I wonder...

If I were to follow up on the email I got about obtaining a Russian bride, would she do all the laundry??

among other things

I haven't smoked a cigarette in almost two months, since my birthday extravaganza where I was with my gals...when I can't resist a cigarette. Before that it was numerous months. I used to be a regular ol' chimney, before I had the kids. I'll admit, after Liam I went back to smoking a few cigs a day, but after G, I never found my love for it again. And there's a part of me that's obviously glad about that (my lungs) but another part that's not (my ass). You see, since Grady came into the world, I've had a host of situations that have caused me to gain weight. Some of which can be attributed to my inability to stick to any diet I have tried, but some of which can be blamed on the following:
1) no more smoking . Smoking is bad, it's not glamourous, but it does help you stay thinner.
2) medication. Grady's arrival into this world was a blessing, but it also came with a whole host of issues, including postpartum anxiety and depression, both of which I am still being treated for. I know, he's over 2, but it's still here and I am working on it.
3) I am old. The mid-30's have made a considerable dent in my metabolism, and I'm still reeling from the after-effects.

Is it wrong of me to think that if I just started smoking cigarettes, drinking keg beer and eating cheese fries on a regular basis that I could get back into the jeans I wore in my mid-twenties? I wonder. I really do.

Quiet Mornings

One of my favorite things about my new dog walking career is when I return home to a quiet house. Mark leaves shortly after I get home, and then I have 45 to 60 minutes to just be before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Having this time makes me feel so much more together, even if I don't do anything productive. But most days, I'm able to fold a load of laundry, unload the dishwasher, or something that makes me feel like I'm on my game. Yesterday I made blueberry muffins. On a weekday! Sure, they were from a mix but I added real blueberries. Grady was stunned when I told him we were having muffins. He literally jumped up and down in his crib and said "blueberry muffins for breakfast! Blueberry muffins! With butter and jam??" Doesn't take much to please that kid.

Another item for my resume

Dog Walker. It would fall under the volunteer or community service section rather than employment, but it is a new gig for me. No, we didn't get a dog, although jealousy over my new nephew Bowser led me to think about getting one for about 10 seconds.

Here's the thing. I don't get much time to myself, so I was trying to figure out a way that I could get a walk into my day before Mark leaves for school...at 6:20. Since it's dark, I don't necessarily feel safe walking by myself. Enter a pooch. But I only want to walk the dog in the morning, not take care of it and deal with it's hair all over my house (or it's slobber. I despise dog slobber). So, enter Lucy, my good pals and neighbors' dog. She's high energy and loves walking, and her parents just can't walk her enough. For instance, I walked her Sunday after she had completed a 7 mile run with her mommy and you would have thought she's been sitting on her butt on the couch all day. She's awesome.

And she's my new walking buddy. We spend a half an hour each morning together, and I'm loving it. So far I haven't even had to pick up any poop! It's similar to how Lucy's parents feel about Liam and Grady...they like spending time with them, but love giving them back.

Awww...

Mark got me some of my favorite flowers today, Gerbera daisies. They are so pretty and looked even better before I put them in a vase! :) There are nine flowers, one for each Valentine's Day we've spent together. Hard to believe!

Workshop

I led a Restorative Yoga workshop this afternoon and it was a blast! There were 21 people at the studio I teach at, and it was literally wall to wall mats. I think everyone felt "restored" when it was through. I really enjoy teaching all types of yoga, but Restorative is one of my favorites. People are always so happy when you can help them relax and relieve tension. A great way for a roomful of people to begin their Valentine's week!

No bird

I have failed at keeping everyone abreast (no pun intended) of the bird situation in the house. Apparently it's been driving my readers (all two of them) crazy not knowing the outcome. We determined that the bird was likely coming in through the chimney, which is really weird because there is very little space to enter, but we think that is what happened. Mark shoved a towel in the crack that might be an entry way, and we haven't seen the bird again.

Although there have been a lot of look alikes in the front yard, so I don't know why our house is suddenly the hot spot for birds (Mark looked up the name of the bird online, but it's escaping me right now, and he's asleep on the living room floor because I was practicing my restorative yoga postures with him...so I can't ask). I'm wondering if we did something to piss off a neighbor and they've decided to sprinkle bird seed all over the yard. Hmm...

The bird is back

Seriously. The bird came back today. I'm assuming it's the same bird, it looked exactly the same. I ran around the house for a half an hour trying to catch it in the soup pot but then finally opened a bunch of windows and took the screen out, and he flew right out.

Liam thinks he likes it here and we should just keep him.

Why and how is a bird getting into our house????

Bye Bye Birdie

Tonight we came home after picking Mark up from school and I headed upstairs to grab something out of the office. I noticed at the landing that the nightlight that is usually sitting on the window sill had been knocked on the ground. Then I heard a strange noise coming from the office. Olivia, our cat, was sitting on the floor in the office gazing longingly at the window, where there was a bird trapped behind our curtains.

I wish I would have taped the hilarity that ensued as Mark and I attempted to round up the bird. It flew from room to room as we tried to snare it with a blanket. Then we thought better of ourselves and went to a large soup pot. We finally caught it and were able to release it outside.

It was actually a pretty funny situation. But it certainly begs the question...how the f+$k did a bird get in the house?