Did anyone get liposuction for Christmas? Neither did I. So I guess we'll all have to get off the couch and make a feeble attempt at our favorite New Year's resolution of getting in shape before the next big dress up event. In my case it's my brother's retirement from the Marines. Hoorah!
But I'm not going to lie to myself. I'm not going to join a gym because I have neither the money nor the time, and I'm not going to buy the newest exercise machine which promises to give me a firmer butt than an Olympic sprinter. I think walking is the answer. I can do that instead of surfing the web in my van as I wait to pick my five-year-old up from school.
There are countless websites which can help you begin a walking regimen, but check out the Women's Heart Foundation at www.womensheart.org. In addition to dropping a few pounds, you might just get a healthier heart!
There are days when I'm so tired of the grind I just want to lie in bed and draw the curtains. You know the schedule; up early, kids off to school, go to work, plot to kill your boss, eat an unsatisfying lunch, enact plan to kill your boss, pick up kids, homework, dinner, more work, fight with husband, imagine romantic evening with Brad Pitt, fight with kids, wonder if Brad's kids are any nicer, take a bath, go to bed, plot to dispose of Angelina Jolie, then fall asleep happy with a smile your husband will never understand. (It's sort of like that thing with Rosie O'Donnell and Tom Cruise, except I would know exactly what to do with Brad.)
In the middle of raising decent human beings to take over the world, making a living, homicide and pretending to please your man, it's very easy to forget about taking care of yourself. Would it be nice to have a spa visit every weekend to recharge those batteries? Of course! Will it happen? No! Just as you're ready to head out the door, someone will have an intestinal emergency which will likely be shared with each and every member of the family.
I noticed early on in our family life that I needed lots of mental breaks. Whether or not you're a creative person, everyone needs a little time each day to think about themselves, the things they'd like to do, places they'd like to go and dreams they'd like to accomplish. When our oldest was only two, I was working at home and my husband was the sports producer at the local CBS affiliate. Sunday was a long workday because of professional football. He would leave the house before noon and we wouldn't see him again until after midnight. That meant I had only a small window of opportunity to have a little time to myself.
I'd jump in the car and drive to Wal-Mart. It was nearby and I could roam the aisles in the sewing, toy and linen departments. To some, it might sound a little sad, but if you like to sew, redecorate or buy the best five dollar toy for your little girl, it was a pretty good place to be. The most important thing is that it allowed me some time to be by myself, thinking about myself. I knew the minute I left that store, I was walking back into the world of PBS and the Disney Channel. I knew I'd spend the day playing shoe store with Barbie and wondering about the sanity of the Cat in the Hat. It would be a day where I would be exhausted at the end, but couldn't point to one project I'd really accomplished, except of course, keeping my little one happy and secure.
As odd as it may sound, you'll have to make appointments for these mental breaks. It's just like making time for your husband. If you don't put it on a calendar, the time will very easily pass you by, and six months from now, you'll wonder why he seems like a stranger.
Pick a time during the day, like after dinner when it's his turn to entertain the baby. Go into your room, lock the door if you have to. Read a chapter from a cheesy novel, watch that episode of Law and Order you recorded, or just lay there and listen to your own breathing. You'll thank yourself later when something crawls up the side of the bed with a big gummy grin and a shoeless Barbie in her chubby little fist.
