For some people, it comes as second nature. It is so simple. Line your vehicle up to fit inside of the lines. For me, it doesn't come so easily. I admit, I have a problem. I should NOT have passed that portion of my driver's test, but I did....somehow. (Oh yeah, I didn't have to parallel park...or even park in a parking spot for that matter...How did I get my driver's license anyway?)
For the 17ish years that I have been legally allowed to push a pedal to accelerate a 4-wheel motor vehicle (minus the 30 days that I was on probation and had to WALK home from high school...poor me!) I have been practicing my parking skills and have gotten much better. I still have days though when I need to repark because I hog 2 spots or when I am at Ikea and drive into a space crooked. Really, I don't understand how my spatial abilities could be so bad. I mean, I can understand, but refuse to admit that I am a poor driver.
Today I perfectly parallel-parked in front of the kids' school. I was an inch away from the curb and I didn't hit the car in front or behind me. PRAISE THE LORD! I have always been afraid of parallel parking. This sense of insecurity comes from many failed attempts of trying to parallel park on a hill at Pepperdine in an 80's Mercury Sable. I never hit anyone, but I remember sweating profusely as I attempted to fit into a piece of curb the size of a brontosaurus. Usually after minutes of backing into and trying to swing around, I'd give up and go down to the bottom of the hill and park in the parking lot (to which I'd still have issues with fitting inside the lines). I'd hike all 4 million steps up to campus. Either way, I was sweating the same amount.
So what do I have to say for myself? It must have something to do with self-confidence. I do a much better parking job when I don't have an audience. I go early to school so I can pick out my special spot to practice in. I can't promise that I'll get any better, but my van is highly visible so you can take extra precautions to move your car out of my way when you see it coming.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Mother Nature
WARNING: SENSITIVE WOMAN INFORMATION
I've had a bit of spare time to catch up on all of my "academic" reading material lately. It is so interesting to me how many ads there are for Tampax in Good Housekeeping, Fitness, Family Circle...... They all look a bit like this: A neatly dressed woman in a nicely pressed, green dress suit has a fancy, red bow-tied box in her hands ready to gift to a fun-loving woman. Since when did "that time of month" come in a fancy package? I don't ever remember a time when I thought to myself, "Oh, I really wish that my monthly visitor would be gifted to me in a beautiful box." What are the people at Tampax thinking? That they can glorify a woman's menstrual cycle by packaging it in a sparkly box?
I was watching the news a couple of days ago and I saw another ad from Tampax with Mother Nature (to whom is really getting on my nerves right now). The unsuspecting woman sees the green-dressed Mother of all...cramps, mood swings, hot flashes, bloating.... But the woman is one step ahead of Mother Nature. She has a "cute little transformer-like tampon" that she pulls out of her pocket. If that ain't kryptonite..... Mother Nature is angry. The woman can go on dancing!
I'd personally like to see Mother Nature and Midol go up against each other in an ad. That would be awesome! In my case, Midol really kicks butt!...more so than a collapsible pocket-sized tampon.
I've had a bit of spare time to catch up on all of my "academic" reading material lately. It is so interesting to me how many ads there are for Tampax in Good Housekeeping, Fitness, Family Circle...... They all look a bit like this: A neatly dressed woman in a nicely pressed, green dress suit has a fancy, red bow-tied box in her hands ready to gift to a fun-loving woman. Since when did "that time of month" come in a fancy package? I don't ever remember a time when I thought to myself, "Oh, I really wish that my monthly visitor would be gifted to me in a beautiful box." What are the people at Tampax thinking? That they can glorify a woman's menstrual cycle by packaging it in a sparkly box?
I was watching the news a couple of days ago and I saw another ad from Tampax with Mother Nature (to whom is really getting on my nerves right now). The unsuspecting woman sees the green-dressed Mother of all...cramps, mood swings, hot flashes, bloating.... But the woman is one step ahead of Mother Nature. She has a "cute little transformer-like tampon" that she pulls out of her pocket. If that ain't kryptonite..... Mother Nature is angry. The woman can go on dancing!
I'd personally like to see Mother Nature and Midol go up against each other in an ad. That would be awesome! In my case, Midol really kicks butt!...more so than a collapsible pocket-sized tampon.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A Martha Stewart Kind of Day
It's funny that I think of Martha Stewart as the "Superwoman" of this century. For many years I've been reading her magazines and watching her on tv but always thought that I'd never be as creative or as passionate about my own home as she is, but today I had a Martha Stewart kind of day. I don't often have them. They are simple but packed with acomplishment. They are days that have you thinking, "I am a good homemaker!" They are days in which your "crazy" is suppressed and you can easily put your best food forward (even though I think that we all know that Martha Stewart is a little crazy herself).
It started at 4:30 this morning when I woke up for a run with a friend. I was prompt and on time. I perfectly parked my car along the side of the street less than 6 inches from the curb. That is a huge success for me! I got home and as the boys started to get up, I finished another 2 miles on the treadmill. I started my dinner....yeah, my dinner....by boiling down a fryer for some homemade chicken stock. I used some herbs from my garden outside to make it even tastier. My son loves my homemade chicken soup and dumplings. A very healthy choice and budget-friendly too.
As I waited for the fridge repair man, I weeded the vegetable garden and sprayed the plants for insects. I even planted some sunflowers against the wall and harvested carrot seeds that I planted into our planter beds.
My middle son and I made early preparations for tomorrow's start to school by taking medication to the elementary school and an immunization card to the middle school. We picked up the little guy at a friend's house and then went home so I could prune the rose bush in the front yard in my floppy straw hat.
I was so proud of myself for holding off my children from tv until 4 PM. They fought all afternoon, but I remained calm. I completed my half of the carpool to soccer practice and then finished my soup by chopping the chicken and vegetables to add to the stock. I even saved the breast (I managed to pull it out in one piece so it was in the shape of a heart) for a chicken casserole that I will make later in the week (because my meals are planned out for the next 5 days).
At a time when I usually nap, I was folding laundry and cleaning up the little boys' room. I wasn't bitter about it. I just do a better job than they do. I balanced the soccer team's check book and even cuddled a little with my little guy. (He's a little aprehensive about his first day of kindergarten).
If someone were to ask me what I did today, I really wouldn't have anything much to tell them. It was a meaningful day spent at home tending to the simple things that get lost in the hustle and bustle of life. I would tell them, though, that I brushed my teeth 5 times. I guess that's as many times as I went to the bathroom today also. I don't know why, but I felt the urge to. Maybe that isn't so Martha-Stewart-y, but I must be getting enough liquids. Hooray!
It started at 4:30 this morning when I woke up for a run with a friend. I was prompt and on time. I perfectly parked my car along the side of the street less than 6 inches from the curb. That is a huge success for me! I got home and as the boys started to get up, I finished another 2 miles on the treadmill. I started my dinner....yeah, my dinner....by boiling down a fryer for some homemade chicken stock. I used some herbs from my garden outside to make it even tastier. My son loves my homemade chicken soup and dumplings. A very healthy choice and budget-friendly too.
As I waited for the fridge repair man, I weeded the vegetable garden and sprayed the plants for insects. I even planted some sunflowers against the wall and harvested carrot seeds that I planted into our planter beds.
My middle son and I made early preparations for tomorrow's start to school by taking medication to the elementary school and an immunization card to the middle school. We picked up the little guy at a friend's house and then went home so I could prune the rose bush in the front yard in my floppy straw hat.
I was so proud of myself for holding off my children from tv until 4 PM. They fought all afternoon, but I remained calm. I completed my half of the carpool to soccer practice and then finished my soup by chopping the chicken and vegetables to add to the stock. I even saved the breast (I managed to pull it out in one piece so it was in the shape of a heart) for a chicken casserole that I will make later in the week (because my meals are planned out for the next 5 days).
At a time when I usually nap, I was folding laundry and cleaning up the little boys' room. I wasn't bitter about it. I just do a better job than they do. I balanced the soccer team's check book and even cuddled a little with my little guy. (He's a little aprehensive about his first day of kindergarten).
If someone were to ask me what I did today, I really wouldn't have anything much to tell them. It was a meaningful day spent at home tending to the simple things that get lost in the hustle and bustle of life. I would tell them, though, that I brushed my teeth 5 times. I guess that's as many times as I went to the bathroom today also. I don't know why, but I felt the urge to. Maybe that isn't so Martha-Stewart-y, but I must be getting enough liquids. Hooray!
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