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Thursday, February 25, 2016

Thursday Thoughts - last in February

1. Reminder. Important.

2. I am not a self help book fan, and I don't worship at the altar of Glennon Doyle Melton although I do enjoy her and read things from her regularly that resonate with me. I like motivational things in short spurts, but get overwhelmed by it when it's always in my face. Yesterday morning I went to a talk with my coworker on presence and body language by Amy Cuddy of TED Talk fame. It was just the right length, so I enjoyed it. Particularly the idea that when we are not present, we approach situations with fear, execute with anxiety, and leave with regret; and when we are present, we approach situations with composure, execute with calm confidence, and leave with satisfaction. Our body language has a lot to do with that. I also found it really interesting that hunching over our phones is ruining both our posture and our moods...it takes away our power and makes us more stressed, anxious, and depressed and less productive, confident, and assured. Just underscoring the importance of living pieces of our lives device-free daily. Sit up straight. Chin up. Raise your arms up in the air for a few seconds. Don't you feel better than you did 10 seconds ago?

3. Tuesday night I tried that turd of a shaving cream I made this weekend. Some people were all it doesn't matter if it's ugly as long as it works and I was all yeah, that's right! Well. It's ugly AND it doesn't work. It clogs up your razor. And it makes the tub so slippery you feel like you are wearing roller skates on an ice rink, grabbing at the air like it can save you and praying life does not make this a hard fall. Moral of the story: it's funny when you are telling people how crappy it turned out but otherwise no, I wouldn't try to make your own shaving cream at home.
4. Hold this. Just to hold space.

5. Just a few more days of Wallet Watch. Spoiler alert: I've gone down the poop shoot a little bit the last week. For those of you playing along, remember to share your posts next Friday, March 4. 

6. I made my way back to zumba classes this week. Tuesday night I left my house in the cold rain to go. I was rewarded by the presence of someone who was not the instructor in head to toe zumba gear: tank, pants, shoes, bracelet, headband, scarf. The sheer amount of zumba items on her person made me think she was the instructor, so I introduced myself to her since we had texted on Saturday but had not met in person. She's like oh no, I'm not the instructor. Oh. LOLOL

7. The leak in the basement was actually coming from the pipe under the kitchen sink. It's been patched but it has to be replaced. Like the entire pipe. Involving multiple ceilings throughout the basement. Shit continues to be in disarray. Good thing clean out and repurpose entire basement is already on my to do list. This will certainly be the kick in the ass to make it happen.

8. So Debbie and I are heading up to visit Lori and Jack this weekend. When I get home Sunday, I'm not going to jump into food prep like I normally would. I'm going to attempt to shift my weekly food prep to Monday night this week AND still attend zumba. This would mimic how it'll go down when I'm at the shore on weekends this summer. I actually think I need to do a combo of having meals in the freezer, cutting up fruits & veg on the weekend, and finishing up food prep Monday night. We'll see.

9. Whenever I'm peeling and cutting kiwi, I look down and see my Mom Mom's hands doing the same thing. It's always comforting.

10. E-card of the week...

That's what it's all about right now. Your Thursday thoughts? 

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40 comments:

  1. Well at least you tried making your own shaving cream - sorry to hear it didn't work!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  2. I totally agree with your posture comment and phones. They really are a time suck and can cause us bodily harm if we let it [too much texting, always looking down, holding phone in the same hand]. BUmmer the shaving cream didn't work out, Pinterest can be a liar sometimes. Looking forward to hearing the podcast.

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  3. I'm excited to see the outcome of the basement project. Sucks all the work that has to be done though - that's what makes me nervous about being a home owner. I don't things about leaking pipes, I always just call the landlord!

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  4. We bought a fixer upper and the best part of the whole house is the enormous kitchen. We've removed wallpaper, installed recessed lighting, tiled the floor, installed an island and painted the kitchen cabinets and when all we had to do was fix the ceiling from previous light fixtures and old leaks, the bathroom above decided to spring a leak and really ruin the ceiling. Good times. We are now in the midst of fixing that bathroom and in the meantime my husband fell through the ceiling while working (he's fine) but now our beautiful kitchen has a ceiling with water stains, old light fixture grunge and a giant hole. The best part is every time my toddler looks up at the whole he says, "Da-Da!" Its actually quite funny. Gotta keep your sense of humor!

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  5. THAT PEELING KNIFE! we had one but with a yellow handle from like, the early 80s!

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  6. I am super excited for Armchair Librarians Podcast!! I invited people over so I would have to "clean" my place and then they sent out a notice that they were doing routine checks of all apartments today so two birds with one stone, done. Good luck with replacing the pipes and doing the food prep on Monday with Zumba. You can do it!

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  7. Ooooh love kiwi, putting that on my list for this week. So I am just getting into podcasts... what app do you use? I can't find one that is easy to navigate or has access to all the podcasts I want. I think I must be doing something wrong. I can only get one that I like to actually play lol

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  8. I see my mom's hands in the way I hold my books, I've only recently noticed and it's weird.

    I don't usually do podcast, I'm still not done with Serial season 1 but I'm going to give this Armchair Librarians a try because BOOKS!!

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  9. So sweet about the kiwi! I'm obsessed with podcasts so you better bet i'll be listening!

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  10. Fabulous post & very topical for me!

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  11. Bring on the podcast! And in the two times I tried Zumba, I also encountered a head-to-toe Zumba woman and I was so confused. It made it seem like a weird cult. Thankfully, the rest of the class was normal.

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  12. i cannot wait for your podcast! i am definitely going to be listening. very interesting about body language / posture. my posture sucks a lot of the time so i try and make an effort to sit up straight. i'll try the arms in the air thing. sorry the shaving cream didn't work, lame. definitely not going to try it. so sweet about the kiwis and your mom mom's hands. sometimes i do this weird fake laugh thing at the punchline of a sentence or joke, and i remind myself so much of my mum that it freaks me out a little lol.

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  13. DIY fails are the worst, but at least you gave the shaving cream a try. Leaking pipes are such a pain, but I'm glad it sounds like it only did damage to an area you were hoping to redo anyway? Also, was reading this hunched over in my chair and sitting up and stretching my arms did make me feel a lot better!

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  14. Well dang about the shaving cream. Live & learn.
    WHAT? I'm totally on that Podcast. There is another one about books that I live for it to be updated - so I'm excited about yours now to fill in my work day :)
    My hands have skipped my moms & have gone to my grandmothers

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  15. Damn shaving cream. I've used some that clogged up my razor, too... it was the LUSH brand - maybe natural ones just make them clog more??

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  16. Sooooo excited about the podcast!! That's going to be a lot of fun! My Wallet Watch was a fail this month as well. Think I'm going to try again in April... or maybe even next month.

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  17. Too bad about the shaving cream! I would have thought that lady was the zumba instructor too. lol

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  18. I have never watched a podcast. I hope you don't sound nasal. I am loving that I can bond with Lola like you did with Mom Mom.
    I have always loved myself because I felt very loved. It's nice. Wish I could beam myself to Lori and Jack's when you girls are there. Nice that Gussie, Geege, and Mae are so portable. 3 gsds not so much.
    Interesting TED presentation. I will google this lady ! Love. Your. Momma.

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  19. I was so curious about the shaving cream...but maybe I'll pass on that particularly DIY project. I love that bit about body language, I've been trying to be more aware of my posture lately, especially when I'm looking at my phone.

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  20. Haha, funny but not funny about the shaving cream. I have been a terrible meal planner, lately.

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  21. ha, I love how you make the shaving cream and are totally honest that it blows. that's hilarious. I feel like that's how most of my DIYs end up. That quote is bomb. Sorry about the basement pipe, ugh! I do not look forward to being my own landlord in the future, esp. when it comes to water. Sweet note about the kiwis, I like things like that. On a different note, I eat the kiwi skin - it's full of fiber.

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  22. I miss Zumba so much. I need to find some local classes pronto.

    I LOVE kiwi. I haven't had some in forever so now of course I'm going to buy all the kiwi.

    Your description of our podcast is perfect.

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  23. Your post on the TED talk reminded me to sit up straight! It really does boost confidence!

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  24. I cant wait for your podcast!!!! This is so exciting! And about books too!!! Mmmmmm I just added kiwi to my grocery list for the weekend, so thanks for that craving. I don't think I have purchased any since early fall. I love a good kiwi. The shaving cream of death sounds like it needs to be put down. Yikes! I had to LOL at your new Zumba friend! I like a girl who goes balls in on something, got to give her props!

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  25. What a bummer on the shaving cream. I am so excited for the podcast. There is always the one person in a group class that thinks they are the instructor. Oy!

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  26. That ecard is my life right now! I am so excited to hear the podcast! I'm in love with the name BTW!

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  27. LOL at the girl decked out in head to toe zumba gear... and booo to the shaving cream not working out. Good to know!

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  28. I seriously can't wait for you ladies' podcast! I love podcasts, I love books, and I love your blogs. It's going to be amazing, I'm sure!

    Yeah, one of my Wallet Watch goals got slightly away from me, and I had to reign myself in after I almost said "F it" to the whole damn thing once or twice!

    By the way, I use cheap conditioner for shaving cream. I buy it in a giant bottle that comes with a pump and it's the easiest way to get it out and it works SO well. Doesn't clog the razor, and I even use the cheapy disposable ones—because conditioner works so well. And it lasts forever because you only need a super thin layer. Just a suggestion!

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  29. That sucks that you have to have the entire pipe replaced in the kitchen. Although, there's nothing like having something go wrong in the house to make you kickstart your to do list! We're having somebody come and paint in a few weeks, so that means I finally have to start cleaning off my bedside table. I think that's great that you're going to start trying to food prep now on a different night to prepare for the summer. Hopefully you can get in the habit now, so it's not that big of a change in the summer!

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  30. I LOLed at the "but it didn't work" and the thought of the tub like an ice rink. I'm sorry your DIY was such a disappointment!

    I'm so excited about the podcast!

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  31. Things that slick up the shower terrify me, because I do not want that EMT to come busting in to save my naked, soggy ass as I have fallen and I can't get up. Order Coochie Shave Cream from Amazon. Strippers use it to shave their girlie bits (thus the name) and any other area where they don't want razor burn and/or red bumps. It lasts forever and it works like a charm.

    I'm going to listen to your Ted talk lady now.

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  32. I LOL'ed about the non-Zumba instructor. Good for you for going! This is Week 2 of me back at the gym and as much as I'm glad to be doing it, it's fucking up my whole life. I get home later, eat dinner later, go to bed later, etc. I also have a boatload more laundry to do now that I have workout gear to wash and also can't get up in the morning. FUN!

    I need to check out your podcast - I love you & Jana!

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  33. I'm sorry it didn't turn out, but your shaving cream story made me LOL. :)

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  34. Laughed out loud about your shaving cream story and the head to toe Zumba lady. It's like when I'm in target and approach every and any person wearing a red shirt assuming they work there.

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  35. You know I've actually been thinking about that posture thing - I've been noticing that I've been more in a funk lately because I've been doing a lot of work in the car and in a spot at home that is not conducive to sitting up straight. I've noticed more cramping in my hands too. I RESOLVE TO DO BETTER. Thanks for the heads up!

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  36. Working on my wallet watch post!

    Sorry your shaving cream was a flop.

    And yeah, when I check social media on my lunch break, I usually end up feeling crappy about my incredibly unglamorous life/job, but then I remind myself those are peoples' highlight reels.

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  37. Fine information, many thanks to the author. It is puzzling to me now, but in general, the usefulness and importance is overwhelming. Very much awriter.org thanks again and best of luck!

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  38. Too bad the shaving cream was a dud! I hate when they clog up the razors! Urgh!
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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  39. So excited for Show Us Your Books and your joint podcast- hopefully it will be the first one I fully listen to! Not excited for Wallet Watch as it was a massive fail. Totally agree with the iHunch article and the need to put down the devices for better health- physically, emotionally, mentally. Also because I get really pissed when I'm trying to have a conversation with someone and they pull out their phone.

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  40. I've never done the podcast thing but I'll have to check it out! I love the graphic and the idea that we do all need to love ourselves before anyone else can. Is it wrong that it reminds me of the Justin Bieber song?!? ;-)

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