Dame-oya
I realize I'm probably not going to win any parenting awards, but I like to think of myself as an o.k. parent. My kids wear clean (if not new or fashionable) clothes to school, carrying most of the necessary books and supplies most of the time. They eat home cooked dinners 95% of the time. They have extracurriculars and help with schoolwork. We head out to most of their school and extracurricular events.
But sometimes, I am reminded of my failures.
(Not For the Squeamish Alert!)
Like this morning, when the Pumpkin Daddy and I realized neither of us had clipped the Pumpkin Prince's toenails in, like, forever.
And yet, he hadn't chipped his toenails or torn his socks in, like, forever.
"What do you do, bite them?" the Pumpkin Daddy joked.
Silence.
"Wait, is that what you do? Bite them?"
A pregnant pause, followed by a nod.
He bites his toenails. During bath time (at least he is biting clean toenails). He can bring his toes to his mouth, like a baby (he's ten). He demonstrated (the bringing his toes to his mouth, not the biting).
When the shock wore off, we asked him to please not do it anymore.
We are considering taking him out of tennis lessons to enroll him in gymnastics classes (kidding but only partly).
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Mental health
Seishin eisei (or, alternatively, just mentaru herusu)
Since I've completely fallen off the running bandwagon, and it's too cold to get back on (I can hear my Midwestern friends laughing at me from across the pond), but I had to do something, I did the Beginner 28 Day Workout Calendar on Blogilates and it was...about a million times better than doing nothing. My back doesn't hurt anymore. I'm stress eating, but all my clothes still fit.
So, since I finished the Beginner Calendar, I tried the February 2nd workout on the February workout calendar and...didn't die. The workouts on the monthly calendars are almost an hour long if you do the whole thing (the beginner workouts were more like half an hour long), which is all right on weekends, but not so much on weekdays. Still, something is always better than nothing. Some days, I do 2 or 3 videos (out of 4 or 5). In the interest of full disclosure, there are days when I don't do anything. The days I did do something, it made me feel really accomplished (like the way I did when I went running on an early workday morning).
Also...kinda sorta still meditating. Doing Simple Habit and some You Tube guided meditations. I like The Honest Guys, but only the short ones (10 minutes or thereabouts).
Taking my medication. For the first time in my life, I'm constantly on medication. I'm on an antiarrhythmia drug. It's the mildest one. I'm also on meds for my pollen allergies. I keep forgetting to take them. Fortunately, this will never prove lethal.
And...still kinda sorta bullet journaling. I don't do the cute doodles (because I can't do cute doodles, because I don't have that kind of talent) but I did toss in a little bit of calligraphy using 100 yen shop (Daiso) calligraphy pens and masking tape. Just a monthly calendar and the daily logs, with a touch of calligraphy, highlighters, and Post-it Notes. Nothing Instagram worthy, but I think it helps keep me from forgetting things...
So, I'm doing yoga and meditating and medicating and journaling. I'm like an employee in a Silicon Valley startup the company is trying to squeeze out every bit of performance from.
(Except Pilates isn't yoga, and PopPilates isn't really Pilates. And meditation on a 5 minute app is probably limited in its power. And the medication is for allergies...)
Currently loving this sheet mask. A part of me thinks that all I'm getting is a heavy dose of hyaluronic acid, but it leaves my skin feeling...springy? And the sensation stays even after I've washed my face the next morning.
Really getting slammed at work. So maybe the (not) Silicon Valley Startup Interventions are helping mestay sane improve performance? We shall see.
Since I've completely fallen off the running bandwagon, and it's too cold to get back on (I can hear my Midwestern friends laughing at me from across the pond), but I had to do something, I did the Beginner 28 Day Workout Calendar on Blogilates and it was...about a million times better than doing nothing. My back doesn't hurt anymore. I'm stress eating, but all my clothes still fit.
So, since I finished the Beginner Calendar, I tried the February 2nd workout on the February workout calendar and...didn't die. The workouts on the monthly calendars are almost an hour long if you do the whole thing (the beginner workouts were more like half an hour long), which is all right on weekends, but not so much on weekdays. Still, something is always better than nothing. Some days, I do 2 or 3 videos (out of 4 or 5). In the interest of full disclosure, there are days when I don't do anything. The days I did do something, it made me feel really accomplished (like the way I did when I went running on an early workday morning).
Also...kinda sorta still meditating. Doing Simple Habit and some You Tube guided meditations. I like The Honest Guys, but only the short ones (10 minutes or thereabouts).
Taking my medication. For the first time in my life, I'm constantly on medication. I'm on an antiarrhythmia drug. It's the mildest one. I'm also on meds for my pollen allergies. I keep forgetting to take them. Fortunately, this will never prove lethal.
And...still kinda sorta bullet journaling. I don't do the cute doodles (because I can't do cute doodles, because I don't have that kind of talent) but I did toss in a little bit of calligraphy using 100 yen shop (Daiso) calligraphy pens and masking tape. Just a monthly calendar and the daily logs, with a touch of calligraphy, highlighters, and Post-it Notes. Nothing Instagram worthy, but I think it helps keep me from forgetting things...
So, I'm doing yoga and meditating and medicating and journaling. I'm like an employee in a Silicon Valley startup the company is trying to squeeze out every bit of performance from.
(Except Pilates isn't yoga, and PopPilates isn't really Pilates. And meditation on a 5 minute app is probably limited in its power. And the medication is for allergies...)
Currently loving this sheet mask. A part of me thinks that all I'm getting is a heavy dose of hyaluronic acid, but it leaves my skin feeling...springy? And the sensation stays even after I've washed my face the next morning.
Really getting slammed at work. So maybe the (not) Silicon Valley Startup Interventions are helping me
Thursday, January 3, 2019
I can't believe it
Shinjirarenai
Happy New Year! And, long time no see.
(Apparently, this phrase has racist origins.. It mocks the way Chinese people trying to learn English speak. But I'm just going to leave this here because it will fade from use if it is meant to with or without my help, like "uppity" and "gypped.")
I'm getting slammed at work. I think my current work environment is where I can do most good in this world, so I'm staying for the time being, but if I leave, it is because the universe and the powers that be could not appreciate and respect the good I was doing for the world and not because I didn't want to do my part to help the world. (And how much does that sound like "I didn't mean to be racist?")
I've stopped running. I'm starting to have problems with my back again (I used to, but I didn't when I ran semi-regularly) so I need to do something. Running is probably the best combination of core and cardio, but it isn't compatible with my current work schedule.
For Christmas, we had a KFC roast chicken and a cake from a local bakery (yes, with strawberries), got some additional stuff from Costco, and I made a mushroom dressing (it's dressing if it's a side and stuffing if it's actually inside the bird, right?) and the Pumpkin Granny brought some fresh vegetables with dip and sautéed vegetables, and we were good to go. For New Year's, I wasn't in the mood to cook anything. The Pumpkin Daddy's friend brought us homemade mochi and we had that in the ozoni, and the Pumpkin Daddy ordered a three-tiered osechi box from 7-eleven.
The New Year Holiday has come and gone. My Holiday Resolutions were cleaning the kitchen fan and counters, decluttering the bathroom cabinets and a drawer or two of my clothes, and a couple sessions of exercise. Keeping it realistic and low key and all that. I cleaned the kitchen fan like I do every New Year Holiday. This year (last year?) I used hot water and washing soda. Doing my part to save the environment, I guess. It worked just as well as any cleaner I've ever used, and it was a little cheaper. And I chucked some old lotions and other items from the bathroom. And I did three Blogilates videos. Didn't get around to the clothes culling, but that's one I can do any day of the year.
Speaking of decluttering, I am in disbelief that Konmari has her own Netflix show. Wasn't Hoarders enough incentive for people to part with things they didn't need?
Happy New Year! And, long time no see.
(Apparently, this phrase has racist origins.. It mocks the way Chinese people trying to learn English speak. But I'm just going to leave this here because it will fade from use if it is meant to with or without my help, like "uppity" and "gypped.")
I'm getting slammed at work. I think my current work environment is where I can do most good in this world, so I'm staying for the time being, but if I leave, it is because the universe and the powers that be could not appreciate and respect the good I was doing for the world and not because I didn't want to do my part to help the world. (And how much does that sound like "I didn't mean to be racist?")
I've stopped running. I'm starting to have problems with my back again (I used to, but I didn't when I ran semi-regularly) so I need to do something. Running is probably the best combination of core and cardio, but it isn't compatible with my current work schedule.
For Christmas, we had a KFC roast chicken and a cake from a local bakery (yes, with strawberries), got some additional stuff from Costco, and I made a mushroom dressing (it's dressing if it's a side and stuffing if it's actually inside the bird, right?) and the Pumpkin Granny brought some fresh vegetables with dip and sautéed vegetables, and we were good to go. For New Year's, I wasn't in the mood to cook anything. The Pumpkin Daddy's friend brought us homemade mochi and we had that in the ozoni, and the Pumpkin Daddy ordered a three-tiered osechi box from 7-eleven.
The New Year Holiday has come and gone. My Holiday Resolutions were cleaning the kitchen fan and counters, decluttering the bathroom cabinets and a drawer or two of my clothes, and a couple sessions of exercise. Keeping it realistic and low key and all that. I cleaned the kitchen fan like I do every New Year Holiday. This year (last year?) I used hot water and washing soda. Doing my part to save the environment, I guess. It worked just as well as any cleaner I've ever used, and it was a little cheaper. And I chucked some old lotions and other items from the bathroom. And I did three Blogilates videos. Didn't get around to the clothes culling, but that's one I can do any day of the year.
Speaking of decluttering, I am in disbelief that Konmari has her own Netflix show. Wasn't Hoarders enough incentive for people to part with things they didn't need?
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