My devious plan to trick myself into exercising worked quite well. After the ‘required’ sun salutation, I did push-ups *and* abs. I’m practically a tri-athlete now, right? Okay, so it’s only been one day, but it’s a beginning.

I heard on the radio today that Def Leppard has an upcoming concert in Fort Worth. Def Leppard was my first concert! For about five seconds, I thought it would be cool to see them again… but then I returned to reality. I could buy a pair of shoes for the price of that concert ticket! Or a few lattes! Enough said.

The saga of Project Headboard continues: today I went fabric shopping. The middle part of the headboard will be upholstered and will be anchored on each side by a 4′ tall cedar 4×4. Of course that’s the simplified explanation, but will at least provide a rudimentary mental picture. The original intent was to go with a Moroccan-themed bedroom, using very rich, deep colors and fabrics. My dilemma is this: most of the fabrics I’m drawn to are very subtle and are a completely different palette (sage green, ivory, etc.). So, do I switch gears and go with the fabric that draws me, then build my bedroom around that? Or do I stick with the plan and buy the more dramatic fabrics? I really like the purples, oranges, reds and ochres still– maybe I’m just not finding fabric I like in those colors. I have a feeling that I’ll be visiting several more fabric stores before buying anything.

Max & Khai are done with their snacks now, so we’re off to the library…

Writing, Briefly– from Paul Graham dot com. I like this. It’s simple– and for me, simplifying the writing process is what it’s all about. It’s not hard; I just have the monumental piles of head noise to sift through. [via kottke]

It appears that the red sage I planted out front last year isn’t going to make an appearance this year. After a bit of online research, I think that perhaps my soil in that bed has too much clay. Maybe I’ll dig it all up and add in some sand, then try again.

I bought some cedar yesterday for Project Headboard… I’d like to think that I could do this all myself, but since I’ve never used a router before I will probably wait for Josh’s guidance. I’d prefer not to mess up pretty cedar.

In the past, I’ve tried jumping into things headfirst only to find myself underwater in short order. In my old age (I can say that now… ha!) I’ve learned that baby steps get me there faster in the end. This last month I’ve been writing 100 Words each day, and have been pleasantly surprised at the subtle changes in my thinking and writing. It’s not hard to do– it’s just a matter of doing it.

With that in mind, I’m going to take some baby steps back into yoga. I’m going to do the sun salutation every day– and probably more. Getting started is the hard part; I really enjoy it once I’ve started. Hopefully this will help me get back into a daily yoga habit… I know my body needs it. It’s amazing how much flexibility I’ve lost in just a couple of months! I could also stand to put on a little muscle– my weight is fine, but I’d like to be more toned.

Coffee beckons…

Yesterday was my 30th birthday– I had such a good day. It was low-key and spent with family & friends, as most special days should be. Much to Max’s dismay, I did not have a cake, though we did buy some M&Ms; I think that’s a pretty close second.

I cried when I opened the gift my parents sent, and again when they called to tell me happy birthday– nothing makes you feel mature like crying because you miss your mommy and daddy. I’m going to assume that being far away won’t get any easier as time goes on; I’d hoped that getting older would help that, but apparently I was wrong.

Miss Rachel is a punk. A punk who spent too much money on me. I love her anyway.

Matt and Chris drove down late Saturday night and spent Sunday with us– I feel bad that we didn’t get more time to visit. Between Easter stuff and the usual chaos of the children, there wasn’t much time nor free brain cycles for talking.

Oh! Anne is in town from Baltimore and came to see us yesterday as well. We had such a nice time catching up and just hanging out… it made me really happy.

Joshy got me {{popup 30ring2.jpg 30ring2 270×215}}this for my bday. =) I was so surprised! I think it’s beautiful.

Today our routine goes back to normal– Max’s spring break is over. We didn’t even end up doing anything fun over the break because he and Khai were sick on and off. The day we almost went to the zoo ended up being too chilly and windy, and then all of our other plans fell through when both boys came down with a cough. Bleh. I guess those things will have to wait til Max is out of school for the summer.

Speaking of school, it’s about time to start lunch so we can get there on time. I think Khai and I will go shopping after we drop Max off… I have to buy some wood so I can build a headboard. This should be fun…

Somehow, I’ve managed to lose track of a week or so of my life. There has been so much going on that I end up living in a little bubble of frenzy and it makes me rather unaware of everything else happening in the Outside World.

On a good note, though, I’ve been very productive. There are a lot of projects still in progress, but I’ve got a good start on all of them.

This week is Max’s spring break, so we’re going to take advantage of that and hit the zoo and the train museum.

…and Max just woke up, so I guess it’s time to start getting ready for the zoo!

So many projects… so little focus. Of the six million projects I’m in the middle of, there’s not one that can be done while my kids are climbing on me. This does not bode well for my sleep cycle. I’m not complaining, though– it’s just a matter of figuring out how to work it all in and still get some rest. Despite being a bit more tired than usual (!!!), it’s nice to have a measure of productivity. In my normal life, there’s nothing that is ever truly DONE– dishes, laundry, dusting, mopping, cooking, etc. Feeling like I’m actually accomplishing something is good for the psyche.

Josh and I went out last night! My superhero sister-in-law stayed with the boys while Josh and I met up with Jess & Daniel to head out to a Poker and Waffle party. I partook of neither poker nor waffles but had a good time nonetheless. It’s a crazy thing to be out with my husband and to remember that I really enjoy his company– things like that get lost in the day-to-day madness. In becoming parents, our relationship has changed so much; it’s not about us anymore. Getting to reconnect from time to time is so essential, and I forget that.

We drank $3 pink champagne because we are classy, classy people. I like bubbles.

This morning the boys were up at 7am, which of course only helps prove my theory: children are programmed to have a waking time that’s inversely proportional to their parents’ bedtime. My ~4am bedtime made 7am come a little too early. It’s worth it, though… I tasted freedom! I got to hear Justin sing Weird Al and a smashing rendition of a Refreshments song (which I’d all but forgotten about)! I got to be more than just a mommy for a few hours! I’ll try not to let it go to my head.

OooOOooh, to add to my THINGS TO GET DONE list: the latest Orson Scott Card book just came in the mail. Shadow of the Giant continues the story of Bean and Petra where the last book left off. If only I could read while also doing double duty as a jungle gym…

Speaking of jungle gym, Khai is sitting on my lap, wiggling like a crazed monkey and keeps trying to put my hair in his mouth (then laughs when I take it out). Max is leaning up against me such that he’s half-sitting on my hip, and he keeps trying to reach up and play with my hair (or pull it out, I’m not sure). It’s a bit maddening. But look, I can still type! Sorta. Now Khai is putting his foot in my armpit and that makes typing difficult.

Mozilla keeps crashing. It makes me want to throw things.