Category Archives: writing

January 11, 2012 · 4:36 pm

Tools for 2012

1.    MacBook Air

Behold…

This beauty arrived on Christmas morning.  (Thank you, Mike, I mean, Santa!)  I don’t have to share the computer – and the sticky keyboard and mouse – with the boys anymore, and if I ever run away I can easily blog from the road. I want to write A LOT this year, and I’m grateful I have this amazing tool to help me.  Which leads me to…

2.    Gratitude Journal

I’m still working on gratitude with the kids, and I’m pleased to report I’m making some headway.  Last weekend, Dylan and Riley filled a bag of toys to give away.  Of course, they did it to make room for new “Star Wars” toys (that was part of the deal), but they still did it and it was a step in the right direction.

I’m working on gratitude, too.

Yesterday my entry was: I’m grateful for family dinner.  You might want to sit down for this one.  I cooked dinner – baked salmon fillets and sautéed kale with garlic – after Mike got home from work and before we put the boys to bed.  The best part – besides how delicious it was – was that Riley “helped” me cook and both boys sat down with us while we ate.  Not surprisingly, Dylan wouldn’t taste anything, but he asked a lot of questions about the food.  Curiosity is a good thing!  Riley tasted the salmon…and liked it!

Tonight, I’m making cilantro lime shrimp burgers (courtesy of Whole Foods…yum), french fries and broiled asparagus.  I’ll let you know if the kids eat any of it.  Tomorrow, the boys will probably eat their usual macaroni and cheese and fruit on the couch because Mama is going out.  Which leads me to…

3.    Weekly Date

This is the New Year’s Resolution Mike made for me to have a night off each week to do something for myself.  Last week, I went to the mall one evening.  I know, it wasn’t very inspiring, especially for a Shopaholic Mama, but I had to return something (and, um, buy something), and it kept me out of the house until the bedtime antics were over.  Tomorrow, I’m headed to a book club dinner for “Room: A Novel” by Emma Donoghue.  (Yes, I read the whole book.)  Which leads me to…

4.    Read and Run

These are the tools that keep me away from the mall, relieve my anxiety and fuel my creativity.   Currently, I’m reading “The Art Of Racing In The Rain” by Garth Stein.  It’s wonderful and is making me fall in love with my dog all over again.

Next on my book list is “Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? (And Other Concerns)” by Mindy Kaling.  I hear amazing things about it.  After that, it’s Tina Fey’s “Bossypants.”  I’m a reading machine!

And a running machine!  Well, sort of.   Lately, I’ve been going on twenty-minute runs.  It’s nothing impressive, but it’s enough to keep me healthy, sane, and inspired, which leads me back to the first tool on my list.

What are your tools to stay on track this year?

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Filed under books, exercise, family dinner, New Year's resolutions, Shopaholic Mama, writing

November 16, 2010 · 8:07 pm

Reading. Writing. Running. Yoga. Repeat.

Mike got home from London late Friday night. After holding it all together for nearly seven days, I marked his return with a raging headache, and by Saturday afternoon I had a fever. There was finally another responsible adult in the house and my body surrendered to the exhaustion. Thankfully there was no flu relapse. It was just a friendly reminder that I’m not superwoman.

I’m going to a restaurant grand-opening party tomorrow night with my sister-in-law. Of course, I decided I have nothing to wear (warning sign!), so I went to the mall on Sunday afternoon to buy something (oh no!). The mall was packed with holiday shoppers and I didn’t like anything I saw in the stores (good!), but I felt like I had to come home with something (bad!). I ended up buying one shirt (compulsive purchase!), but I knew I was going to return it by the time I got in the car to drive home (buyer’s remorse!).

Being a shopaholic is almost as exhausting as being alone with my kids for a week.

Was this my relapse rock bottom? Maybe. Just to be safe, I’m going back into rehab for the holidays. I will shop for what I must and buy if I find something I absolutely love (on budget!), but there will be no more mall cruising.

I re-read “Rehab 101” from September where I reflected on my original one month shopping freeze. What I feel now – anxiety, stress and frustration – is exactly what I felt then. And what made me feel better then is the same today – reading, writing, and running. And now yoga. Going for an afternoon run would have been a much better idea than racing around the mall like a crazy person. I guess practice will make perfect for this shopping addict.

Here’s my new treatment plan to tackle holiday-induced, exhaustion-inspired and anxiety-riddled shopaholic urges:

·For starters, I’m reading “Anthropology of an American Girl” for my next book club meeting. It’s over 600 pages and I have three weeks to read it. In mommy time, that’s like having a few hours. I’m in trouble, but I’m going to give it my best shot.

·I’m writing as often as I can. It makes me feel good. Period.

·I’m signing up for another 5K in December, and I plan to run a 5-miler in February. I’d love to find a 10K to run in March or April but I haven’t found anything local yet. The Runaway Mama is literally running away!

·I will go to yoga every Monday morning…except for next week. I have a colonoscopy follow-up appointment with the gastroenterologist. That should be fun.

As for the new shirt, it’s definitely going back. I went shopping in my own closet on Sunday (after the dreadful mall trip) and found a perfectly adorable outfit to wear to the restaurant party. As it turns out, I didn’t need to go shopping. Surprise, surprise…

Reading. Writing. Running. Yoga. Repeat. Wish me luck, my friends.

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Filed under business travel, Shopaholic Mama, shopaholism, Uncategorized, writing, yoga