Notes on Yoga

Today I realized that I've been doing yoga pretty regularly for ten years. You'd think that I'd be pretty decent at it, right? I should clarify and say that I realized that it's been a decade of Down Dogs in the GERIATRIC yoga class I went to at the gym this morning. I know I can go for the hyperbole here, but I'm really not kidding about this. And even though I did not have to do the seated positions in a chair or check my oxygen tank at the door, I wasn't even the best person in the class. You'd think being forty to fifty years younger than the other yogis might have give me an advantage but again you'd be wrong.

It's all about flexibility, which I just don't have. I'm the least flexible person I know although my PARENTS might be close in the running, which might explain things.

I know everyone says that they're not flexible, but I once had a yoga instructor ask me if there was a STEEL ROD in my spine. I bet no one has asked you if there's a piece of steel where your spine should be.

My favorite yoga teacher used to say I had PHENOMENALLY tight hamstrings. The way she said it, I actually felt proud unlike the steel rod comment, which made me depressed for weeks. The only positive thing about that comment is that I've been able to describe just how inflexible I am.

What's weird is that if I did anything else (at least once a week) for ten years, I'd probably be much better at it today than I was in 1999. Tennis, baking bread, chopping word, salsa dancing...really is there anything other than yoga that I would just be at a complete PLATEAU for a decade?

On a positive note I really like yoga even though I'm so sucky at it so I guess I'll be in it for another ten years. The Bean must have her daddy's genes because she has a kickass Down Dog and she can put both feet in her mouth at the same time. Then again, her dad is so flexible he makes GUMBY look stiff.

Namaste, y'all , namaste!

You Have To Be Kidding....

So if I said I was going to have a little me time for the first time in oh, I don't know, like two weeks, and about ten minutes before I left the house, N's back went out, you so wouldn't believe me, right? Cuz N's back doesn't go out. It's my back that goes out, but apparently The Gods wanted to give N. a sample of bad backiness. Thanks.

And uh, we're gonna get a foot of snow tonight.

More positively, The Bean went swimming for the first time today. She rocked the pool. And she rocked the house cuz she's CRAWLING.

Help!!!!!!

Wednesday....

It's a little before 4:00 PM here and I'm the only one up. Poor N. is still sick!! The doctor said there's a lot of "activity" in his belly so he's passed out once again and The Bean is down for her nap. I'm up and feeling sorry for myself. Remember when I said it was so nice to come home to a truly clean house? People, a tornado has been through the house. I haven't had a break from the baby since last Thursday! I love my Bean more than anything, but I am tired!

To make matters even more happy, it's going to snow. Again. A lot. I'm not sure we'll be able to have the sitter tomorrow---it wouldn't be fair to make her come to a sick house and with all the snow expected I'm not sure she'll want to drive over here anyway. And Friday's normal baby outing is canceled because it's school break 'round these parts. If I didn't have such a headache right now, I'd be drinking a stiff one. Or two. Or six.

I need a healthy husband and summer ASAP!

Friday....

It's 8:30 PM on a Friday night and I'm the only one up right now. The Bean is an early sleeper---she's usually beat by 6:00 although I would like her to go to bed a little later so that eight hour of sleep (!) doesn't mean getting up to nurse at 2:00 AM. 4:00 or 5:00 AM would be better. But anyway it's normal for Beanie to be a snoozin now, but poor N. is super sick. He stayed home from work today and just got sicker and sicker. We were supposed to go out for pizza and beer tonight, which is our annual frak-Valentine's Day tradition, but I had to cancel our sitter. Bummer!

I'm not really tired, but my computer isn't charged enough for me to do that much on it and I don't feel like going into the living room to get the cord because that's where N. is sleeping. I'm very glad we bought our new pull-out couch. I love my husband, but I really don't want to sleep next to a germy guy. Oh, this is very scattered, but I was going to say that I'm not tired, but I'm so not into the book I'm reading, which is Twilight. Yeah the silly YA book that they made a silly (and lame!) YA movie about a few months back. I don't know why I bought the book...it's about Vampires. I'm so not into that....I guess I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, but man is the writing just terrible. And it's so long. And I have this weird hang up about having to finish books that I've read more than 100 pages or half of. So I know I'm going to finish it (eventually) but I'm so not into reading it.

I read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green a few weeks ago. That's another YA and why it's not perfect, it's very very smart and funny and good. I recommend that. Most especially if your reading level has gone down to that of a 7th grader.

My computer is about to lose its juice. Cross your fingers that Ms. Bean doesn't get her daddy's bug. She's much too little to get that sick.

Happy V-day for those that subscribe to that kinda stuff. Have a Bud and slice for me and N.

Thanks Grandma!

Love, Bean

How The Other Half Lives

So yesterday in a fit of oh-my-god-it's-so-depressingly-gray-out-and-winter-is-never-going-to-end-and-I'm-going-to-be-stuck-in-this-house-forever-and-god-this-house-is-so-fraking-dirty-but-I-don't-have-the-time-or-energy-or-skills-to-clean-it-so-that-it-actually-looks-clean I called a cleaning woman whose name I had gotten months ago, but never called because I thought that in between my knitting (ha!) and cooking (ha!), I'd be scouring the floors joyfully.

The cleaning woman had an opening today and she came here and from 9:00 until 2:00 when I was like, I kind of need to go out and I don't think I can afford to pay you $200, she cleaned my house.

No, she scrubbed my house. She moved furniture and lifted rugs and arranged funeral processions for the Dust Bunnies.

N. and I do the dishes like three times a day and put our food away and sweep the floors and buy products to spray on all our stuff, but it turns out we're actually filthy. Poor Bean! It is so nice to come home to a house that actually looks clean. The problem is that once you go there you can't go back. Forever and forever I'm going to have to have a cleaning person. In just five hours I became one of Those people. But I'm only going to have her come once a month because the reality is we're not any richer not living in Brooklyn. In fact we might actually be poorer since I'm no longer on the payroll and because The Bean needs things like this. Hopefully N. and I can maintain our throughly scrubbed house better and it won't be so bad or take so long next time. Anyway, the monthly cleaning woman might be the best use of N's money ever.

The Bean says actually this would be the best use of papa's money, but mama says $20.00 is a lot for a plastic giraffe even if it is French.

Feel Free to Skip This Post

This could have been a Friday books, but instead, I'm gonna write about all the things I'm thankful for. I think it's important to do that every once and while. Lord knows I love to complain but sometimes it's good to recognize how lucky you are.

1. I am thankful for Nick.
2. I am thankful I have a happy and healthy baby girl.
3. I am thankful that Nick has a job and it looks like he'll have a job next year.
4. I am thankful that Nick's job didn't take us too far from our families.
5. I am thankful that our families are healthy and strong.
6. I am thankful that I am close to my brother.
7. I am thankful that I was able to get a car as soon as I needed one.
8. I am thankful that we don't have to worry about food or heat.
9. I am thankful that although it may be really cold a lot of the time, New Hampshire is a safe and clean place for my family.
10. I am thankful that I was able to get pregnant so easily and without any complications.
11. I am thankful for the sunlight that comes into my house in the afternoons.
12. I am thankful for the blueness of the cold evenings.
13. I am thankful that I have a babysitter once a week.
14. I am thankful that I can go to the gym.
15. I am thankful that I have met some nice people up here.
16. I am thankful for the friends I have all over the place, but mostly in New York.

Okay, there are more, of course, but that should suffice for now. I'll be back with some snark and complaints next week fo' sho. Happy weekend, y'all.

If I Spent Less Time on Facebook I'd Probably Blog More

I'm sick of winter, yo. Like today after music class The Bean and I chilled and napped and then we played and then we got sick of being in the house and I thought about getting an onion because we need one for the marinara sauce I was going to make on Sunday. But getting an onion would require driving and all the hoopla that goes on with getting the kid in the car and I just didn't feel like making the babe go through all that for an onion. An avocado, perhaps, but an onion? It was cold out today, probably too cold for a walk to the local grocery store, but even if I decided to risk it, it would require putting many layers on The Bean and then stuffing her in the stroller. And I just wasn't up for that. But if it was warm out....no jacket or Bundle Me or hat or gloves. I could just stick Beanie in her buggy and away we'd go. Ahhhh. And there'd be sun, which would be wonderful for obvious reasons, but also then I could be out later. We live on a rather dangerous-to-cross curve and since it gets dark around 4ish, I don't want to take any chances crossing with just the stroller.

I was too lazy to even take The Bean out to the mailbox, which is just out on the driveway. I'd still need to bundle her up so we just ended up in the house for so much of the day. Ugh. It will be so nice to be outside just as another venue.

If you're considering babies in your future you might consider having babies in the winter. By the time they wake up and want to interact with the world (around 4 months) it's getting nice out.

I'm so not listening to that rabid little groundhog neither.

1/2 A YEAR!! AND COUNTIN'!!

YAY!!! The Bean is 6 months old today. Crazy to think that six months ago she was only two hours old and I'm not even sure she was with us. I know they took her to the nursery for weights and measures while N. and I recovered in the delivery room. Now, she's fussing in her crib down the hall because she doesn't want to nap. Naps are for babies, you know.

Did you know that The Bean is scooching? She's so frustrated that she can't crawl, but she can push herself impressively backwards. She's also working on sitting up and is getting pretty good at it. She also has a terrific downward dog!

And, she's eating stuff too. Carrots, peas, squash, and applesauce! This week we're going to try bananas and avocados.

To celebrate our Bean's 6-monthiness, N. and I are going to have cupcakes! Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that we were eating them because we had a 3 month old? Go Bean Go!
What, you want a picture? Here's N. in his PINK Obama shirt at our Obama Mama Inauguration party.



Pretty cute, huh?