Some Cheese to go with that Whine, Ma?

I am having a tough time getting anything done lately.  Every morning I wake up, give thanks to the universe for another wonderful day, and excitedly dig in. Unfortunately I don’t make it very far before some other, less “Law of Attraction” inspired, forces bring a halt to my most magnificent day, before it’s barely even begun!

I bounce out of my room, through the living room, and into the kitchen.  Which were both clean when I went to bed the night before.  I stay up cleaning after everyone’s in bed so that I can start the day fresh.  Yet there are blankets strewn about,  a kid on the couch, crumbs, wrappers, and dishes on the table and carpet, as well as peanut butter smeared on the kitchen floor and cupboards.

Easy fixes… I keep smiling.  Off to the potty I go.  Oh look, more peanut butter on the bathroom counter.  A banana peel in the trash.  Don’t even ask me what I found when I lifted the lid.  I keep singing my thankful praises of positivity and sunshine.  I quietly, peacefully attempt to wake up the kids for school.  I sing, snuggle, rub backs, and give examples of the wonders the day holds for them.  What do I get?  Ignored.  Not until my loving tone has been replaced by that of a drill sergeant and I am counting off “One!… Two!…” do they get up.  By then I am feeling a defect in my cheer.

The next hour is stressful.  Kids fighting, wrestling, spilling cereal, NOT brushing teeth and so on.  I cannot WAIT to drop those rotten buggers off and get home to my puter, articles, and clients.

By the time I get home I am feeling my zen returning.  I fix something to drink, sit down and log on to my laptop.  It is frozen.  Shut down, reboot.  Sluggish and slow.  Did I honestly forget from yesterday and the day before and the day before that this hunk of Dell has been frustrating me for a few months now?  Apparently the law of attraction has little affect over system memory problems.  I should start thinking about a real solution.

By the time I have to leave to pick up the kids from school I have completed a whopping 2 blog posts and 2 articles. I have a total of 14 due.  Between the slow activity, freeze ups, and reboots my productivity is unsatisfactory.  Oh well.  So somebody moved my cheese.  Big deal.   The sun will come out tomorrow.  No need to sweat the small stuff.  Tomorrow is a new day.

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I was just complaining about the weather the other day and whining how warmer climates have no clue what we cold weather folk go through during the winter.  When I think about that day sitting in front of the puter, bundled up and feeling the weight of the gray Michigan sky it seems like a different person.  I definitely had the winter blues.  But today, in the sunlit room feeling the warm beams bounce off my shoulder I feel ridiculously full of joy and excitement!

I saw a weather report from a downtown San Diego hotel today.  I thought, “Oh I’d love to be in San Diego right now enjoying the hot sun and checking out the sights.”  Then I noticed they have been in the mid 60s all week.  What?  But we hit 71 this week!  I would have never thought that we, in winter, could ever beat a California high.  My disposition just kept getting brighter.  That’s when I started thinking about the effects of sunlight, or lack of it, on a person’s mood.

I bet just about everyone suffers from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) to some degree.  SAD symptoms include depression, increased appetite, weight gain, carb cravings, increased sleep, lack of energy, decreased interest in work and activities, and social withdrawal.  Holy Moly!  Color me diagnosed!

But don’t go running off to get your Prozac and sunlight lamps just yet.  Most of us technically just have the “winter blahs”, experiencing one or more of the symptoms to a minimal degree.  But a person who truly suffers from SAD experiences the symptoms to a debilitating degree. Work and relationships are seriously affected which can lead to a spiral into deeper depression.  All that just from missing the sunshine.

Curiosity got me googling depression and sunlight and I found lots of information about sunshine being prescribed to treat illness in ancient times.  Olympic athletes in Roman times used sunbaths as part of their training.  That is so interesting to me, but not really a surprise I guess considering the positive affects I know it has on me and remembering that my Mom prescribed sun bathing to me in my ancient teens to clear up my skin.  :-)  And did you know that just ten minutes of sunlight gives you your vitamin D dose for the day?

You know, it isn’t very often that we find out that something we love is actually good for us.  In the sun’s case it seems that we have been warned away from it so much lately that the movement has been to avoid it.  Well like everything, moderation is the key right?  There is a big difference between ten minutes in the sun to soak up your vitamin D and five hours at the beach, sans protection, soaking up a tan.  Personally I am thrilled to have an excuse to put aside the cleaning, the writing, and the house selling and go outside for at least ten minutes each day and bask in the sun.  With spring just around the corner I couldn’t have stumbled upon this information at a better time!

How does the sun benefit you?

Technology often gets a bad rap for being impersonal and creating gaps in relationships.  I disagree.  With my therapist as my witness I proclaim that Text messaging has strengthened my marriage.

My husband and I have been together since 1988.  I fell in love with him at 19 and although our relationship has endured ups and downs, we have always chatted, giggled, and enjoyed one another.  Until we became parents, that is.

Becoming Mom and Dad over night to a 3 and 7 year old was stressful on our lifestyle (we knew that going in), to our bank accounts (expected, but we underestimated), and to our marriage (didn’t even see it coming!)  For a brief moment early after the adoption my husband and I really bonded and took comfort in knowing we were in it together.  But as the children’s behavior seemed to worsen for a while and became so unpredictable ON TOP of the financial strains and IN ADDITION to our sudden lost freedom, we didn’t find comfort in eachother anymore.  We found fault and we began to place blame.

We couldn’t blame or punish the kids for what was happening to us, so we took it out on one another.  We didn’t necessarily fight or yell a lot.  We just stopped enjoying one another.  We saved our energy and best of everything we had for the kids.  We forgot to save something for us.  We didn’t chat or giggle for a couple of years.  We didn’t consult or console one another.  We were so exhausted by the time we got the kids to bed each night and paid the bills that we had no energy left to discuss the day’s events and focus on anything fun or light that may have happened.  We turned into two separate people trying to survive.

Now that is just our story.  There are all different reasons that couples fall out of like.  The love still exists buried deep beneath all the stress, worry, anger, resentment, etc.  But you don’t so much “like” or enjoy one another.

Then one day I bought my Hubby a new cell phone.  Both of our contracts were up.  I was at the AT&T store shopping for mine and I thought about how unhappy Hubs had been with his Nextel.  They had some sales and rebates so I bought him one with a qwerty keyboard.  I had seen him trying to text with the guys at work and struggle with that standard keypad.

Hubby loved the phone almost as much as he loved the pricing benefits of our new combined account.  He started sending me these DUMB forwards that got passed around work.  Every once in a while one would catch me that was so funny that I would  reply excitedly.  Then he would reply.  Soon we were CHATTING! From there we started sharing funny little things that happened in our days that didn’t warrant interrupting our jobs to make a phone call but could quickly and easily be shared with a text message.  These little anecdotes were things happening in our lives that for years had gone on NOT KNOWN by the other.

It hit me, not only did we not know anything about one another anymore, but we had forgotten how much we have in common and how interesting we are to each other.  So there we were sharing dumb jokes, then sharing experiences throughout the day, and it wasn’t long before we were FLIRTING!  Can you imagine?  After almost twenty years together we started flirting again! And on a totally un-romantic note it has also been really convenient be able to remind each other of tasks and help one another making shopping decisions, take out choices, and stuff

There was a time when getting a toll free phone line was the coolest thing I could think of.  Then came along call waiting, three way calling, voice mail, caller i.d. and so on!  All great stuff!  I would trade them all away for text messaging if I had to.  Text messaging may just have saved my marriage.

Do you text?  How do you feel it impacts relationships?

The housing market is not the only place we are seeing prices slashed.  With consumer’s purse strings so tight and competition for our money so thick, businesses are being forced to find ways to stand out from the crowd.

We recently went vehicle shopping.  I got my super duper Jeep Cherokee for a song in December.  It was a 2008 model and had all kinds of rebates on top of Hubby’s Chrysler employee discount.  But with Hubby’s truck lease ending in March we were starting to sweat.  If you have shopped for a truck lately you will know that prices and payments are HIGH!  We were having sticker shock going from lease pricing to purchase pricing to begin with, but with everything compatible to what Hubs had before being priced at $40,000 and higher we just did not see how we could buy another Big Ram so my dear hunting/gathering/hauling husband was preparing for life with what he could afford, a car instead of a truck.

But guess what!  March is TRUCK month at Chrysler! We just got that same $40,000 truck for $27,000.  How amazing is that?  I will tell you how amazing it is… the payment is almost HALF of what we were quoted in January!  Hot diggety!  Why?  There is a lot of competition out there so car manufacturers have to be competitive.  So if a Big Ram is your cup of tea, NOW is the time to buy!

Not car shopping?  How about eating?  Last week we went to our neighborhood Applebees.  We have been there a zillion times.  But the service this time was on a whole different level.  Not that it was bad before, but our server and the manager were so attentive and made sure we had whatever we needed at all times.  Our iced tea never went dry.  Our chips never ran out.  We felt like VIPs.  I would think it’s more difficult to cut prices at a restaurant and compete that way, so I have to think that Applebees, and anyone else who is smart, knows that customer service is the way to win people over right now so that they see additional value in spending their money on dinner out.

We also just changed our insurance policies.  When is the last time you shopped around for term life insurance rates?  Or car insurance?  Cutting back on luxuries and clipping coupons is a good place to start finding extra money in your wallet, but with a few phone calls or internet browsing you might find better prices on everything from insurance to phone service.

Dropping prices in this economy is not any big shocker, but the positive change in customer service is a nice treat.  Has anyone else noticed receiving better treatment at the businesses they frequent?  And how much of an effect does service have on your decision where to spend your hard earned money?

The paid posts that I do from time to time do not require that I endorse, review or even talk about the product.  Only that I mention the keyword and provide a link.  That way I can work it into whatever my post is for the day and I don’t have to pretend to be an expert or a fan.  So when I actually DO talk about a product, it means I must be excited about it.

Do your kids play sports?  Have you ever tried to come up with the perfect sports gifts idea for your team or the coach?  How about personalized beach towels for the swim team?  Or a blanket with a picture of your son’s football team to cozy up with at the games?  I love to give personalized and unique gifts so I am happy to have received this assignment and found a way to create something cool for my little athletes!

Did you ever think you would see me write such a short post?  It’s too beautiful of a day to be locked up in here at my desk.  In a previous post this midwest mama was moaning about the cold weather.  I can’t let this rare sunshiney day get away from me!

My husband recently returned from a trip to Texas with my Dad and he said something that has popped back into my head a few times since then.  He said that observing the people there and their winter climate made him realize what that those of us who suffer the hard, cold winters are really at a disadvantage.  At first I thought he was being whiney but the more I think about it, the more I think he is on to something. 

I have never really contemplated our winters other than acknowledging that have to have snow blowers, winter coats, ice scrapers, and an electric blanket while other folks don’t even get snow at Christmas.  But there is more than that.

Our bodies and skin take a toll in the snow and the frigid winds that residents of snow-free climates will never experience.  Depending on your job and how much time you spend out doors, that weather damage can be painful and lead to premature aging.  That stinks!

In the midwest, we know we’re considered “fat” compared to other areas.  We are raised on cheese, bread, meat, and potatoes.  But we also are at a disadvantage activity-wise.  Not only can we NOT just run out for a jog or bike ride because of the snow on the ground, but the air is so bitter there are days at a time we don’t even go out of our houses unless we positively have to.  We COULD and we SHOULD do sit ups and lift weights at home but it is so dark, dreary, and cold that it is like a workout just getting out of bed and figthing off the winter blues.  Warm weather states you can say, “Quit whining!  Get up and just do it!” And you are right.  But the point is, this is another hurdle we have to face.

Our cars are cleaner in the summer than the winter simply because it is so miserable to go back and forth carrying in the crap and vacuuming the seats.  We park and make a mad dash for the door.  Even at that pace our whole heads are chattering.  Our home maintenance falls in the winter, too, because it is too cold to deal with the exterior of the house, and we cannot have our windows open to paint/air out the house, etc.  Then, of course, we get sicker because we are breathing in the same old germs in the house every day.

Then I would guess we call in sick more because of the cold weather colds and flus.

I could go on and on, but what good would that do?  I bet warm weather peeps have their own issues that they feel no one else has to deal with, too.  So we’re probably even.  I guess what we have to do is recognize and accept the challenge, while also finding the motivation to keep ourselves going year around, even when the weather isn’t on our side.

What do you do to keep yourself warm, productive, and fit during the cold winter months?