruffalo over Jake anytime - rawr...)
I was cynical while witnessing the banal banter between Amanda Seyfried and Christopher Egan in "Letters to Juliet" but tears welled as I saw the genuine love in the gazes between Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave. Both still gorgeous and still together after all these years. Pass me a tissue please. (And by the way, what a waste of the talented Gael Garcia Bernal - if he said "amazing" and "incredible" one more time during the movie, I would have tossed my earphones into the barf bag...)
(and you are correct, you CAN squeeze a lot of movies into an overseas flight. It's the only chance I get to watch movies nowadays)
I enjoy being a woman but not yet "one of the girls" (ie. I get to join the girls' club once I hit 50, apparently)
I'm old enough that I actually own outfits that I can recycle as Lady Gaga for an upcoming Halloween party. Dare me to? I've done Depp, Gaga should be a breeze - just don't call me a hoarder, m'kay?
I do NOT know how you bloggers out there who work out of the home manage to keep up with the blogging like you do. No disrespect to the SAHM and WAHM sisters, because I've done that too. But this is so difficult to do, and despite the fact that I'm exhausted half the time to even put a coherent thought together (I called my son's lunch bag this morning the brown thing, the red thing, and it's uh BLUE!) there is still this unmet need to keep up with this blog.
This blog, this space, has been SO much of my life in the past 4 plus years. It's become a part of me. And I'm missing it. And even more so, missing you.
So that's what I've got today. I'm trying to get out and visit you when I can, I love it when you continue to visit me and comment, and encourage me as I deal with this major transition in my life (what a year it's been). I appreciate and love all of you blog pals.
And here, for my pleasure probably more than yours, a video of a remake of John Waite's huge 80's hit, given a country twist in a lovely duet with Alison Krause. He's looking older, but still, not too shabby.
(My heart still belongs to the original, the one where I imagined myself to be the cute Asian girl in the video and I initially fell in love with skinny, pale white guys. I'm lucky I found one (sans swinging one earring, mind you) and married him. )
You know when I prayed for that baby who was so long in coming? So desperate was I for baby that I said that I wouldn't care if we had a brat.
You know when we named that same baby a moniker that has graced magazine covers and Paris runways, and I said it would suit a girl with attitude?
Gahhhhhhh!!!! It's freakin' payback time, now.
I'm all for my daughter being strong-willed, stubborn and assertive. I just wish that she had someone else to practice on.
We're going through a bit of a trying time with the little one lately. She seems to be happy calling all the shots, not being too keen to follow rules (unless she comes up with them herself), wanting everything her way and for her royal subjects to wait on her hand and foot. Princess syndrome, all day, 24/7.
She's been fortunate. Her big brother is fantastic to her. He's a really wonderful kid. And perhaps, therein lies the problem.
She knows this. She hears her parents talk about how wonderful he is; she hears her relatives tell their wonderboy stories; she hears her brother's friends parents mention how mature beyond his years he is … all about him, him, him. No wonder her current modus operandi is that any attention, no matter how garnered, is better than attention toward her brother. The more annoying she gets, the better. Things are particularly testy when she needs a nap.
Today was an especially spectacular example.
After a wonderful morning at school with further playtime at the playground with her classmates , we came home with her best pal to a fabulous lunch of hot dogs and toast with grapes on the side. The girlie had a couple of quick meltdowns which are par for the course, but after a half hour of watching "Flushed Away "with her buddy, we were off to their afternoon sport program. More play time, this time along with her other best friend in tow. Life shall we say, is sweet.
”Okay, time to drive your pal home, Mommy has to get gas for the car and rush back in time for big brother to be home.”
"No, I don’t want to go home.I want to stay at my friend’s.”, as we drove up her friend’s driveway.
“Well, not today sweetie.We have to arrange it with his Mommy.But I picked up some nice crafts that we can work on when we’re home.”, I said patiently while her pal bounded out of the car.I opened up her side of the van so she could say good-bye.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I WANNA GET OUT NOWWWWWWWWW!!!!”.
Screeching at the top of her lungs, tears rolling down her red face, her arms and legs outstretched as she tried to bust out of her five-point harness ... she was truly a sight to behold. I couldn’t reason with her, so I just shut the van door to muffle her screams as I returned to the driver’s side. I got into the van, and reversed, with her screaming continuously ringing in my ear.All the while repeating that we had crafts and fun stuff to look forward to.
Then I looked at my rear view mirror and I saw her undoing her carseat buckle.
I cracked.I pulled over to the side of the road, opened her door, read her the riot act about how her behaviour was unacceptable as I tightened up her belt, shut the door yet again, muffling higher pitched screams, and then got back into the driver’s seat.
I was done listening to any more hysterics.So I did the only logical thing. Not even paying attention to what was on, I cranked up the radio to almost full volume…
Don't even know how the hell that showed up on my dial. But it was exhilarating, I wanted to just let loose with some good old-fashioned headbanging on my steering wheel.
In any case, it made the little old lady walking by with her little dog almost jump out of her skin.
And the girlie? Stupefied, within 30 seconds, her tears seemed to have dried up, her wailing stopped, and after I lowered the volume, we drove the two minutes to the gas station.
After pumping the gas, I got back in the car and her royal highness Princess G squeaked out...
"Uh, Mommy, can we go home and do crafts now?"
And with that, she promptly passed out on the way home.
I put my gym membership on hold. Due to freakin' stupid knee medical reasons.
Now what?
Well, despite the fact that gall bladder issues should dictate a lower fat diet with subsequent bonus weight loss, just sitting around doing nothing will only add to the jelly roll six pack that has now invaded my mid-section. So perhaps it's a good thing that we're not going anywhere remotely "beach" this winter break.
So a girl must do what a girl must do.
Let's check out Wii Fit!!!
Oh how tempting it would have been to just use my 8 year old son's profile; but I had to be honest here and set up my own. Okay.
After standing on the board, entering my stats (they get pretty personal, height, weight, birthday, etc...I must admit it is a pretty sophisticated technology to be able to calculate my BMI and all)...I was ready to do the balance tests. And with the encouragement of my children around me, I figured I didn't do too badly.
So I waited with eager anticipation to see my Wii Fit age...
TA - DAHHHHHHH:
59
WHATTTTT????!!!!
Good Lord.
So what's a girl to do?
Why, do the Body Test again. TA-DAHHHHHHH:
58
So what's a dejected girl to do? Well, after following a couple of toning exercises led by my male and then female trainers, we needed a break:
But I did go back in the evening, 1.8 additional pounds later, and tried the Body Test again (I never said I wasn't a cheater)...
