Ten To-Dos For June: I Can Do It!

This is just perfect! It is exactly what I need right this very minute and I’m not saying that sarcastically either.

I DO need a June To-Do list. I haven’t put together a To-Do list in what seems like foreverrrrrrrr! I realize that some of these might border on personally unrealistic and I’m okay with that because I’d rather be stretching than things coming easily.

On purpose, I am sparing the list and all of you those To-Dos (goals) that have to do with my obsession regarding physical fitness. Yes, I am a bit of a whack job in this regard. I have an entirely different list of those.

So I’d like to give a big shout out to Mama Kat for the kick in the butt. It’s much appreciated.

Ten To-Dos for June:

1.    Survive a crazy L.A. wedding weekend- Not as easy as it may seem considering it’s the same besties who traveled together in the fall for my birthday. All I’ll say is some fun comes with a cost. I’m sure we'll be wrung out by the end of it, completely exhausted.

2.    Spend one full day a week reading- And do hardly anything else that day except eat (this will be challenging). My reading has suffered lately. When something you love is missing in your life, it’s painful. I need to make it a priority again. I have three books going. I need to chose one then finish them all. I usually manage one a week and I’d like to get back to that. (I have 4 others lined up and ready to go) BOOK SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!!!

3.    I will commit to putting all portable phones on their bases so at least one in this household works/rings- The only reason this is even on the list is, at the present moment, three handsets are sitting with me next to the computer, none of them have a charge and the phone keeps ringing. Wonder who left them here and didn’t return them to their charge stands? Thank goodness someone was smart enough to keep landlines around here (not me) so we could actually answer the phone.

4.    Swim, bike or run everyday beginning June 19^th-. Everything tends to fall by the wayside in the summer as I watch myself get chubbier and rounder (it's quite interesting). No way this time. I’ll be signing up, with my daughter and three friends, for the lake’s annual triathlon. We did it last year and it was a blast but it would've been a whole lot easier if I had trained some (swam not one stroke and ran possibly 10 miles total prior to the race, not good). However, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel …the kegger and hot dog party we throw directly after the last of us crosses the finish line. Now that’s what I call motivation!

5.    Lay off the fried food that they do so well in the state of Indiana- I am obsessed with fried green beans and wasabi dip. The breaded pork tenderloins aren’t too shabby either nor are the french fries. Arms are making an “X” which means NO…Stay Away!

6.    Once a week, make/have a date with each of my children, separately. I haven’t seen them much since they returned from school May 4^th except for weekends. Yea!!! for full time jobs but sad that they are living in a different state at the moment. At least they’re together. June 19^th changes that!

7.    Play, walk, throw the ball in the water 20X in a row, and snuggle with Addison every day- Addy is our little dog who is all of 75 lbs. which is not so little but she still looks and acts like a naughty puppy.

8.    Clean out two huge junk closets at the lake- They're filled with 50+ years of crap (to the point where it’s dangerous to open the door) and I will not bitch about it, put it off or ask someone else to do it.

9.    Score fantastic tickets to an awesome concert (TBD) for my friends and I- For whatever reason, it seems the majority of events this summer are country oriented. Not a big fan. Quite possibly, I need to step out of my “music” box and attend something I never have in the past. Different is good!

10.                  Resurrect homemade pasta night- We didn’t do it last summer and I don’t recall why but traditionally (or for about 10 straight years) my daughter and I would pick a weekend night, invite all our summer friends over, and prepare pasta made from scratch. I wish I could find the pictures from the last. They’re hysterical. Imagine bathing suits (only a teenager can do this in a string bikini plus the kitchen is HOT), everything completely covered in flour, gravy on the stove with meatballs AND an audience. So, so fun!

There it is. Some will be very easy and others rather difficult. Happy June!

Ugggghhhhh! Monday Morning, I'm Never Ready For You!

Mondays equal tired days, for me. Either from a lazy weekend and the lethargic feeling plans to run right into the next day; or “a way too busy” one, and I’m super tired from fun. It reminds me of the saying “When it rains, it pours.” I need to work on balance.

This weekend turned into two nights of utterly decadent FOOD COMAS.  I love to eat so it was perfection. The only thing I liked better than the incredible food was sharing both nights with my best friends who just so happen to be food piglets too. Subscribing to the theory “keep a good thing going”, I ate more chocolate chip cookies yesterday than I ever have in my life (wonder why I made them… to eat the dough?). Yummy all the way around!

Is it possible to gain ten pounds in one weekend? My sassy scale got a wide berth this morning.

Snapping back to reality was a jolt today especially as I contemplated my Monday morning nemesis. I reference them a lot here and they may not look like much to anyone but believe me, they’re rough.

If I don’t run for 30 minutes to warm up, my brain sends an instant message to my hamstrings and tells them to start freaking out when I get within 20 yards…it’s no lie.

 (This morning)

These are “The Stairs” at Swallow Cliff Forest Preserve. 125 uneven, flagstone steps that once gave access to the best toboggan run around. The first 20 stairs are a breeze; by stair 25, they start ramping up and by 35, there’re just straight up. Sounds fun, ya?

**4 sets of 125 stairs done 4 times for a total of 16 times up. That’s 2000 stairs. Approximately 44 minutes.  (I have never actually calculated that before; it’s just what I do. YIKES!)**

These stairs and this workout have a cult following of sorts in the Chicago area for people of all fitness levels and ages. Today was quiet because it was drizzling but I ran into an older man who always asks me how many I’ve done and, RATS! if he didn’t beat me by one today.

On Sundays, you get the studly, tough guy athletes who sprint up then do handstand pushups, pull-ups and shoulder press logs at the top (kind of fun to see if I happen to be there at noon on a Sunday) or people with their kids and dogs. The best is a guy that does them with his wee little baby strapped to his chest. So cute!

If you live in the Chicago suburbs or are looking to get out of the city for a beautiful afternoon, this is an awesome Forest Preserve for stair climbing or hiking and walking through the woods (over a dozen miles of trails).

Anyone can join me Monday or Thursday mornings and sometimes on a Sunday! Here is a short video clip of the infamous “Stairs”. Take a look if you're interested. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlchZvaoLlY

When The Cat's Away...Stream Of Consciousness Sunday

Sheesh!!!! Thank God the Cat went to play golf. This Mouse wants some time on her own.

As I’ve mentioned a zillion times, I’m a recent empty nester. Well, since this Fall, that is. It’s a marvelous, scary feeling at first.  You worry especially for the baby.

On the other hand, imagine all this free time to do what’s on the top of your list. For me it’s traveling, reading, writing, cooking, and spending time with friends. There’s virtually no laundry. Yippee! Most of all, I want to challenge my fitness level. Those are at the tippy top of a very long list.

During the week, it’s glorious. I do all those things (to the city counts as travel) and accept invitations for lunch, etc. I’ve got my world spinning just the way I like it.

Dun, dun, dun….Then comes the weekend and my role changes a bit. I feel like the ball of yarn the Cat plays with for 48 hours straight, or so it seems; imagine a one-person, personal entertainment committee. I used to have some help with the diversion, the kids for instance, and the Cat was thrilled to play with them as well. More importantly, I got a break.

For Pete’s sake, we don’t need to be joined at the hip every moment of the day!

So when the Cat asked me if I minded that he play golf on this gorgeous day, I think to myself…Can’t you feel my foot on your rear end giving you a little nudge?

I've got a busy day planned already!

 Stream of Consciousness SUNDAY

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
• Link up your post below.
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.