Anthropomorphic

Q&A a Day: If this day was an animal, which animal would it be? a sleeping dog

sleep dog

I left the house this morning with the intention to workout till Caleb returned from Alabama via plane but got sweaty at the gym and returned home for a shower and to walk the dogs. It was around 11am when I remembered that I should eat something (peanut butter-egg toast) and I was out the door after his message that he had just landed. I got to the cell lot as he grabbed his bag and picked him up outside.

We got home and Fallon invited us to Kanpai for a bowl of ramen and I suggested she bring the birthday girl; her oldest daughter turned 8 today. I had gone over this morning pre-shower to share in the singing and cupcake celebration. We ordered a bowl and shared and drank plenty of water, but that only filled me up for about two hours before I was eating again; this time leftover spinach-tofu lasagna with carrots and pine nuts.

I tried getting some work done, but Sparky wanted to cuddle so I grabbed my book instead while Caleb worked on our taxes and our car in the shop situation so we can get those figured out. Dinner would be lentil-white bean burgers with cauliflower tots and some cherry juice and figs even though I was craving chocolate chip cookies and ice cream — which is why you don’t keep temptation inside.

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Sleeping Beauty

Q&A a Day: How late did you sleep? My first alarm goes off at 5:50 every morning. This gives me time to open the curtain (let light in/check weather) and stretch. My second alarm goes off at 6 am; sometimes I’m still in bed, already doing my morning routine, or halfway out the door for my morning gym session.

sleeping head

Ever since I was sleeping in a crib (or so I was told) it was hard for me to sleep before midnight regardless of when I woke; and for this reason I wasn’t allowed naps in school as it only made me stay up later. This is still a problem. My mother told me to appreciate my youth (and the lack of sleep I could function on) and my dad knows how to take efficient afternoon naps, but I wake up wondering what day it is.

Having a school, work, and otherwise needed out-of-the-house schedule (and perhaps trying to adult in some aspects) makes me want to keep a bedtime routine as well and I find myself going to bed sooner to catch important body repair zzz’s (much-needed after keeping up with 150 kids). Sometimes I sleep in till 7 am on the weekends, but that’s because the gym doesn’t open till 8 am and then it throws off my routine.

I’m trying to write about kids and books, and meanwhile, I’ve got a needy dog begging for attention and without Caleb here to pawn him off on I have to cave for every ball throw, lap cuddle, and blanket fort building (which means he should be settling down) as Piggy has been for hours. Caleb is in Alabama watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony while I think of a behavior change to make (for an assignment) and look up playground equipment for the kids and ways to get them donated to the school.

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All You Need is Love

Q&A a Day: Are you in love? most definitely

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#shortestpostever

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Things Already Bought

Q&A a Day: What are three things you have to buy?
1) peanut butter, creamy or crunchy, by Crazy Richard’s, with only one ingredient

2) things to go with peanut butter — apples, bananas, carbs, carrots, and eggs

3) things to add peanut butter to — oatmeal, smoothies, and yogurt

I received three gifts today, one of which I don’t think I was supposed to open yet, but Caleb told me it wasn’t supposed to arrive till he got back (so I got an anniversary gift early, but you’ll have to wait to find out what it is). The second gift was our third shipment from Mighty Nest; a reusable LunchSkins sandwich and snack bag. The third gift was my third paycheck as I work towards making that amount grow.

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Then I get on my computer for my nightly post and see the Sunshine Blogger Award given to me by Helen at smart-diet.loveandjoy.net. I will thank her kindly and answer her eleven questions, but I won’t be nominating others and passing the award torch.

  1. What are you blogging about? I write about myself mostly.
  2. When and why did you start your blog? 2011, I have always loved to write and started getting into photography; this was a great way to share those passions.
  3. What are your goals for your blog? To improve my writing and the lives of others as  some of my readers travel vicariously through me.
  4. Do you have a special strategy to get more followers for your blog? I’ve heard you can write on a schedule, have a certain amount of tags, and follow tons of other bloggers. I’ve never worried about this or I would invite more friends and family to read it, but I prefer organic interest.
  5. If you were invited to a talk show on TV what would you like to talk about? The learning process of writing every day, trying to take a meaningful photo (or not a blurry one) every day, and enjoying the creativity flow that comes with it.
  6. If you had the chance to live your dream – where would you be and what would you do? My dream right now is to train at night and scuba dive every day, or to train during the winter and scuba dive in the summer. I would read books on the beach or by a waterfall while my husband rubs my feet and we eat fruits and veggies with plenty of peanut butter. We would sit for hours watching the sunset.

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    It’s not a Tide Ad, it’s Nike.

  7. Do you spend more time per day writing your blog or reading other blogs? I used to spend tons of time reading my favorites (which made it super easy to nominate others in these cases), but a lot of us had huge life changes (or just got lazy or distracted) and took a long break so I stopped having so much to read. How much time I dedicate nightly depends on the question of the day and how different my day was to give me writing material.
  8. What are your three favourite blogs? Greg Nuckols @ Stronger by Science, Austin Kleon, Béa Johnson @ Zero Waste Home, and Shing Yoong @ The Culture Map
  9. What would your best friend tell me about you? That I’m very understanding, a great listener… actually, they’d probably tell you how happy, crazy, sexy, kind, and fantastic I am; and that I love peanut butter.
  10. If you had the power to change any grievance in the world in the blink of an eye, which problem would you address? Suffering children; that should sum up everything but incurable diseases.

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  11. What’s your favourite inspirational/motivational quote? “One step, and one day at a time.” My generation was brought up to believe that everyone earned a star or trophy just for showing up. Ads having us believe that miracles happen over night (learning a language, losing 50 pounds, paying off debt), and kids these days get upset if they can’t learn something proficiently the very first time they try it. I also like, “one minute is better than no minutes.” Better to try your best every day and get a little accomplished than to let the negatives get in the way of your positive.

Thanks again Helen for the inspiration. I always enjoy a challenge and a change of pace.

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In Chance

Q&A a Day: Are you seeking contentment or excitement? I’m content with where I am, as I’m in the process of learning and growing every day in the: gym, classroom, car, kitchen, playground, and sidewalk as I set more goals and am given more responsibilities moving forward. We are attempting to expand our elementary exercise program to other schools and I will be helping to write, teach, and supervise the program’s success.

Tom Liguori: Connected to the Source

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