Pillows

Sleep. Beautiful sleep.

There are few things in my life that have withstood the test of time to continually bring me joy. Sleep is one. Through the course of my life I have slept, a lot. Not because I am tired or sick, I just enjoy comfortable dreamy sleep. I like the mystery that surrounds dreams and what my mind will conjure when my body is at rest. I love the comfort of a warm bed and a soft pillow.

Since having kids sleep is far more elusive than it used to be and far more valued. By the time I am 30 I will own a California king Tempur-Pedic and some Sheex, if I have nothing else in my house I will have a fantastic bed! But until then I am on the hunt for the perfect pillow.

I have what you may call a rocky relationship with pillows. Sometimes I want just one pillow I have also quite enjoyed sleeping with six pillows, sometimes a body a pillow, sometimes no pillow. Over the last few years I have seemed to become content with two. Well three actually. Two across the bottom and one that lays over the crack of the bottom two, so when I roll I can have options for different levels for my head.

I have recently come to decide that the number and placement of pillow(s) may be my temporary solution to the problem of having the wrong pillow. And so... the hunt for the perfect pillow. On my hunt, I Googled perfect pillow, a mass array of bedding and mattress websites appeared, but among the madness was a little gem of an article, here is a highlight:

“And if your pillow is past its prime, it may contain skin cells, mold, mildew, fungus, and dust mites, which make up more than half of an older pillow's weight, Breus notes. Is it time to buy a new pillow? Experts say the general rule is to buy a pillow every 12 to 18 months. After two years, it's definitely got to go.” (The rest of the article was actually semi-informative; you can read it in its intirety at:  http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/snuggle-up-with-the-perfect-pillow)

MOTHER F* I haven’t bought a new pillow since just after Lukas was born and before that it was, who knows how long… I don’t know anyone that buys a new pillow every year, so according to this article HALF of the weight of my pillow is completely disgusting. Great!

If my hunt so far has given me nothing else, I now feel an enhanced NEED to find and purchase my perfect pillow, until then I hope to sleep amazingly on my gross pillow tonight!

Up in the gym...

I am no connoisseur of fitness, I don’t pretend to be. I often copy others peoples workouts because either it is something I haven’t done, or it is working an area I too want to work. I have been active in one way or another for most of my life but until recently my actual time in a gym has been minimal.
This said I have always gone to the gym with an understanding that there is level of etiquette that NEEDS to be upheld. How is it possible that I know this without someone having to tell me? Because I am not an idiot, but maybe you are, so here is a list of ‘rules’ you need to follow when at a gym... Especially if you are there when I am.   

1.       Don’t hang your jacket on the equipment; I may want to use that.

2.       Don’t behave like the gym is your house, even if you are in sweat pants, you are not the only one there.

3.       If you finish on a treadmill before your time is up, clear your name from the board, there are people waiting.

4.       If you are running on the treadmill and start to cough, cover your mouth, stop running, and finish coughing before you run again. I really don’t want to be inhaling your nastiness.

5.       Don’t hang your sweat rag on the coat rack; I don’t want your gross sweat coming in contact with anything I own.

6.       The drinking fountain is not a sink for washing your face.

7.       If you run into your long lost best friend, boyfriend, aunt, whoever… get off the machine while you chat for 25 minutes.

8.       Re-rack your weights.

9.       ANYTHING your sweat touches needs to be wiped off; this includes but is not limited to: mats, balls, bosus, benches and equipment. Just get the spray and a paper towel and wipe it off.  

10.   For the love of God if you are getting in the pool or hot tub after your workout, shower first.

Thank you!

The recap

It seems appropriate to start 2012 with a recap of 2011. This is literally my third time starting a blog. I am on the computer almost every day now and I added blogger to my favorites so I can stare me in the face and remind me to post every now and then… hopefully.

2011

January had Mat down in TX for a few weeks working, while there he volunteered for a 12 month active Army contract, including a deployment. Nice way to start the year right?!

February and March had a lot of family time including some weekend trips and Lilla’s first birthday.

 

April started with Mat leaving for NC on the 7^th. The rest of April was fairly boring and sad without him. We did go to Lava Hot Srings with my dad for Easter weekend and discovered kites! 

I got to go out to Raleigh and see Mat in May.

This was one of the best trips I have ever had. So fun and it was just me and Mat. I love NC.

 

Mat also made a surprise trip home over Memorial Day weekend. June July and August were filled with lots and lots of sun. The kids and I spent most of our time in the back yard running though sprinklers and eating popsicles, or at the park riding bikes, or at the zoo… Hey, that is what summer is for!

My younger brother graduated from HS on June 3^rd. It made me feel (temporarily) less old to think I had sibling who was just graduating! We took a two week trip up to see my mom in Montana and played with bees and puddles!

I had a nice uneventful birthday in June. Followed by my 10 year HS reunion where I drank entirely too much and no doubt ended up looking like an idiot. - I think I did what I was supposed to at a 10 year, next time I will act like a grownup! The kids loved everything about the 4^th of July, food, carnivals and lots of fireworks.

 Mat came home again for another visit in August and we had a really good time. Oktoberfest a few times, HAFB, family pictures, Labor Day bbq… We made the most of the week!

Lukas started preschool in September and is still loving it, and I am loving it too (a little less noise in the house for a few hours). Lukas also discovered and fell in love with Transformers in September and had a nice Transformers birthday party.

 I participated in the Dirty Dash (10k mud run) It was so much fun and Mat and I are already signed up for the next one in June 2012! So exhausting and so fun!

 I made a quick trip back to NC the first part of October to see Mat before he headed overseas; nice to see him, not so nice to leave him.

 The kids made the rest of October fun. They were in some sort of super hero costume every day and dove head first into everything that is Halloween. He loved the Witches at Gardener Village and we went trick or treating with some friends and Lukas stayed out until he literally couldn’t walk anymore.

November flew by. (I guess thats why I don't have one picture from November!) I barely remember any of it except Thanksgiving. I guess that’s all that needs to be remembered in November! We did both grandparents again this year so we (I) ate too much x2. Eehhhh. So tasty though. My in-laws had a million homemade pies so after I was stuffed I stuffed some more in there! Mmmmm pie!

December started slow for me. I had really hard time getting in the Christmas mood without Mat here. Especially because (for the first time) my mom, brother and grandparents also were absent.  Lukas is old enough now to actively participate in holidays and he LOVES Christmas. He asked me on December 26 when Santa was going to come back and see him with his reindeer… He still asks.  

 We went to Festival of the Trees on December 4^th and Lukas got to see Santa for the first time (that he can remember). We also went to Zoo Lights and saw Santa there, he was a little confused as to why that Santa looked different than the first one, I told him that Santa had just got a haircut and people always look different after a good haircut. (Seriously, he is 3; he shouldn’t be figuring that out yet!) We saw Santa again when he made a surprise visit over to one our friends house while all the kids were playing. He was really excited about this visit because Santa gave him a present and a candy cane. We had a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner at the “Big” Sharp’s and Christmas day came with all the joy and wonder that only children can bring and I finally felt excited about it.
 I rang in the New Year with my oldest and dearest friend and had a blast, as only the two of us can when we are together! Even with the husband gone 2011 turned out to be a pretty good year. Here’s to 2012 being even better!