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Birthday Blessings

Today has been full of beautiful birthday blessings from family and friends around the world. I love hearing from Jake, my niece P, and getting birthday wishes from the Mayor. Honestly, I’m glad they remembered my birthday because I’m usually the one that sends reminder texts to my hubby and kids. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do that today. I do, however, need to follow up and make sure they wished their aunt Mo a happy birthday yesterday.

I remember as a kid thinking forty years old was ancient( (like a museum piece old) and that life would be over at forty. Fortunately, it turns out I was wrong. In a lot of ways, life begins at forty. You’ve outgrown the silliness of your twenties and thirties and have learned plenty of life lessons. You know what’s important and have already cut out the things and relationships that no longer serve you. To be honest, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies in forties town, but it’s pretty good. I mean, You’ll definitely hurt yourself in some humiliating way like sleeping or reading.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

As to today’s prompt, I was laid off at thirty-nine right before the pandemic. It could be classified as a failure, however, I’d classify it as a gift. As I mentioned before, at forty you’ve learned to cut out the things that no longer serve you. Apparently, at thirty-nine I hadn’t learned that lesson. Well, at least not until I was laid off. I stayed at a job, with amazing people by the way, that stopped being healthy years prior to my layoff. Truly, I should have left earlier. That experience has taught me how to create the work-life balance that I want. Of course, it helps that I make more money at my new job and have no commute.

Thank you to everyone for the beautiful birthday blessings!

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness+
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: risible. Me water skiing behind my dogs as I attempt to walk them is a risible scene.
  • Today’s song is Hell Yeah by Rev Theory

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Weird

It has been weird seeing all the tryout bulletins for hockey clubs around the state. Since the state championships ended the season Sunday, organizations could send out their tryout schedules Monday. For the last decade or so, we’ve planned our spring around those tryouts. The anxiety tryout season induced is something I will never forget or miss. You never really knew where your kid stood down here because the politics of the game were overarching.

I had hoped the Mayor would opt to play at least a year of u18 because a part of me isn’t ready to move on. Also, I think playing u18 hockey gives players a good path to play hockey while finishing and focusing on high school. Needless to say, the Mayor wanted no part of that idea. So now it’s looking at the myriad of junior options that are out there. It’s like sailing the high seas without military protection during the heyday of pirates. No matter which way you turn someone is going to take all your money. Fortunately, we have plenty of time to figure out where he’ll play next year.

You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?

Speaking of weird, I found the grossest meme on Twitter. It actually belongs on Reddit’s horrible Facebook meme forum. I mean what in the fresh hell is this nonsense? As if a woman wanting to have equality and their own opportunities are what has destroyed our “country.” As if I go to work to serve my boss. Bitch, I go to work to get paid. Unfortunately, the weird incel that gave provenance to this meme’s belief is rooted in deep-seeded and misguided misogyny. Thankfully, social media has given the town idiot the loudest voice. Additionally, why is it impossible for women to work and love their families? Do you know what the opening sentence of my autobiography would say? It would say, “I chose a path that allowed me to raise a family while carving out a successful professional career.”

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness+
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: apricity. The dogs and I enjoyed the apricity during our lunchtime walk.
  • Today’s song is Going Under by Evanesence
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Prompt

As I sit here staring at my phone with writer’s block in between phone calls, I decided to give the daily prompt a shot. I had a glorious weekend, but I’m not sure that there’s much to write about there. Unsurprisingly, we spent most of the weekend watching hockey. The state tournament for the Mayor’s division was this weekend and while he wasn’t playing, we all enjoyed watching the games from the convenience of our couch. So on to today’s prompt featured below.

What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

The three objects I couldn’t live without are my iPhone, my Apple Watch, and my book. I wish I had a better answer than my phone, but the truth is that I manage my life and family’s schedule from my phone. In fact, without my phone, I’d have to brave the supermarket during the season. That’s not something you want to experience when snow birds surround you.

Like my phone, I use the Apple Watch to manage my life. Specifically, I use it to manage my thyroid function and fitness. Crucially, the watch has alerted me to a high heart rate while I’m sleeping, which is a sign my thyroid is running hot. Moreover, it signifies that I need to stop working out until my thyroid levels are back to normal. It also tracks my sleep, which is another way I monitor my thyroid. Lastly, I use the watch to keep tabs on my fitness level. If deviations from my norm show up, I know I need to check my thyroid levels.

The last object is my book. I read daily as a means to escape and engage my mind. It doesn’t matter what I’m reading because a book like Calgon will “take me away.” I started reading daily again about four years ago after meeting with one of my associate directors on development. One of my recommendations to him was to read daily as this is a habit most prominent business leaders share. Naturally, I realized that I should probably follow my own advice because if I wasn’t doing it, why should he? Sadly, we lost Paul just a couple of months after that conversation. Yet every day when I read and think about this habit, I think of him.

So tell me in the comments, what are the three objects you couldn’t live without?

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 35 spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness+
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: rebuke. I expect a bit of a rebuke for heavily featuring tech items in my three objects.
  • Today’s song is Pocket Full of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield

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Spa Time

It was spa time for me this afternoon. After a long absence, I finally spent some time at Massage Envy where I have probably 30 plus services built up. Since my favorite masseuse wasn’t available, I opted to get a new type of facial with my favorite practitioner. This time I got a nourishing light facial, which uses a bright led light to treat your face.

I wasn’t sure how I’d like the facial especially when she first out the lights on my face. The last was so bright that it felt like I was looking directly at the sun even with pads and goggles over my eyes. I’m sure I looked like an oddity. Before she put the lights on my face she did a cleanser, masks and a gel. While the lights are on your face, they massage your hands and arms, which feels spectacular. Afterwards, they put a cooling mask on your face and massage your face with cooled globes. It feels absolutely exquisite after the heat of the lights. I’ll definitely get a nourishing light facial again.

Before I went for spa time, I hit the spin bike. Today I did an hour class on the JRNY app. Unfortunately, Apple Fitness + doesn’t have classes over forty five minutes. The shorter classes are perfect for weekdays during lunch, but I wanted a longer class for the day off. Today’s class was a ass kicker. It was sixty minutes of intervals, hills and sprints. By the end of the class, I was toast. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the jump from a forty five minute class to sixty minutes.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 60 minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of JRNY
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: intransitive. Intransitive is a type of verb that reminds me how much I hate grammar.
  • Today’s song is Everybody Talks by Neon Trees

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Thrifting

I spent my morning thrifting with my dear friend Terri. Although to be fair, at this point she’s more family than friend especially since her daughter will be marrying my son. Needless to say, it’s wonderful to have a friend that’s also family. We spent the morning looking for treasures. Truly there is some gold to be found in our local thrift stores. They have everything from designed clothes to beautiful glassware.

I didn’t end up buying anything. At Goodwill, I found some “Paige” jeans, but I don’t think they were authentic. They also had a pair of 7 For All Mankind, but they weren’t my size. To be clear, I’m not a prolific thrifter although I could easily become one. Years ago, I’d shop the Goodwill on Palm Beach Island that has since closed. You could literally find gold in that store. They had Gucci and Jimmy Choo shoes along with other super high end designed clothes. Honestly, it was weird seeing shoes priced over $100 at Goodwill, but Jimmy Choo shoes don’t come cheap.

I love the idea of thrifting, consignment, or reselling stuff on eBay or postmarks. First of all, if you donate clothes, the profits they create help the less fortunate. It also provides families with an affordable way to buy clothes in a difficult economic time. I sell my higher end clothes on eBay because it gives them second life. Consequently, there’s less waste. Just because I no longer have room for an item in my closet doesn’t mean it won’t look good in somebody else’s. It drives me nuts when people throwaway things that could be reused.

Before I headed out to my fun day thrifting with Terri, the Mayor and I headed back to Boca Ice. Let me tell you, 5:30 comes early on Saturday morning, but that boy is worth it. He loves working with Joni and I can tell he’s always giving 100%. It’s easy to out of bed early and spend the money when you see the effort he puts into the lesson. Moreover, Coach Joni puts a ton of work and thought into each lesson. I love how he’ll film the Mayor doing a drill and then show him the video immediately, so the Mayor can see what he did well and what he needs to adjust. It’s phenomenal.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: rest day!
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: whiskers. Anakin, Arrow and Athena have very cute whiskers.
  • Today’s song is Sauvemente by Elvis Crespo
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Wrecking Ball

Do you ever feel like you wanna crash into someone like a wrecking ball and shake some sense into them? I’m currently at that place and would love to crash through my hubby’s boss’ wall like the Kool-aid man and slap him silly. It’s been ten weeks since he last paid my hubby. Ten mother fucking weeks of bullshit excuses. Worse than that, the Hubby has been home from work since the beginning of February.

If you know my hubby, you know he likes to work and he’s really good at what he does. Being off for an extended period of time just isn’t in his nature. Naturally, he’s been trying to fill the gaps with side jobs, but that can only take you so far. Consequently, here I am singing Miley Cyrus wanting to drive down to Dade and shake some sense into his boss.

Whoo, now that I got that out I feel much better. I’m so pumped that it’s Friday afternoon. The weekend is just mere hours away. I’m looking forward to tacos tonight, the Mayor’s private lesson tomorrow morning, and coffee with my dear friend Terri. It’s also my rest day, so I’m gonna try to work in an excellent yin practice sometime tomorrow. Unless I still feel like being a wrecking ball because in that case, I’ll probably go with a power vinyasa class.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: satyr. A satyr is a lascivious demi-good from Greek mythology and is sometimes seen as the companion of Pan. Used in a sentence: the satyr hid in the kudzu vine out back.
  • Today’s song is Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus
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Yummy

Last night I cooked a yummy dinner courtesy of Blue Apron. We alternate between HelloFresh and Blue Apron depending on the available meals. One thing that I love about the delivered meal kits is the variety it has introduced into our diets. We’re eating a broader range of vegetables and flavors. For example, last night I roasted and tasted Romanesco cauliflower for the first time. Honestly, it’s a vegetable I probably never would have tried if it weren’t for the meal kit.

I like Blue Apron because they use ingredients that are easy to find or replicate. Whereas I’ve found it more difficult to find some of the ingredients of HelloFresh. Last night’s meal was baked chicken topped with tomato sauce, Gouda, and fontina cheese. Naturally, being that I’m on a metabolic reset program, I look for meals that are healthy. This one fits the bill perfectly. Moreover, it was so tasty and easily replicated with items from my local grocery store. If you’re looking for some yummy and healthy meetings give Blue Apron a try. They’re currently offering $110 off when you order through this link: click here

Thank goodness making dinner was stress-free because Anakin had to make the night interesting. I don’t know how he does it, but he finds creatures in the lowest light and catches them. Unfortunately, He looked excited and ready to party as soon as he caught that road. Anakin caught a poisonous toad last night. Consequently, the Mayor and I were trying to rinse out his mouth as much as possible. Anakin, meanwhile, wanted nothing to do with the water. Eventually, we were able to somewhat rinse out his mouth and he was acting normal. Fortunately, he’s a big boy as those toads can kill small dogs.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: exoskeleton. As in I heard the spider’s exoskeleton crunch as I stepped on it.
  • Today’s song is TQG by Karol G and Shakira

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Player of the Game

The Mayor was the Florida Panther’s player of the game last night. The Florida Panthers Scholastic Hockey League (FPHSL) chose him for the honor last weekend. They provided a number of questions for him to answer for the feature. His first answer to why you love hockey was “hookers and blow,” but obviously that response didn’t make the Final Cut. (In case you’re curious, there’s actually a book on Amazon called Hookers and Blow Save Christmas.)

We’re quite proud of our player of the game. Meanwhile, he was a bit embarrassed and asked me not to post the picture on Instagram. To everyone that texted, messaged, or hit me up on social media last night, thank you. I loved hearing from so many people that have been on this hockey journey with us. You guys have made our hockey experience incredible. At any rate, it was a nice way to cap off hockey season. Although it did keep me up way past my bedtime.

Prior to the Panthers game, I was calling all my previous PurpleStride team captains that haven’t registered. It was all part of our national registration day. Fortunately, it was a success. Our efforts yesterday have paid dividends and will continue to do so as the week progresses. Honestly, we have the best working group ever. I love being a part of our PanCan affiliate. We have the best volunteer group in the world. If you or your teen is looking for service hours in the South Florida area, please let me know.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Word of the day: exoskeleton. As in I heard the spider’s exoskeleton crunch as I stepped on it.
  • Today’s song is Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World
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All-Star Game

Last night was the Mayor’s All-Star game for high school hockey. The teams were divided by north and south. Unfortunately, for the Mayor and the north team, the south side was victorious. Nevertheless, it was a fun evening of hockey. He got to play again with some previous teammates and some other friends, which made it great.

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth, Sara and Erica

As for us parents, we enjoyed the all-star game from the comfort of the bar. Well, everyone less my hubby. He was asked to coach the game, so he was on the bench with the Mayor and the north team. The all-star is one of those games where the coaches just roll the lines, or at least they should, and manage the bench. Really, I think they were there to look pretty and prevent mayhem from breaking out. I’m sure the hubby wouldn’t have minded being disqualified from coaching, so he could watch the game from the bar with the rest of us.

Some action from high school courtesy of Pam!

The hardest part of the All-Star game was the incredibly late evening. We didn’t make it home til well after 10:30 pm. Consequently, I didn’t make it to bed until after 11:00 pm, which is significantly after my school night bedtime. Nonetheless, I still managed to read a good 10-15 pages of Proust. It’s not an easy read when your awake, so it was definitely a challenge to read while sleepy last night. Also, I turn into a bugbear if I don’t get adequate sleep.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song is All Star by Smash Mouth

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First Weekend Off

It was our first weekend off since hockey ended. I thought my liver would recover nicely now that hockey season was over. As it happens, this proved to be an entirely false hypothesis. It all started Saturday afternoon in our driveway with the neighbors. The boys were watching glue dry (literally) and the wives joined them to enjoy some drinks. Before you knew it, we ended up heading to a restaurant with the guys in hard hats and high-visibility vests.

Sunday we headed to brunch with my friend Scott. He and I worked together at Progressive many moons ago. In fact, he first met me when I was pregnant with Zachary. We met at JB’s on the beach in Deerfield Beach. It’s an awesome place, but the whole rigmarole of traffic was too much. Deerfield Beach is one of those places you need to get to extremely early if you don’t like traffic. Nevertheless, the view, the food, and the company made suffering through traffic worth it. Our first weekend off of hockey was a smashing good time.

I crashed, however, as soon as we got home thanks to the mimosas. Fortunately, I woke up in time to see Kaprizov score a hat-trick and steal the game from Columbus. The kid is incredible. Speaking of hockey, we didn’t fully take the weekend off from hockey. The Mayor started lessons with Coach Joni early Saturday morning. Joni is an incredible skating coach, so I’m excited to see the process the Mayor makes under his tutelage. They’ll be working together weekly. Tonight the Mayor will play in the high school All-Star game, which should be fun.

Today’s accountability tracker:

  • Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness
  • Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
  • Blog: done
  • Today’s song is Radiate by Jack Johnson