I find my self lately with a burning desire to grow up and become an adult. Odd, I know, considering I’ve put myself through college, married (twice), had children, purchased homes, and built a career, traveled, had countless valuable life experiences that have made me wiser than in my youth. I still find myself sometimes having a perception that I’m still 23, I can conquer the world and do/become anything I choose and have everything I want. It’s true that I do have everything I want and there is nothing I need, so why do I still feel like I need to find a greater purpose? I am happily married, have two vibrant and robust children, and a good job that I enjoy. It’s not that I want to supplant any of those things, I’m just stuck in a rut and need to find something that will inspire me to have a different world view, a catalyst to approach things in a different way.
I recently watched a portion of Oprah during which she talked with people about why we feel like we need things to make ourselves feel better. The red sports car. The new job. The fabulous vacation to Madrid for two weeks. A new designer handbag. It’s not the things we are looking for, but the feeling we have when we get them. And, the true dilemma, how to obtain that feeling without having the desired object. And in walks peace, centeredness, and self-awareness.
Before you get all churchy on me and say that I need to find God or something, let me step right in and say that I have God. Me and him are good. I may end up burning in the fiery pits of hell someday, but at least I know that I’m moral, with strong values, a spiritual heart, and a connection that there is a higher being than me.
I think it’s time to make some changes. To live better. By that I mean stopping the smoking, eating healthier, lacing up my shoes and hitting the pavement again. I miss running; the feeling you have after a good, long, run, the endorphin rush you get after the first mile when your body takes over and you go on autopilot, the reduced levels of anxiety and stress, and the peaceful, restful sleep that follows. I think that will give me the feeling I’m looking for - the one you get when you go buy something you’ve longed for, but without buying it.
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I love being my children’s mom, my husband’s wife, my parents’ daughter. I love where I live and work. None of those roles are my disconnect. I’ve been doing A TON of writing lately. And reading. Those have been my creative outlets to complete the gap between my wonderful life and my internal well-being. Maybe I never have to grow up? Yes, I have to be responsible, but I see growing up and responsibility as two different things. I think you can still be goofy and zany while making sure the bills are paid, the house is clean, you don’t back your car into the garage wall, etc.
I think it’s probably a little late to enroll myself in a landscape architcture program or to become a doctor, but making a few changes may get me one step closer to being completely at peace and fulfilled is in order.
Talk to you later, I’m going for a run.
Posted on July 2nd, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Author:
laurenh |
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In the grocery store last week, Senior Monkey picked up a Betty Crocker Cake magazine and wanted to pick out her birthday cake. Because everyday is her birthday, she’s all about cake and turning three. She was paging through it whilst I took care of business and finally, from the underbelly of the wagon cart, yelled “Mommy, I found my birthday cake!” “Really”, I replied, “which one did you choose?” “This one”, she says, pointing the the picture and requisite recipe.
Her choice???
The margarita cake.
Posted on June 24th, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Author:
laurenh |
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This week’s WILL NOT EAT food? Anything pointy. You can hear him down the block if he accidentally bites a string cheese stick into a point. French fries are unacceptable this week, as are apple slices, and diagonally cut sandwiches.
In a few days, the pointy phobia will be all forgotten, and it’ll be something completely different.
What’s the oddest thing your child has objected to?
Posted on June 23rd, 2008 in
Health & Nutrition | Author:
brit |
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Spring is here, kind of, and a rite of springtime up here in the Midwest is touch-a-truck days. Various libraries, recreation centers and parks in the city where I live have a morning where buses, street sweepers, police cars and so on gather for little boys - and little girls too - to ooh and ahh over them.
I took my 2-year-old son to one at the weekend. He was very impressed by all the trucks there, including a police horse trailer with two gigantic and amiable police horses. (Toddler description with random adjective - “those are very clever horses!” But then I suppose police horses must be quite clever, mustn’t they?) We also saw a “very clever” ambulance, and a “very clever” ride-on lawnmower, and a “very clever” thingy that lifts a person up to change the lightbulbs in streetlamps. Mom not quite so clever, especially with truck names.
In the middle of all the trucks, was the most wonderful thing my son had ever seen. A big, red, shiny fire truck, the kind with a ladder on the roof and flashing lights and polished chrome everywhere. And a couple of firefighters gamely wearing their boots and helmets in 80 degree heat. My toddler’s eyes turned to saucers. His mouth gaped. His little chatterboxy self was totally silenced in awe of this amazing object. After several moments, he recovered his composure enough to whisper to me. “It’s a nee nah!” he said. One has to speak reverently in the presence of a fire truck. He had seen fire trucks before, but they’ve always been whizzing past and this is the first one he’d seen standing still.
It’s so cute to see them so amazed by something. And attractive firemen made it all the more pleasant!
Answer: Boobs!
Question: What my three year old finds extremely funny to scream while going through stores now (especially if she is in a cart right in front of mine)
Posted on June 9th, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Tags:
kids | Author:
nancyo |
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My favorite drink from Starbucks is a Venti (but quad - 4 shots espresso) Iced Latte with skim milk, and flavored with sugar-free caramel syrup. Right now…it runs me $4.77
I used to hit this up about 3 or so times per week…and it didn’t help that I passed by the store about 4 times per day while running one of my kids to preschool.
So…just say three times per week…times 4 weeks….at least $57 per month. That’s probably underestimating, because it doesn’t take into consideration my stops at the one inside Target.
So…trying to find a way around that expense…a few months ago I took a stab at making my own and they turn out wonderfully.
Don’t be scared! You don’t need an expensive machine (mine is a $29 Mr. Coffee espresso/cappuccino one) and they really are simple to use! You pour water in the reservoir, and you put the coffee in the little metal cup and screw it back in the machine. That’s it. I use it strictly for making espresso, so I haven’t tried the little steamer thing.
After you find a machine, find some coffee ground for espresso machines. I usually get this pre-ground canned espresso coffee (Bustello) at the grocery. Works okay for me…but get some ground for you if you’re picky.
As far as syrup goes, I only buy the bottles of it at Starbucks. I have tried other sugar-free caramel brands, and they just aren’t as good. And if you compare prices, the syrup from Starbucks is cheaper per ounce, so you might as well get the real thing so it tastes the same.
You’ll need to experiment to find your mixture, but I put in five squirts of syrup in a large glass (we have these big 26 or 28 ounce glasses that I like to use), and then pour in the brewed espresso. Add about a 1.5 cup or so of skim milk (or whatever you like to use)…and then fill the rest of the way with ice.
And that’s it.
I now make them about every morning, and I spend around $15 a month between the coffee and the syrup.
Posted on June 9th, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Tags:
Beverage,
Budget | Author:
nancyo |
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Meal planning is one of the easiest ways to control expenses. How many times have you gone to the grocery store and just started picking up things that you planned on doing something with, and they either sit gathering dust in your pantry, or end up rotting in your refrigerator and get thrown out? That adds up to a lot of wasted money…and a lot of money that can be used towards offsetting some of the rising costs in gasoline that we’re all faced with today.
Don’t make things too complicated. Plan three dinners…each in quantity to get two full meals out of each for your family.
Then cook for three nights in a row (while your fresh foods are still at their best)…then serve the leftovers the next three nights (my husband prefers to have a little separation between the meal and the night the leftovers are served). For night number seven, either have an “everyone for themselves night”, or dine out (my favorite choice!). This could be done on the kids eat free night at many of your local restaurants.
Either way, you are cooking only three nights a week!
So your menu plan will look like this:
Day 1: Meal #1
Day 2: Meal #2
Day 3: Meal #3
Day 4: Leftovers Meal #1
Day 5: Leftovers Meal #2
Day 6: Leftovers Meal #3
Day 7: Eat Out (or “everyone for themselves” night)
Take advantage of online recipe sites, like recipezaar.com, that have a nifty little tool where you can add recipes to a shopping list, and prints everything out in a handy-dandy organized list for you to take with you to the store!
Add some of your recipes to the site, or find equivalents or new ones there, and save them to a cookbook. This will make things much easier to find them when you’re looking for the recipes you want to use for the upcoming week.
Doing all this makes your shopping trips MUCH easier. It helps cut down on the extra trips during the week because you forgot to pick up that package of taco seasoning or whatever…where you end up coming out of the store with $30 worth of impulse purchases.
Posted on June 9th, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Tags:
Budget,
Cooking | Author:
nancyo |
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Like I have nothing else better to do right now (ha) …but check this out. It’s a pretty decent cam of the Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone Park. I can’t get there for a few more years, but this might carry me over until then.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm
Posted on June 9th, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Tags:
Stuff,
travel | Author:
nancyo |
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My oldest (5) daughter began reading right around the first of the year, and is reading very well (thank you, God!)..and I’m finding that my daughter likes to read EVERYTHING. I’m having to be very careful now about what she’s exposed to, but it’s also a source of great amusement for me and for her.
I was sitting at the table typing an email to my husband earlier, and she crawls up on my lap and eavesreads.
So I start throwing in the occasional “poop” (giggle), “booger” (another massive giggle), and “I think I’m going to make them sleep in the bathtub tonight” (”What!?! {giggle} That’s crazy, Mom!!!)
Ah…kids….now if they would just pick their crap up.
Posted on June 9th, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Tags:
kids | Author:
nancyo |
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Our neighborhood development has deed restrictions. The big ones are no on street parking, keep your grass mowed, no above ground pools…and no clotheslines.
I like saving a little energy and money (which has nothing to do with the fact that our dryer is on the fritz, and I haven’t figured out the part we need 
)…but I love clothes that are dried outside. Your laundry just smells fresher.
I read about a “Right to Dry” trend where people are trying to get legislation to override various types of deed restriction/covenants. It’s not new. Some of these “movements” were started over 10 years ago.
So because I’m too lazy to start anything with our HOA, off I go to find a loophole. Which wasn’t hard. Ours only says “No outside clothes lines shall be erected or placed on any lot”…doesn’t say anything about putting out a couple of drying racks on my deck. It’s not unsightly. I don’t want the neighbors seeing our underwear anymore than they do, so that stuff is on the interior racks. So is that really so bad?
We have a wooded area to the back of us, it would be narrowed down to a couple of people if someone complained (so I wouldn’t have to give the evil eye to everyone), but if someone does complain, I’m going to tell the HOA to kiss my butt until they actually enforce the on-street parking ban. Or make my next door neighbor pick up the dog poop out of her yard so the odor doesn’t blow this way.
Our covenants are a bunch of hooey really, because they have NOTHING established as to what they would do to you except if you don’t mow your grass. But even at that, they just send you a bill or they put a lien on your property. What if you don’t move?
Posted on June 9th, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Tags:
Green,
Home,
Laundry | Author:
nancyo |
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