Life is like a box of half-eaten chocolates. Want one?
I can't possibly express the immense joy and anticipation I'm feeling about tomorrow morning, for it is the first day back to school for the gremlins and Geekster's first day back at work.
As of around 8:30AM, Spawnling and I will once again fish our tiaras out of the toy box and declare ourselves supreme rulers of the household. Life will return to normal. The house will be relatively quiet until 3:10PM, five days per week, unless I decree otherwise by the invitation of other little ankle biters and crumb snatchers to keep my two-year-old occupied.
Yep. The way things should be. Back to normal. Maven in da house. Rollin' with the Spawnling. Kickin' it oldschool. Eating less chocolate.
Oh. The "eating less chocolate" thing? That's on my list of things to do as well. See, I weighed myself this morning for the first time in over a month. It seems that stuffing gratuitous amounts of calories into one's mouth and deeming it acceptable because, hey, it's Christmas time, is not a good weight loss plan. In fact, it may very well have added a couple of pounds.
Who knew?
Now, that being said, I have a one-way ticket way to Scrawnyville in 2009 between the 1 1/2 miles or so of walking I'll be doing every day (I did 3 miles today because I was out last night and had to make up for my naughtiness), the vegetarianism, and the supplements I'm taking daily (for those who are interested: a veggie-friendly multivitamin, a heavy-duty probiotic for general health, some chromium to balance blood sugars, and a big ol' heaping spoonful of disgusting flax oil for some EFAs).
I mean, really. With all that goodness what's a little chocolate?
The key word here is "little". That means not an entire Terry's Chocolate Orange like you had tonight, Maven. Bad, bad Maven. No more chocolate oranges for you.
(Yes, I feel pretty sick now. That was far more than I would normally have. I don't think I'll eat anything sweet for a week. My pancreas will thank me.)
My other 2009 lifestyle adjustments, such as writing, will keep my hands busy enough that I will forget to eat. That's the goal, anyway. In fact, yesterday, while I had a total of six boys here (seven if one can count Geekster), a character for a book popped into my head. He appeared in full, glorious detail, and I had to stop everything I was doing (baking cookies and cleaning up after boys, mostly) just so I could sit down at the computer and write about him. In all the chaos around me - screaming children, sword fights, barking dogs, things being thrown across the playroom and hitting the walls with a thud - I was incapable of distraction. The words came onto the screen as I typed furiously for a good half hour. It was beautiful and I was damn proud of myself.
I believe that's what is called a stroke of creative genius. I've never had one before because my brain is not terribly genius-friendly. In fact, I think I have more in common with Forest Gump than geniuses. I, too, believe that life is like a box of chocolates. A delicious box of chocolates that you sample from gluttonously, devouring all the good ones and offering the half-eaten yucky ones to everyone else.
Yep. Just like Forest.
At any rate, there's another reason why I have to get my act together in 2009. For the first time in many years I have been asked to be someone's AA sponsor and have accepted without any conditions of 'I can do this temporarily', or what-have-you. I said yes and I committed to helping her work a healthy 12 step program.
Slight problem: Now I have to make sure I'm healthy, too. Damnit. Why didn't I think of that before I said yes? I can't be eating my feelings while I suggest she talk about hers! I can't stay home on those really cold, snowy nights and watch bad reality television if she's counting me to take her to a meeting! I have to actually do good things for myself so I can model what 17 years of sobriety looks like.
What have I gotten myself into?
Oh, fear not. I'm not really griping. This is good for me! It gets me out of that frumpy-mommy mode and into some new, shiny kicks. I'm excited! And she's a very cool sponsee, if I do say so myself. I've had a handful over the years and she's by far my favourite.
... Hmm. I don't think picking favourite sponsees is necessarily healthy, either. What has this poor girl gotten herself into?
I might have to share the better chocolates with her so she doesn't catch on to my dysfunction.
Now, off to bed. I have two boys to usher onto the bus tomorrow morning. Then, coffee. Then, life!
As of around 8:30AM, Spawnling and I will once again fish our tiaras out of the toy box and declare ourselves supreme rulers of the household. Life will return to normal. The house will be relatively quiet until 3:10PM, five days per week, unless I decree otherwise by the invitation of other little ankle biters and crumb snatchers to keep my two-year-old occupied.
Yep. The way things should be. Back to normal. Maven in da house. Rollin' with the Spawnling. Kickin' it oldschool. Eating less chocolate.
Oh. The "eating less chocolate" thing? That's on my list of things to do as well. See, I weighed myself this morning for the first time in over a month. It seems that stuffing gratuitous amounts of calories into one's mouth and deeming it acceptable because, hey, it's Christmas time, is not a good weight loss plan. In fact, it may very well have added a couple of pounds.
Who knew?
Now, that being said, I have a one-way ticket way to Scrawnyville in 2009 between the 1 1/2 miles or so of walking I'll be doing every day (I did 3 miles today because I was out last night and had to make up for my naughtiness), the vegetarianism, and the supplements I'm taking daily (for those who are interested: a veggie-friendly multivitamin, a heavy-duty probiotic for general health, some chromium to balance blood sugars, and a big ol' heaping spoonful of disgusting flax oil for some EFAs).
I mean, really. With all that goodness what's a little chocolate?
The key word here is "little". That means not an entire Terry's Chocolate Orange like you had tonight, Maven. Bad, bad Maven. No more chocolate oranges for you.
(Yes, I feel pretty sick now. That was far more than I would normally have. I don't think I'll eat anything sweet for a week. My pancreas will thank me.)
My other 2009 lifestyle adjustments, such as writing, will keep my hands busy enough that I will forget to eat. That's the goal, anyway. In fact, yesterday, while I had a total of six boys here (seven if one can count Geekster), a character for a book popped into my head. He appeared in full, glorious detail, and I had to stop everything I was doing (baking cookies and cleaning up after boys, mostly) just so I could sit down at the computer and write about him. In all the chaos around me - screaming children, sword fights, barking dogs, things being thrown across the playroom and hitting the walls with a thud - I was incapable of distraction. The words came onto the screen as I typed furiously for a good half hour. It was beautiful and I was damn proud of myself.
I believe that's what is called a stroke of creative genius. I've never had one before because my brain is not terribly genius-friendly. In fact, I think I have more in common with Forest Gump than geniuses. I, too, believe that life is like a box of chocolates. A delicious box of chocolates that you sample from gluttonously, devouring all the good ones and offering the half-eaten yucky ones to everyone else.
Yep. Just like Forest.
At any rate, there's another reason why I have to get my act together in 2009. For the first time in many years I have been asked to be someone's AA sponsor and have accepted without any conditions of 'I can do this temporarily', or what-have-you. I said yes and I committed to helping her work a healthy 12 step program.
Slight problem: Now I have to make sure I'm healthy, too. Damnit. Why didn't I think of that before I said yes? I can't be eating my feelings while I suggest she talk about hers! I can't stay home on those really cold, snowy nights and watch bad reality television if she's counting me to take her to a meeting! I have to actually do good things for myself so I can model what 17 years of sobriety looks like.
What have I gotten myself into?
Oh, fear not. I'm not really griping. This is good for me! It gets me out of that frumpy-mommy mode and into some new, shiny kicks. I'm excited! And she's a very cool sponsee, if I do say so myself. I've had a handful over the years and she's by far my favourite.
... Hmm. I don't think picking favourite sponsees is necessarily healthy, either. What has this poor girl gotten herself into?
I might have to share the better chocolates with her so she doesn't catch on to my dysfunction.
Now, off to bed. I have two boys to usher onto the bus tomorrow morning. Then, coffee. Then, life!