Monday, August 9, 2010

My Take

On exercise at age 40:
I am DONE with exercise I do not enjoy. Life is too short to spend any more time with you, Mr. Stairmaster. Same to you Dr. Elliptical. We are through.

Because what's the point of exercising for longevity if you keep looking at the Minutes Remaining and wishing you could die?

Hello, Zumba. Hello, Body Pump. Hello, Spin. Hello, Early Morning Walks in the Gorgeous Desert Sunshine. You make me happy.

On having all four kids in school all day:
I will not lie. I have mixed feelings. Some days I love it and feel like I'm getting away with something almost criminal. The mall? By myself? And I don't have to bribe anyone with a free balloon or an extra spin on the escalator? Other days I miss having little buddies around. I miss being needed in that non-stop little kid way.

People, of course, have asked, But what do you do all day? Well. Same things I used to do all day: Clean the kitchen. Go to the gym. Grocery shop. Pile after pile of dirty laundry. Errands and phone calls. Help at school. The difference now is I get to listen to whatever I want in the car and I have no excuse to stop for an ice cream cone.

Together time.(Nimmy...this living room shot is for YOU. Don't worry, I got new lamps.)
The downside of having everyone gone at once, is that everyone is home at once. There is no one-on-one (or two-on-one, in our case) time together and I DO miss that. Everyone is home and at their hungriest and neediest. And, of course, I am usually hungry and needy too.

My kids still need me. Just in a different way. It's just gonna take some getting used to.

On living in Arizona at this historic moment in time:
I feel like I should have a stronger opinion. But, the truth is, I can really see a lot of different sides to the issue. My goal is to get more educated.

In the short time we've lived here, though, I have found the population to be very friendly and welcoming. There are all shades and varieties of people coexisting nicely and acting like grown-ups. That seems like a good sign.

On settling into a new house:
We have cleared away most of the moving-in mess. Which is good. Because now we have all of the regular everyday living-in mess. And I can only handle so much mess.

Moving into a new place means re-evaluating every "system" in your life and re-ordering each one. The laundry system. Where will the dirty clothes go? What's the best place for the dryer sheets? The homework system. How many private study places do we need? Where are they? Why do the kids need to sharpen brand new pencils down to nothing? I find it enjoyable and exhausting.

Here is one of our study areas. In its former life, it was a family room wet-bar. But I learned in our old house that I don't like "wet" and "family" in the same room, if you know what I mean. So the sink is out. New countertops, drawers and pencils are in. A+ for Effort, right?!

The thing about this house is that it is going to take some living-in to get really comfortable. New sheets, new jeans, new houses may look great right out of the package, but to feel great, they need a little wear. (Remind me of this fact after someone lets a pen leak on the new slipcovers or the carpet meets a root beer float, ok?)

On Axe deodorant and shampoo:
I am glad products exist that make my eleven-year-old excited about personal hygiene. I like the instructions on the bottle that say Wash. Attract. Repeat. Along with a cartoon picture of a guy meeting a girl.

However, all four men in the household have been using Axe for a week now and, to date, no women have been attracted. As far as I can tell.

15 comments:

Lindsey said...

Completely and totally hilarious. Esp. the AXE bodywash. I was talking to my chiropractor the other day, who looks hispanic, but is in FACT Canadian. (Ps, she is fantastic and works more like a physical therapist) And she said she feels like if someone hears her accent and asks to see her card, they have absolutely every right to. It was refreshing to talk to her and get her perspective. She carries it with her, and she is proud of that. Anywho. Thanks for lunch the other day. Maybe I should come by and muss up your house! :)

Cat said...

On the "all the kids in school" subject, now that they are all gone, do you plan to go back to work? I'm a stay at home mom of 2 and my oldest is starting kindergarden in september. I know there is enough to do to stay home when they are away in school but... I wonder how I will feel to stay home when they are both gone...

Christie said...

More pictures! More pictures! The new house looks awesome and I want a room-by-room tour. PLEASE!!

Axe drives me crazy. My kids beg and beg for it, and then I buy it and they forget to wear it. They stink up a storm and I am poor and it's driving me nuts.

marta said...

beautiful photos, gab. i like that mood lighting with those mini floor lamps. hysterical. the wet bar gone study nook is perfect, great idea!! it's such pretty architecture in there. and i love seeing your cute bulletin board up and other gabi things in a whole new world. so glad you're settling in, gab. p.s. i wish we could go see eat, pray, love together on a kiddie free field trip day. p.p.s. do they make axe for two year olds. the playground really brings the stink out.

Lisa-Marie said...

i love the study nook. i'd like to see that nook from another angle. i can't quite place how it fits in the room, and i'm interested. it looks so neat. i too want a room by room tour.

i'm glad that arizona is feeling good. it's been fun to read all about your adventure!

Lauren in GA said...

You said it all perfectly. I almost felt insulted when (before the baby was born) people asked me what I do all day. It made me feel like my house should be much cleaner, I should be writing music, solving the world's problems, and detailing the mini-van because all of my kids were in school. I love how you said it. I did all of the same things...and then when everyone got home at once I kind of felt like I was drowning. Happy, but drowning.

The house is looking beautiful! I love that study area in the old wet-bar area!!

the wrath of khandrea said...

i curse axe every day for cornering the market on free-samples-at-maturation-videos. that stuff kills me.

every day i walk into my living room and inhale the smell of new carpet and paint, and hope it lasts. then i furiously scrub the fingerprints off the stainless steel fridge, and wonder when i won't care anymore.

love what you did with the wet bar. very clever.

Annemarie said...

We are forever grateful for AXE at our house. Who knew deodorant could EVER be so exciting to a 12 yeear old boy!

Amy said...

Thanks for sharing some pics. It's fun to be able to picture your new house. I love the lemon tree! It looks adorable with your blue and white accents.

Travelin'Oma said...

Having kids all in school seems a little like having kids out of state. You miss them when they're gone and it's intense when they're home. But there's time to gear up in between, and go to the store and stock up for the big reunion.

I love all the parts of your house we've seen. Take us through every corner and closet.

I adore the way you write!

calibosmom said...

Well said! I did cart wheels when all the kids went to school but I too got lonely and then had to gear up for the insanity when they got home. Love the study nook! My son and I have spent countless times in the deoderant aisle smelling for just the right stick. He likes the thought of getting Axe but hasn't found the right one-thank goodness because I can't stand the stuff!

Rochelleht said...

You are hilarious! LOVE the update. I've been thinking about you a lot lately as I contemplate returning to super hot weather this week. I don't know how you've done it. I'm scared to death!

mama jo said...

sounds like things are going well...don't worry...you'll get used to the kids gone...find some girlfriends and go to lunch...take some 'me' time...then, when the kids are home you can just concentrate on them...your house looks darling...

polly said...

strange that the pencil thing jumped out at me! Nick caused a
4th grade teacher to freak out because he had to have his pencil so sharp. he was always sharpening it. we solved the problem by getting him mechanical pencils. never have to sharpen them. always in a ready state. your house looks great.

Jessica said...

There is much to love about thus post but my favorite is the reminder about why it IS fun to still have littles at home. It does sound nice to go to the mall alone, but I love the one on one time and the being needed. I'll soak it up for my 4 more years. Love you, gabi!s

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