A to Z Blog Challenge Day 8 - Happy Feet

My son just ran up to me in the kitchen and proclaimed, "Mommy, I got happy feet!" while dancing up a storm that would put Michael Flatley to shame.

Now, this isn't new for him. He has said that ever since we got him to sit down and watch the entire Happy Feet DVD several months ago. And he "tap dances" as he says it, just to add that extra emphasis, just in case his two-year-old-toddler-exclamation didn't quite get his point across. 

It's just that today, I was in the middle of rolling out and cutting the homemade buns I'm making for tonight's dinner of homemade BBQ sandwiches. I started thinking, and I realized that my child is always happy, barring the inevitable hissy fit he throws upon being told he can't do or have something he really, really wants to have/do. Or when he falls down for the fifty-ninth time today and bangs his knee/head/elbow/bootie (again). Seriously, that child wakes up happy. Rainbows are shooting from his eyes and sparkles and glitter are coming out of his bootie the moment he opens his eyes in the morning.

How often are adults that happy, just to be alive? Or just because someone made them a glass of chocolate or strawberry (or chocolate and strawberry) milk? Or because you made a pee-pee in your Lightening McQueen potty and now you get one Lifesaver candy as your reward?

My child finds the simplest things to be happy about, and becomes overjoyed because he lets those simple things make him so happy.

I think I could learn something from him about happiness. Even on the good days when I'm happy to have my home and family and all those other wonderful things I enjoy in my life.

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A to Z Challenge Day 6 - Family Fun Time

I love having fun with my son. Now that spring is here, we can have more fun outside. (My son LOVES being outdoors.)

During the colder months, or rainy days, we enjoy coloring, putting together puzzles, playing with his cars, playing with his Red Light, green Light game, watching the occasional DVD, cooking and playing with Play-Doh. It's a way to spend time together without being outside in the cold and rain. Cause Mommy hates cold weather, and sometimes I just don't want to be out in it. (Don't get me wrong. We do go outside on the warmer days. Just not the really cold ones. Cause this Alabama girl HATES winter weather with a purple and pink polka dotted passion. Unless it snows, and then only cause I can't bring myself to deprive my child of the experience of playing in the snow, since we only get decent snowfalls every five or ten years.)

We have a number of activities we enjoy doing together outside. There is a campground my boyfriend's parents and several of our friends go to each weekend to camp. Occasionally, we tag along for the day. We walk along the bank of the river looking for fish and other wildlife, and look for shells to pick up.

We throw leaves at each other and ride golf carts and play at the playground and go on boat rides and go fishing.

We ride bicycles and big wheels and Power Wheels trucks.

We practice our golf swing with Colt's Pappy.

We throw balls to each other.

(And yes, I know a couple of these pictures aren't that great. I'm working with a camera phone right now for all my picture-taking since someone stole my digital camera last summer. Sorry for the quality. You love me anyway, right? Right.)

And every day we read at least two of his books. I don't care if I'm in bed sick, we still make time to read. It's one of his favorite quiet time activities, and I'm very happy he adores books as much as I do. Cause I'm trying to raise a reader here, you know?

Soon it will be time to open up the pool next door at Pappy and Nana's house. That gives us another reason to get outside and play.

What does your family like to do, inside or out, to have fun together?

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A to Z Challenge Day 5 - Energy and Exercise

These days I'm finding myself low on energy. I also need more sleep than normal to feel like I can function through the day. I don't know if it's the last three years catching up to me or what. I'm hoping exercise, a healthier diet, and an earlier bedtime will help.

Also, my boyfriend's ten year high school reunion is May 19th. We went to the same (tiny) school, so I know everyone from his graduating class. (Seriously. Each of our graduating classes had 60-65 students. That's it. The entire school, K-12, might have had 1000-1200 students. Everybody knows everybody where I'm from. It's a joy, as well as curse, of small town life.) My ten year reunion should have been last summer, but my class didn't have a reunion. On top of that, my cousin, who was always popular, and more than a little snobby to me in school, is organizing this great event. I don't think she is aware that I will be his date for this event. I don't even think she knows I am dating him. This should be fun. :)

 To me, all those reasons means looking good for his reunion is even more important.  (And, unless a better article of clothing comes my way, I already have my dress picked out for the adult portion of the reunion, which will be held at a local sports bar that evening. There is a two-hour get together at lunch time at a local park for everyone to bring their children if they wish. We will be attending both events.)

Yes, I know my boyfriend's high school reunion is a really vain and shallow reason for wanting to lose weight and firm up my body. I'm OK with that. At least I'm being honest about all the reasons I want to torture myself start exercising.

I'm not talking about major weight loss here. My weight falls in the range of what is considered "normal" for my height and build. I'm talking about toning my body, while getting some good exercise to keep myself healthy, relieve stress, increase my energy levels and stamina, and all that other positive stuff exercise does for you, other than weight loss. I want more energy so I can go out in the yard and run around with Colt more without having to take a break. I want to be healthy so I can be around until he's sixty or seventy years old (at which point I'll be pushing 90 or 100, so....).

Research also shows that women with a waist measurement above certain numbers are at increased risk when it comes to all sorts of health issues, such as diabetes and heart conditions. I have enough of that in my family medical history already. Every one of my grandparents has some sort of cardiovascular problem. I don't want my son to have to deal with that when it comes to me if I can do something to prevent it. My goal is to weigh in somewhere near the middle of my "normal range". I don't want to be super skinny. I've always had a somewhat athletic build and I don't want that to change. I like my curves (except for the small tummy bulge) and I want to keep almost every one of them.

To that end, I will soon bring my 30 Day Shred DVD out of exile. And begin sunning myself a little each day. Cause pool season is fast approaching, and my dress for the reunion's adult portion is black. And I'm as white as it gets without being albino. Our next door neighbors (my boyfriend's parents) have an in-ground swimming pool. His parents and his sister's boyfriend also have boats. I plan on spending a lot of time in the pool and on boats this summer. It's good exercise, and Colt loves to swim with Mommy. I really don't want to look like a boiled lobster at the end of a day of swimming. Even after frequent liberal coats of SPF 50. (Yes, I'm that white. I burn even with sunscreen.) I don't want a tan that rivals the Hawaiian Tropic girls. I just don't want a really bad second or third degree sunburn at any point this summer. And I don't want to look like I belong in Twilight while wearing my little black dress (that my boyfriend hasn't even seen yet!).

Look for updates soon. I plan on using body measurements, not weight, as my indicator of results with my workouts. I'm not concerned with my weight as long as the tape measure shows I have lost inches in the key areas (mainly my tummy).

Let's just hope Jillian Michaels doesn't kill me. And that I don't blister the first day I soak up a little sun.

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