The last 10 pounds

Dear Last 10 Pounds,

You may think you are special because we all know who you are. There are books about you and diets about you, blah blah blah. I just wanted to let you know that I, for one, am not a fan of yours. You make my clothes unflattering and I have even bought the dreaded next size up to accomodate you. I am no longer going to stand for the way you linger and have made yourself at home in my body. This is war.

It's over for you. I have made my peace and I'm saying goodbye. You are no longer welcome here.

Sincerely,

Melody A. Kingsley

Pet Names

Maya has some toys that she recently named:

"Sushi" a toy fish
"Melinda Riding Hood" a toy bunny

Yoga for retired athletes

I would like to have thought of myself as athletic. I loved sports and I was an avid runner. I even ran pretty regularly after having Maya. My best buddy from college, Tami, and I wanted to prove that 30 yrs old was not really old. We signed up for a half marathon and did pretty decently at it... um... we finished. I thought that was decent. My body fat percentage was nice and low and all my clothes fit almost as nicely as before I had babies. But alas, I was born with a malalignment (similar to cars) in my knees. I remember after that race my knees were swollen for about a week. I never seemed to get back into the "groove" of running after that. I think I did a 5K since then but that had to be about it.

I tried Pilates, but it kicked my butt. You never have to use those kinds of muscles as a runner! I recently started Yoga. I thought it would help me in many ways. It would be a gentle, relaxing way of getting back into shape.

If you are interested in a peaceful way of getting fit, try Kundalini Yoga. After 3 weeks, my body fat percentage is down 4%. I have only lost 3 pounds so far, but I'm trying not to focus on that as much as my body composition.

One thing that's really fun is that Maya can do this, too. We have a blast trying our new poses. Reili tried joining in today, but I think she was just trying to catch a free ride on the horsie (moms, you know what I'm talking about).

Have any of you tried Yoga? What is your favorite kind? I didn't realize how many types of Yoga were out there until I bought a Yoga magazine at the airport. Maybe I'll start my own type of Yoga!

Traveling and getting paid.

One of the perks of my job is that I get to travel. This past week I got to go to Mesa, Arizona for work. I was excited because I got to go out there earlier in the year and I saw two friends of mine, Tessa and Kathy. Well, Tessa and Kathy were both out of town this time around, so I was completely on my own. I like to travel, but it so much better with someone or visiting someone.

I usually never get room service, but I did this time. I thought it would be boring and weird to eat out alone. It was fun because it was brought on a tray, so I could eat my dinner, watch TV, and lay in bed all at the same time. Ah, utter laziness.

I had to work, so not much time was spent lounging around, but I did get to hit the pool in 110 degree weather. After 30 minutes, I came back in. I had a nice tan. It was like a microwave on my skin.

Arizona is super cool. I love it. The part I didn't love was a 5 hour flight sitting next to some intoxicated folks, one who apparently had a lot of fiber earlier in the day, AND I had the aisle seat... did I mention this was a red eye flight? Yes, during prime sleeping time I was wide awake and uncomfortable. I should've upgraded. I've never sat in business class, but you can upgrade for $49 on AirTran. I think it would've been worth it. Have you flown first class? Was it worth it?

The Beauty Barn

I try to stay on top of fashion, skin care and things of that nature. I want to look nice but I don't want to pay a high price. I figure if the word "Barn" is in the title, it must mean good deals are involved.

Here are a few tips to save a few bucks:
*Shop at thrift stores in more affluent areas of town. I have gotten many name-brand barely worn/new clothes at a nearby Goodwill.
*Look for your favorite skin care products online. I just received my Obagi products from Amazon for half the price.
*Instead of spending hundreds of dollars at the dentist, you can get teeth whitening products over the counter or even medical-grade ones on eBay.
*Read the ingredients of your skin care regimen and buy them at a drug store in it's "raw" form (i.e. Witch Hazel, Hydroquinone, etc.) Witch hazel (skin toner) is under $3 and Hydroquinone (freckle/sunspot lightener) is less than $7.
*Microdermabrasion interest you but you can't afford salon prices? Try Avon's ANEW Clincal advanced dermabrasion. Here's a link to my friend's Avon site. I love this stuff and it is under $23 right now!

Do you have any tips for the Beauty Barn? Have you found a great deal on fashion or beauty products?

Maya's Potty Mouth...again

Maya: Mommy, you gotta kill that dadgum fly.
Me: That what?
Maya: Dadgum fly... you know, dadgum flies, dadgum moths, dadgum butterflies...

I think she picks these things up from Jeff's reformed sailor language.

Melody, You Got it Goin' On

When I got married, I was utterly mortified if some guy hit on me. Of course, when I got married I lived on a Navy base and those guys generally didn't seem to care if I was married or not. I remember thinking, "Don't they realize I'm married?!?!" Then as I had been married for a while, I didn't think much about it if a guy hit on me. I guess it thought they were just being friendly or something of that nature.

I recently worked in Kentucky. Here is an exchange between me and an Indian fellow at a gas station.

Dude: "You live here?"
Me: "No, I'm from Ohio...just here for work."
Dude: "You move to Kentucky?"
Not sure if he was asking me a question, of if it was some weird request...
Me: "Uh, no, I don't think so."
Dude: "Why not move to Kentucky?"
Me: "No, I'm going to stay in Ohio for a while. I just moved there."
Dude: "You move to Kentucky? I am here."
I laughed, gathered my snacky snacks and said,
"Maybe next time." Not that that made any sense, but neither did he.

Maya's Wit

My brother and Maya joke quite a bit with each other. Maya is almost 3 1/2 by the way. Here's a taste of the banter:

Maya: You stink, Uncle Shi.
Shi: No, you stink Maya.
Maya: No, you're just smelling yourself.

So, whatcha been doin'?

Dear blog readers (yes, all two of you). I must apologize for my sporadic postings of late. I think my mind went AWOL and I may have found it, but I'm still debating that one.

So, if you wanna know what I/we have been up to, here are a few highlights:

* I recently lectured my neighbors' children on birds, zoonotic diseases and the need to bleach out their swimming pool (long story worth it's own post)
* I worked in Indianapolis and went to the home of the ButterBurger and survived.
* Maya found a piece of metal shaped similarly to a plug and decided to remove the plastic plug cover, insert the metal into the outlet, see sparks and trip a circuit in our home... all without dying.
* Maya has moved from rebellious to just plain sneaky.
* Reili says, "Da-da" each time I try teaching her the word "ma-ma"... I secretly wonder if she is throwing this word in my face
* I have almost accepted that I am no longer a runner and I must move on to yoga or Pilates or something less stressful on my knees. Being over 30 is not for wimps.
* I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
* Jeff and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. We ate delicious king crab legs at Jay's Seafood Restaurant in Dayton.
* Our cool friends moved to VA and we are sad that they and their adorable Glitter aren't here in OH anymore.
* Thanks to my marvelous-looking friend, Debbie, I started some Obagi products and I am currently watching my face peel off.
* I am working on being more structured as a mom. So far, I have shortened the bed time routine and made a box for all of Maya's shoes....baby steps.
* We are planning on making a trip to PA for a week this month for a long overdue vacation.

Whew.