Happy Father's Weekend

Just received the following email from my dear husband ("DH"), with the catchy subject-line "FFF":

"HI Angel, just a heads up that Frank may have a Father’s Day Friday Fire, although just like golf tomorrow, the chances are slim that it will happen as it may rain tonight. I will be bringing home 2 frozen steaks tonight maybe for supper tomorrow."

It's official. Father's Day has been repealed and replaced with Father's Weekend, so as to accommodate Father's Friday Fire and Father's Saturday Golf. These are not father-son activities. The fire gets underway immediately after bedtime, in that narrow window between the initial tuck-in and the first request for another story/drink/hug/Kleenex/monster removal. At three years of age, our dear son is not yet welcome on the golf course, a fact which I will attempt to explain, repeatedly, throughout DH's 6 hour round on Saturday. The celebration of DH's own father will take place on Sunday, the day formerly known as Father's Day. My dad lives far away and gets a phone call, which is a shame because he would enjoy the FFF and FSG if he were here and could talk his way in. Mothers need not apply.

But hey, I'm looking forward to those frozen steaks.  

Happy Father's Weekend

p.s. For the record DH is an awesome dad and deserves all the R&R he can grab. 

Dear Fitness Diary

Went to the gym this morning. All novelty has worn off. Thinking about myself becoming stronger is my sole motivation. Which is not bad motivation.
Today I'm grateful for the person who discovered that strength-training twice a week is almost as effective as three times a week. I read that in Shape magazine almost twenty years ago. If that study has been disproven, I don't think I want to know about it.
They play the worst music at the gym. I'm thinking about audio books to make the time pass. Suggestions?
Now to clean my house. At least I get to pick my own music. :-)

Fudge

No, it's not a recipe, although it sounds yummy.
I stopped paying attention to what I ate and I gained weight. F*#%. I'm still a pound less than when I started to watch my diet about six weeks ago, but practically speaking that is zero progress. My too-tight summer clothes are still too-tight, and now it is summer.
Time to get serious. Back to myfitnesspal.com. This super-handy little app helped me lose about 4 pounds in a month without deprivation, so hopefully it can help me do it again, but better! Bring on the deprivation! ;-)
I am still working out at the gym. The post-workout high is never as good as the first time, but yes, it does feel good. Next step: outdoor workouts.

My sentiments exactly.

J says a lot of awesome things. Usually I'm so busy enjoying the moment that I forget to write them down. This one isn't "awesome" (which is probably why I remember it) but it made me laugh.

"Mama!"
"Yeah."
"There's something wrong with the house!"
"What's that?"
"The freezer is coming out of the floor!"

That would be the air-conditioning.

"It's happening all over the house!!!"

Gratitude

This morning J commented that heaven is in the clouds. "Hmm," I replied.
"I don't see Jesus in the clouds," he said.
I explained that heaven is actually farther than the clouds [where, I have no idea], and no, we can't see Jesus. I added that Jesus is with us whenever two or more are gathered in his name, although we can't see him.
I asked J if we should invite Jesus to join us.
"Yes," he said. "Hi Jesus."
I suggested that we tell Jesus what we are thankful for.
J thought briefly and said, "Thank you for my friend..." and named one of his best friends.
After we talked about gratitude some more, I told J that he could ask Jesus for help with something if he wanted. J said, "Jesus, will you help me make my cereal by myself?" I was surprised, and grateful to know that he wants to do this, because we can definitely make it happen.

I didn't grow up with much religion, but I married a spiritual man. He is too wise to ever push me, but he has inspired me.

Studies show that, on average, religious people are happier than others. There are a multitude of possible explanations, of course. I suspect that gratitude has a little bit to do with it. When I began to pray (when you really need help, you might be surprised by what you're willing to try!) I immediately found that I couldn't ask for help without first expressing gratitude. Sometimes it's tempting to jump straight into the requests, but my conscience reminds me to pause and say thank you. I suspect that, on average, religious people may be prompted to recognize their gratitude more frequently than others.

Of course, gratitude does not require religion whatsoever!

This week NorCal Katie wrote a post about a great new email service called grateful160.com. The beauty of this service is that it prompts us to recognize gratitude at various times and places (assuming mobile email) throughout each day. The website records each user's expressions of gratitude in a private journal. I have been using it all week and loving it. For example, the service emailed me while I walked past a long hedge of blooming lilacs, prompting me to express gratitude for one of my favourite scents. I don't need a service to tell me that I love lilacs, but it will be nice to have a reminder on a dark, cold day, particularly compiled with all of the many other things and people for whom I am grateful. Thanks for the tip Katie. I am paying it forward!

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

I decided to write a post about my favourite things. Not people, music, or places -- but things. Products, to be specific. These are the things that consistently make me glad I bought them. No, I'm not being paid to mention these (ha!). I just sincerely recommend them. I'm curious to know about your favourite products too!

Here are a few of my favourite things products, in no particular order:

• Estee Lauder skin care. Expensive but worth it. When I quit my job I tried to find more affordable substitutes, which turned out to be a waste of money. Estee Lauder products work. When I use them, I look better. I am particularly devoted to Advanced Night Repair; Resilience Lift (despite the strong scent); Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher; and Time Zone eye cream. 
• Organic strawberries. Is there anything more pleasantly fragrant, delicious, and healthy than a fresh strawberry?  
• Bumble & bumble Tonic. Hair-detangler and mood-enhancer. Good morning in a bottle. 
• Neutorgena Wave. This gadget claims to reveal, "smoother skin in just one use." It's true.
• Neutrogena Night Calming Makeup Removing Cleansing Towelettes. For evenings when I'm too lazy to wash my face. Not at all irritating. When my pre-schooler came home covered in Spiderman face paint (including his eye-lids) these wipes took it all off in a flash without a single complaint. 
• Rembrandt toothpaste, because it makes dental cleanings quicker.
• Aveeno fragrance-free Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion. I discovered this when I was pregnant and scented products made me nauseous. I love the fact that it has no scent at all. 
• On the other hand, I love Aveeno White Peach & Ginger Uplifting Body Wash, because the scent is just so uplifting! Squirt some on a loofah, rub it all over, and you will glow inside and out. 
• Method Lil' Bowl Blu Eucalyptus Mint toilet bowl cleanser. Makes an unpleasant task more pleasant. 
• Method Green Tea & Aloe foaming hand wash. Fun foam. Chartreuse colour. A mild, fresh scent.
• L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara, because it rinses off completely with water, without staining my skin. Absolutely no raccoon eyes. Note: this product is not recommended for swimming, tear-jerker movies, or extremely bad days. 
• The PVR. 

What are your favourites?

I feel good!

This post is a few days late, but I have to write it, if only for the motivation.

On Friday I went back to the gym. I did twenty minutes on the Ark (Arc?) --  sort of an elliptical version of a Stairmaster. Then I did 3 sets of 10 reps on 10 weight machines. And 50 pushups [Ed.: Oops! In my dreams.] sit-ups. I went into the gym feeling exhausted and I left feeling great. :-)

I haven't met my goal of 30 minutes of cardio ("which could be a brisk walk") at least five days a week, but I haven't been totally inactive either. 

Does walking to and from and all around a carnival count? How about the heart-racing thrill and elation of a mini roller coaster? I'm pretty sure that hot mini donuts are the secret to eternal youth, anyway. 

Best of all(?), I weighed myself yesterday morning and found that I have lost 3.8 pounds in a month. I know it's not earth-shattering, but I did it without feeling faint (memories of the Atkins diet) or even particularly deprived. 

It's been another indulgent weekend but I'm motivated to get back on track tomorrow. Family gatherings seem to be my biggest challenge. Today my sister-in-law served home-made caramel rolls at brunch. Have you ever eaten a grilled smokie at the same time as a fresh-baked caramel roll? Let me tell you, warm pork sausage with a dab of fresh, hot caramel is an unbelievably good combination. Particularly on a deck in the sun with a nice glass of wine. Yes, this family does brunch right. I later learned that the sauce on the caramel rolls consists of equal parts butter, sugar, and ice cream(!), cooked to gooey perfection. 

So, yes, I have to go back to the gym tomorrow. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it either...there's so much else I have to do! However, I'm trying to remember how good I felt after working out on Friday, and I want to lose more weight (and eat more caramel rolls). I can't stop now!