Hello bloggers, I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I've been taking a few days off to try to reconnect with my kids, get some housework done, and try to get some...SLEEP. My kids have discovered now that whenever I open my computer during the day, I'm not going to talk to them for at least an hour, and they start smacking the laptop or tearing the house apart to get my attention. My son, who you all know is their spokesperson, has started saying, "Are you blogging again? I hate your blogging, just get off the computer, we want to go outside." Yes, I can't wait until pre-school starts in the fall.
Other than that, I've been trying to overcome the insomnia I have developed. About eight months ago, I started this blog late at night, around 3 am, when my kids kept waking up and coming into my room. I stayed awake and surfed the net while I waited for them to go back to sleep in my bed, so I could carry them back to their rooms. Over the course of the next couple of months, I usually blogged when they took their daytime nap, but now they have gotten older and don't nap anymore, so I started to steal little pockets of time during the day to blog. Recently, because I couldn't satsify my computer addiction during the day, I had started to stay up late at night after the kids had gone to sleep to blog and surf the net, and would get stuck on the computer until 3 am. When I would finally realize how late it was and get off the computer to get some sleep, I would suddenly look at the clock, realize it's 3 am, and couldn't sleep out of sheer fear that I might see see a demon. Wait a minute, hear me out, I'm not crazy (not in the certifiable sense anyway), but one night when the kids had gone to bed, and my husband was sleeping, I was awake, and decided to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose on television, which was a BAD IDEA. Never watch a horror flick in the middle of the night, when all the lights are off and you are the only one awake. It will scare the shit out of you. Especially when I saw in the movie that 3 am was the 'witching hour' where all the demons come out and play. Damn it. I know there probably isn't any truth to it, but the thought is scary enough to put fear into you when all the lights in the house are off, and you are the only one awake.
So now, I've been making it a point not to open my laptop at night, and only watch the news (which these days is just as terryifying as the movie) or some Food Network program before I go to bed. I've also started doing Pilates. Regularly. Every night. And I've found I've lost two inches off my waist in two months. The progress hasn't been as fast as some people on the Winsor Pilates testimonials, but it's progress. What also helped is that I've started eating Kashi Go Lean cereal every morning for breakfast. It takes a while to get used the cardboard taste of the cereal, but it really helps get rid of the excess bloat many people mistake for belly fat. (10 grams of fiber in a bowl a day has worked wonders on jump starting my weight loss too, I've lost 2 more pounds in two weeks.)
I'm writing this post right now as my kids are watching the The Lion King DVD. This movie is great, you can watch it a thousand times and still get interested enough to watch it through the end, even though you know what's going to happen. The whole movie plays out like an 80's Bollywood film, actually. Evil uncle trying to attain power, kills the king, the king's son goes into exile only to return 20 years later a young man, and fights his uncle to the end to get the throne back. Meanwhile there's a song and dance routine with his childhood girlfriend, who grows up to be his wife. In the end, the son wins the final fight (there's always a final fight), and they all live happily ever after.
Anyway, today I'm going to take the kids to meet Hello Kitty at Toys R Us, and this weekend we're going to a water park. I'll get back to some more blogging about gossip, fashion, and life next week. Have a nice weekend, ya'll!
UPDATE: I have updated the link for the Winsor Pilates DVD's I've been using. The ones currently available are a little expensive and I haven't used them. I've been using the original set I bought back in 2003 from Target, the Winsor Pilates 3 DVD Total Body Sculpting Workout Set. From this set, I only do the 20 minute Basic workout. I don't have time for anything more than that. From the reviews I've read, the new series uses a circle for the same exercises, but don't buy this new set just for the magic circle. An inexpensive 6 to 8 inch diameter ball (not a soccer ball, but rather the brightly colored plastic balls you find at the supermarket or Toys R Us) can be substituted for the magic circle. You should be able to squeeze the ball a little bit to incorporate resistance into the Pilates exercises. (I learned this from reading Pilates for Dummies.)
Also, the directions on the original DVD set say that you should do Pilates three times a week to get results, but I've found that if I make it a point to do the exercises every night before bed, I do them more regularly, at least four or five times a week. Also, if I feel tired and skip a day, I don't feel so bad because I'll just try again tomorrow. When I tried to do Pilates only three times a week, I ended up doing it only once or twice every two weeks, so making it a daily "to do" has kept me on track much better. Also, I don't wait until my kids go to sleep to do this. I was doing that in the beginning and would end up getting frustrated when they wouldn't sleep and I couldn't get time to do the exercises. So I decided to do the exercises while they were awake, right after I get them ready for bed. I've memorized the routine by now, so many times I just put the Lion King DVD on for them, or some recorded Noggin show, and they sit on the bed and watch that while I do Pilates on the floor. At first they would jump on my tummy but then they started copying me and would do some of the exercises with me. My kids make the reverse crunches look so easy. I wish I had that mindset again. For them it's fun, they're not worried about maintaining proper form and counting reps, it's just natural to them. Actually, I've started learning alot about fitness from them. They don't care whether they've been walking for 20 minutes at 3 mph, they're just walking or running for the fun of it.
But do try the 20 minute Basic Workout DVD if you're interested in getting a tighter tummy. If a lazy ass like me can find time to do it, you can too.
17 comments:
Have a good time!!
I had to laugh because I thought I was the only one freaked out about being up or waking up at 3am. Hahaha. Funny, because that's the only part of the movie that messed with me.
Buttered toast is so goood WCM. The Kashi packets of oatmeal are delcious and high in fiber! Have a fun weekend.
Ah look at me, I've already stolen a moment to check in tonight. I'm such an internet addict.
thanks august, wcm, and bengali chick. I think actually buttered toast is not so bad as long as the toast is 100% whole grain. But that ruins the whole fun of it doesn't it? Butter tastes better on white bread.
simply me, try Kashi Go Lean only, not Kashi Go Lean Crunch. I can't stand the Crunch one either. And don't see Emily Rose, you will freak out! Especially when you're home alone. Ayatul kursi works to help your mind rationlize the fear, but once you read it and close your eyes to go back to sleep, the imagination takes over again and you are freaked out of your mind.
pixie, out of that whole movie, nothing bothered me more than the scence where the priest wakes up at 3 am to see the devil standing outside his house. we must be on the same wavelength, that's the only part of the movie that messed with me too!
I love this post on so many levels.
First, the sheer horror at the thought of the statement - your kids don't nap. Ever? Really? Oh.My.God. I would die. I would f'ing D.I.E. if I didn't have the bliss that I refer to as nap time.
Second, I love that you compared Lion King to a Bollywood movie. Spot on, as usual.
And I know exactly what you mean about the witching hour.
On a different note, congrats on the continued weight loss. Work it grrl.
S
Woman, get a grip on yourself before this internet addiction gets wayy out of control!!
I feel like I'm slipping back into it myself. Last time I felt completely addicted, I had to give up on the internet entirely to get away from it (even e-mail).
Now I find myself checking e-mail all the time, reading blogs (too often), and randomly surfing the net.
It's one thing to read blogs I like (like yours), but I even read blogs I can't stand (I'll be civil and not give examples).
The internet is just SO good in so many ways, and yet SO BAD in others.
Seriously, sis, I wish you well. I hope you can keep it under control. I hate that I have to give it up entirely if I want to kick the habit. Hopefully, you're a stronger woman than I am! :-)
Or see if you can get paid for it. You write like you should be writing for a hip magazine. I know there would no longer be free entertainment for us, but hey, it's something you really enjoy and are good at, and it's good to the point where maybe you should be getting paid for it.
Or maybe it's so good because you don't get paid for it. Ah, I don't know. I'm just putting out thoughts that aren't too well-considered.
Good for you re the weight loss! I started eating Kashi Go Lean a few years ago. I wasn't loving it at first, but it's really grown on me and it definitely fills you up.
Hey Chic! I have been debating getting Pilates forever but I think I'll do it now that you reccomend it. I clicked on the link but there's a hundred diff combinations. Which one did you use? I want to order it.
sadaf, thanks. There was a time in college when "3 am" reminded me of that song "KLF has left the building", and now, all I can think is "holy shit, it's the witching hour!"
August, thanks so much for the compliment. If you check my profile, I'm a huge magazine junkie. Actually, I really wanted to work in the magazine publishing industry after I graduated from college, but I pursued a career as a CPA to please my parents. I had two choices, medicine, or business, and since I hated Organic Chemistry, I chose to become an auditor and CPA. I'm not going to put that kind of pressure on my kids. I turned down a job interview from Conde Nast my senior year of college because everyone around me told me to "aim higher". I often wonder how my life would have turned out if I went to that interview and got my dream job right out of school. But I do think I might pursue a career in freelance writing once the kids start going to school. Meanwhile, The Chic Mommy is free, and I am the editor in chief. I'm glad I have the minimum tech abilities to use blogger and create my own little fun magazine on the net.
katherine, I agree, Kashi grows on you. I actually look forward to eating it now, it makes me feel like at least I started my day out healthy, even if dinner ends up being mac and cheese with the kids.
amani, that and lahola valla kooat for me. I'm not watching anymore scary films anymore. period.
Sobiya, I swear we are the same person. You must be my twin, no wonder your blog is the first one I read everyday.
Aisha, the Winsor set I use is the original that came out in 2003. You can still find it on the web somewhere. I only use the 20 minute Basic DVD, I aim for everyday, but I end up doing it more like four or five times a week. They have new ones out now with a magic ring. The ring is really unnecessary (I've been studying pilates in addition to the DVD's, you get the same results of a magic circle from using a 6-8 inch diameter ball, which costs about .99 cents at the toy store) Read the update to this post, I found a place that is still selling the 3 DVD Total Body set.
Pleasing our parents when making career choices might just be the most unfortunate aspect of being desi (for most of us anyway).
So much talent is wasted on becoming doctors, accountants, engineers, and now lawyers.
I wanted to go to law school for a long time, and I finally started, but in the period b/w college and law school, I tried out accounting because I thought it would be a good and steady job. Maybe later on, I'd become a tax lawyer. But that didn't go anywhere. It was a combination of factors, but I didn't think it was the right profession for me.
I'm sorry you never interviewed with Conde Nast. But given your continued interest, and your blog, the opportunity will probably come by again. And if it doesn't, you'll go find it I'm sure.
Thanks for the tip :) So you do the 20 minute... arey ou supposed to do the 20 min PLUS the 57 minute? or is it one or the other?
Only the 20 minute one Aisha. I've never touched the 57 minute one, but the program says you're supposed to alternate between the 20 minute and the 57 minute one, but I only had time for 20 minutes a day and it worked. I bought the Pilates for Dummies book and learned some other moves I could do on my own as well. Also, I've complemented my weight loss program with cardio machines at the gym and swimming.
Thanks Nadia :) I didn't really have a passion for accounting, but it was easy enough for me to manage and the pay was good. Even though I didn't love my day job, I loved how it let me shop for nice things.
Seriously disturbing . . .
Chic, your kids are probably too young to play outside on their own, but when you get a chance, check out this really sad story about a kid who was attacked by three pit bulls in his neighborhood.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-pitbull-special,0,2530929.special?coll=chi-homepagepromo440-fea
My youngest brother was also attacked by a pit bull (mixed breed?) a few years ago. This story has me so incredibly disturbed ever since I came upon it yesterday, and finished reading this morning.
My brothers and I are all dog-lovers, but given the history of pit bulls, how is it that we don't have laws restricting (or even banning) them? I am not getting this at all. These dogs were bred to fight, even to their own death. So, what's the issue? I don't get it.
Thanks for the tips. I'm going to Target after work today to see if they have it. I think I'd probably do the 57 minute one no days I'm not doing cardio, but on days that I am also doing cardio I would probably only do the 20 minute one as well. Appreciate your help!
Grr Target doesnt carry it. Amazon doesn't either. They sell used ones for 35 but I'm not paying that much for DVD's used by sweaty strangers. Teh link you sent doesnt work. I think I will maybe look at some other companies. I was almost tempted to buy pilates for dummies dvd. BUT winsor is supposed to be the best.
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