Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.
Etty Hillesum
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It was a dark, dreary, rainy day. I was going to go for a walk when I noticed the rain drops starting to dance against the window panes. Don’t get me wrong. I was thankful for the rain. It’s been so dry and the local lakes are down so much that water restrictions will be inevitable. But, rainy days still make me moody.

The day was such a blur. I did a little reading, laundry, paid bills, etc., but still couldn’t shake the blahs. So, I decided that maybe a nap would help. I never take a nap, and for good reason. I don’t sleep, but rather lay there thinking of all the things I should be doing or thinking about things that I shouldn’t be thinking. The rain finally stopped, so I put on my walking shoes and went for a double walk.

The fast pace and brisk air lifted my spirits a bit, but not quite enough. Then, I remembered that there was an evening Zumba class at the Y. I think it was at 6:30. What time was it now? I looked at my phone, only 6:10, so I scurried home, changed quickly and zipped off to Zumba. I never went at night before. It was pretty fun. I’ll have to remember that next time I have too much energy, negative thoughts and nothing exciting to while away the day.

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Tuesday: Tips for Toning…or Toni…ing.

There’s a lot of people in this world who spend so much time watching their health that they haven’t the time to enjoy it.
Josh Billings
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If you’re gonna exercise, make sure it’s a lot of fun, you make friends doing it, and you go out to lunch afterwards.
Me
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I love Zumba! Not only is it a good workout, but it’s so much fun. I’ve lost some weight and all that wiggling and jiggling has significantly toned up those “jello” parts. Thus, the toning tip. Since my name is Toni, I’m going to coin the phrase “Toni…ing.” I’ve always wanted to dance and never had the opportunity. Now, I can dance, sing, and jiggle to my hearts content. I’ve also made some great friends in the process. Especially, my friend Karen who offered to call 911 for me on a couple occasions. Today was a fun day!

Tuesday Tips and Tricks

Plant seeds in ice cream cone cups. Kids enjoy watching them grow, then plant in the ground.

Keep bananas lasting a little longer, of course, you could always freeze and dip in chocolate.

Very important!!! Always make sure you carry an extra house key even when going to the mailbox, taking out the garbage, or just getting the newspaper from the driveway.The puppy ( the size of a small pony) has jumped up on the door and has locked me out of the house on several occasions. Today, my husband was home to let me back in…thank goodness.

Sunday Cinema: I Watch Way Too Much TV

Sundays are my lazy day. I sit with my Sunday newspaper, a cup of hot tea, and the remote control, what more could I ask for? I become mesmerized and a trance-like state overtakes my subconscious, rendering me immobile for endless hours.

Today, I got hooked on Turner Classic Movie Channel. They always have great old classics and black and white movies. “The Young Philadelphians” from 1959, with Paul Newman and Barbara Rush was on. I’d never seen it. 136 minutes later… where did the day go?

“Mad Men” Season 6 premiere took up another 2 hour chunk of my evening. Did you see it? What did you think? I wasn’t too impressed. Maybe 6 years is a stretch.

Like everything else I write about, I consulted my good friend Mr. Google to research what has been written about watching too much TV. NOT a good idea. TMI once again. Studies say… Well, I can’t even scratch the surface of all the harmful effects of excessive television viewing.

I’m really paranoid now. I will be watching for the warning signs of depression, diabetes, violent outbursts, insomnia, obesity, cancer, heart attack, vision loss, and so much more. To counteract the debilitating erosion to the other parts of my body, I’m strengthening my brain by watching several recorded episodes of Jeopardy while writing this post. Hope it works. I’m beyond giving up watching endless hours of TV. Is there a support group for me?

Monday Memories: Chicago in the ’50’s

Growing up on the south side of Chicago in the 1950’s was a blast. Well, at least I thought it was.To quote my mother, “We were poor, but everyone else was, too, so we didn’t know we were poor.”

Kids weren’t plugged-in and tuned-out back then. Everyone walked to school without earbuds blasting from an iPod or texting their every thought. After school, we played outside until we dropped from exhaustion or the front porch light flashed on and off, signaling time to come in for dinner and a bath.

Did you ever play steal the bacon? We used an old scrub brush as the bacon. Do you even know what a scrub brush is? Just kidding! We had two teams, each assigned a number. If the number one was called, the two kids who were ones, ran to the middle of the sidewalk, and one kid would try to grab the scrub brush and get back to home-base before getting tagged by the other kid. When we had a large group, we played in the middle of the street. Not much traffic back then. After 6pm, most everyone was home.

If you were a little girl, you played hop scotch and jump rope. Then, there was the complicated art of double dutch. I vaguely remember being able to jump between the two ropes, but I wasn’t that great at it. I spent endless hours playing with my Barbie doll. I made clothes for her with scraps of fabric and yarn. They didn’t have Barbie dream houses or pink convertibles back then. No Ken doll either. I think my Barbie was going to join the convent and become a nun. Can you imagine? Sister Mary Barbie?

Yes, life was simpler back then. I’m not sure if today’s technology and modern conveniences have really changed the world for the better. The jury’s still out on that one. Wish I still had my Barbie!

Can You Learn From Your Children?

They say the best way to influence your children is to teach them by example. But, what if children are trying to teach their parents by example?

I always tried to be a good example to my two sons. I like to think that both my husband and I are kind, generous, and all around good people. My sons have turned out to be genuinely wonderful men, and yes, I’m prejudiced, but I think everyone would agree.

Here is where the table have been turned. Both my sons are vegans, and have been for quite a while. Where did I go wrong? They eat mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, and very rarely eat junk food. This means no meat, fish, eggs, or dairy. Basically, it must come from the dirt to the table. This from the little boys who begged to have hot dogs or burgers everyday if they couldn’t go to McDonalds.

I have been scolded and schooled on the evils of meat, milk, dairy products, eggs, etc. “Mom, do you know how they treat and butcher those animals?” I’ve been given many Christmas gifts of books and DVDs on the subject. Their well-meaning gestures and pressures have influenced me somewhat, but my bad habits and taste buds are not completely convinced. Sometimes it’s a good thing that they live hundreds of miles away so they can’t check up on me all the time.

All their advice is sound and reasonable, but I can’t do it all cold turkey. I drink almond milk, gave up soda (most of the time), basically no desserts (unless it’s my birthday, or someone else’s birthday, or the girl scouts are selling cookies), I’ve cut back on meat consumption. As my mother-in-law used to say, “Better like nothing.”

Thank you, boys, for trying to lead by example. Maybe if you lived a little closer and visited more often, you could be better role models. Hint..hint!