7 Quick Takes Friday, #14

1. I went to the last Pilates class this week in a series of free classes held at my church. Granted, it was my sweet cousin teaching the classes, so I was less intimidated than I might have otherwise been. But intimidated or not, Pilates is serious business. It's four days later, and my muscles are still sore. In a good way; I feel stronger than I ever have before. If this is what happens after just a few sessions, I can only imagine how strong I'd be if I could do this all the time.


I'd be Super Mama. Think of the laundry loads I could lift effortlessly. Think of the groceries I could unload in a single trip. Think of the toddlers I could haul on my toned hips.


Oh, I mean, think of the health benefits.


Pilates for moms. This is good stuff.




2. Last time I went to the chiropractor (far too long ago), we talked about my scoliosis and things I could do to help the situation. In reality, there's not much I can do: it just is what it is, and short of surgery (it's not bad enough for all that) I can only do things that might prevent it from getting much worse. Those things include exercise. Muscle exercise. So maybe I should try to keep up the Pilates beyond the free classes...


Something to ponder.




3. Last week, I asked if anyone had seen any good movies. I'm really curious because we have some gift certificates for the movie theater, and I'm hoping for a date sometime soon. I saw a preview for The Proposal, with Sandra Bullock which absolutely cracked me up. Maybe I'll lobby my husband to go see it with me. Although I'm really up for anything that's not chock full of ninjas or gangsters. I'm such a girl.



4. I made my favorite recipe of chocolate chip cookies last night. Made with a few secret ingredients, these cookies always end up chewy - not too crispy - perfect. Therefore I eat enough to make myself nearly sick. After I've sneaked a few bites of raw dough. And it's worth it.




5. We inherited a recliner from my grandma when she passed away earlier this month. She and I talked about it several months ago, and I knew she wanted me to have this chair. It's pink and soft and reminds me of her. She knew I loved it, and knew that I wanted to use it in Lauren's room. I've always wanted a snuggly, comfy chair for nursing and rocking my babies, so I'm glad to have it.


There's only one problem. It's still in our living room. Our already cluttered living room. It's sitting in an awkward place, blocking the path between our loveseat and bookcase. But we can't bring ourselves to relocate it to it's intended locale. We both find ourselves settled into it several times throughout the day and evening, closing our eyes, rocking gently while sinking into it's velvety cushions....


Wha..what? Snap me out of this. I'm getting sleepy just talking about how wonderful this chair is.

I suppose we'll have to move it soon. It really doesn't do anything for the feng shui of my living room. But the feng shui of my comfort...that's another story.



6. Last night I had a very vivid dream, the likes of which I haven't had for a long time. It was about a spider. Not that those dreams are rare for me, but it's my reaction to spider dreams that sometimes surprises me. (As you can see here, and here, I don't handle buggy things well.)


This was a softball sized spider, hunched menacingly on the foot of my bed - right on the corner. In my mind, I couldn't get down the normal way from the bed, I couldn't just hop over the edge. I deemed it necessary to crawl down the length of the bed, and propel myself over the end. At about the moment that my legs were in midair straddling the footboard, I woke up. Realizing with embarrassed clarity that I had imagined the spider and therefore I was now simply doing freaky things in my sleep.


So I calmly brushed off the spot on the comforter where the imaginary spider had been seconds before, and with shamed nonchalance walked purposefully away to get a drink of water. That's what I meant to do all along. I just took the exciting detour.




7. My plans to go to bed earlier have been thwarted again. I make this resolution on a weekly basis, and am failing miserably. What will it take for me to recognize this as a priority and stop doing things at bedtime? I am super vigilant about my kids' bedtimes...making sure they can get the important rest they need. You would think I'd be a little bit better about watching out for my own sleep needs too. But, I've realized that it's much easier to be someone else's boss than to be my own. I am sorely lacking in self discipline.





As always, head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes, and have a beautiful weekend!