Ready For Thanksgiving But Not Turkey Day

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Coco

I am really looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving. I want to take time to count my blessings and give thanks to God. I want to enjoy my family and friends. I want to help those who are less fortunate.

But, I am not ready for “Turkey Day.” I have been so busy lately that I feel like I am careening out of control and barely have a chance to grab a can of pumpkin off the shelf as I fly by. I finally got to the grocery store tonight, but I was so tired I have no idea what I bought–let alone what I forgot. (Luckily my mom got our turkey this weekend.)

I have another busy day at work tomorrow and will have to buckle down to get out early. I know I’m supposed to be grateful for being busy, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit of breathing room this week. I have pies to bake, a table to set, surfaces to dust.

I always want to host dinner but I always stress over it. I want things to be just right and forget how much time those little details take. I need to relax, focus on the purpose of the day, and try not to sweat the small stuff.

Everyone will be happy to be together. Everyone will enjoy plenty of good food. Everyone will end the evening feeling thankful. And that is what we really are celebrating.

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Playing In The Hotel Gym

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Coco

I just spent the weekend visiting my daughter at college for her birthday. I knew we’d be eating out a lot–she planned our days around where and when we’d eat, from The Cheesecake Factory Friday night, to Oscar Blues for lunch on Saturday to Perkins for brunch on Sunday. I’d like to say that I ordered light options and ate mindfully, but that wouldn’t be the real story. I had pizza, a burger & fries, and pancakes & sausage. But, I did start each day at the hotel gym.

Saturday I decided to do a type of circuit workout, alternating running on the treadmill with super sets of free weights. I warmed up for 10 min on the TM, and then did 3 sets of deadlifts alternated with military presses. Back to the TM for 5 min, then 3 sets of squats/bicep curls. Another 5 min on the TM, then 3 sets of lunges/shoulder raises. Back to the TM, then 3 sets of plié squats/French presses. I finished on the TM and then stretched.

It was a fun workout that went quickly. I know I skipped push-ups and ab work, but there weren’t any mats and the towels were skimpy, and I didn’t want to get that close to the carpet.

Sunday I wanted to do 10K on the TM but it wouldn’t let me program that in. The max “manual” program time was 20 minutes and I don’t run that fast! I thought I could do two 5k programs (one of the options) but it was on 0% incline and even if I increased it, it reset to 0% every minute. I opted for the 20 min “rolling hills” program and did that twice, with a few minutes on “manual” in between.

It was a good program with two 10 min hills that went from 0% to 3% and back down, spending 1:15 at each elevation interval (0, 1, 1.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3, 2.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1). I did it at 6.0 mph and it was plenty challenging. I was dripping with sweat after my second program, and did a long cool down (running and walking) and then some stretching.

It’s annoying when hotel treadmills are limited to weird programs, but I was able to make the best of this one, get good workouts in, and burn off at least some of my indulgences!

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Torn Between Two Places

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Coco

This weekend my husband and I are going to visit our daughter at college to celebrate her birthday. I am excited to see her, to get out of town, and to leave work behind.

This trip has been planned for months, and, as I feared when I bought the tickets, my son isn’t going to come with us because of an important (for college recruiting) lacrosse tournament. I’m sorry to be missing that, but I got to see some great games last weekend, and he’s playing again after Thanksgiving.

What I am more disappointed about missing is his first real date! He got his license last weekend (!) and is taking his girlfriend to the movies. Literally. Driving to her house (1.25 miles away), driving to the movie theater (3 miles?), and then driving her home. Now, I know if I were home it would be anticlimactic–I might get a quick “bye” as he heads out the door–but I still wish I were going to be here.

I’m worried about the whole driving thing. And the whole parking thing (my daughter’s only accident was in a parking lot). And then there’s the whole dating thing.

My mom will be at our house, doing plenty of worrying for all of us, I’m sure. But I still wish I could be home when he gets home, to pry a tidbit or two of information out of him before he gets his guard up. Maybe my mom will get the scoop and text me.

This isn’t the first time parenthood has me torn between two places–maybe the very first was when my daughter needed an x-ray while I was pregnant with my son–but the events seem to get more momentous as they get older, and the times they want to share with me are fewer and farther between.

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Birthday Fun!

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Coco

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes, today is my birthday! I played hookey from work to make it special, but had to squeeze in three conference calls around my more important plans. Tonight my son has an athletic banquent, and I am going to let my husband be the good, involved, supportive parent while I pour myself a glass of wine and catch up on Desperate Housewives (I think Lynnette would understand!).

The highlight of my day was lunch at my friend’s house. She cooked a gourmet meal centered around a curry chicken tagine with chickpeas and wild rice that was perfect for this chilly rainy day. At my request, for dessert she made her famous double chocolate dried cherry cookies that are always a hit at our Christmas cookie bake-a-thon. She made extra for me to take home and “share” with my family.

My daughter’s birthday is a few days after mine, so for 18 years my birthday got overshadowed by hers. I was happy to spend my day planning her celebration, but I don’t mind having it back now that she’s at college. My husband and my mom do a good job of making me feel special, and with Facebook and Twitter, I get lots of “Happy Birthday” wishes, and they all make me smile.  🙂

There seems to be a theme this year:

That daughter of mine, who is off at college now, managed to orchestrate a very special delivery:

Not sure if I should be trusted at home alone with these all day:

She said the red velvet one is for my husband (drat!). The double chocolate is always good, but the lemon one looks so cute!

These are from Georgetown Cupcakes, home of “the cupcake sisters” on the TLC show DC Cupcakes. I’ve never been to their shop, but I have had their cupcakes at catered work events, so I know they taste every bit as good as they look.

Excuse me while I pour a glass of milk . . . .

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Beloved Child of God

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Coco

I had to do an exercise at a church retreat that included answering the question, “Who are you?” In that context, the answer came, “I am a beloved child of God.” It is such a blessing to be grounded in “the knowledge and love of God” and to know in my heart both that I am a child of God and that God loves me.

I was raised in a church that emphasized that “God is Love.” In Sunday School, we focused on the first creation story in Genesis, where God makes man and woman in His own image. The chapter ends: “God saw all that he had made, and it was good.” We were taught that that included us, and I believe that.

Being a parent has helped me understand unconditional love. Until I had children that tested my patience and kept me up at night with worry, I don’t think I fully understood how God could love us no matter what we do. But I know that I will love my children no matter what mistakes they make.

As a parent, I set rules to keep my children from harm, and when they break them I care more about the danger they are putting themselves in than about the fact that they have broken a rule. This has given me a new perspective on sin. God wants us to live a certain way so that we can fully experience His love and His blessings and share that with others. When we fall short, usually the person we hurt the most is ourselves. When we realize we’ve gone astray, God welcomes our repentance and reconciliation, just as I welcome my children’s sincere apologies and earnest commitment to making a better choice next time.

That’s not to say that sin doesn’t bring consequences. I am not a permissive parent, and my husband and I do impose punishments that we try to fit to the “crime” to teach important lessons. But our punishments really are motivated by love and we try hard to convey that to our children as well. Really, it would be easier not to discipline our children, but we do because we love them so much. I think as they get older (they are teenagers now), they understand this, and trust us more when we tell them that we have their best interests in mind and want them to be happy.

I know that living by God’s “rules” would bring more peace and happiness to my life. I try to “love my neighbor as myself,” and follow the principles of the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. But I know I fall far short. Instead of being wracked by guilt for my shortcomings, though, I know that God loves me and my imperfect self. To paraphrase the prayer of Thomas Merten, I believe that trying to please God itself is pleasing to God, just like I appreciate any gift or act of kindness from my children.

God is love and God loves us all as His beloved children.

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