Sweet Bliss Part II

Sarah says:  Still so good!  In my attempt to make this bottle last as long as possible, I'm only drinking it when Jon isn't here! hehe... this way I don't have to share.  Shhh... don't tell him  :-)

I had an afternoon of sweet bliss again today.  I spent quality time with my little lady.  Here's the thing, I often feel that my Mary is neglected, mostly by me.  It's not that she doesn't get any love or attention, in fact, she gets loads of attention.  She LOVES being the center of it all.  People constantly tell her how adorable and beautiful she is, and she just soaks it all in.  But, for the most part, most of that praise doesn't come from me.

I made the decision many years ago that I would be a working Mom, and I don't regret that decision.  But, that doesn't mean I don't worry if my kids suffer as a result of it.  I often fear Mary's lack of motherly influence will impact her in the future.  I'm gone most of her day, on good days I'm able to brush her hair before heading out the door, but more often than not she's left with a quick hug and kiss, and won't see me for 8+ hours.  When I get home, it's dinner, baths and reading time... but the most of that reading time is spent going over the many books Liam is sent home with each week (he gets books from his teacher, books from the reading specialist, and books from the library... not that I'm complaining, I love the help we are getting for him!!), very rarely does Mary get a say in the books, and often is not interested in them.  If there's time, I'll quiz Liam on his spelling words that week, or on some math problems.  I'm completely aware that Mary often gets put on the back burner, she's a good sport about it though, bless her heart.  Mary is totally content coloring a picture, or tending to the needs of her many baby dolls, and I take advantage of that.  

I always have intentions of spending more time with Mary on the weekends, but often life gets in the way.  Liam will have extra homework that needs tending to, chores have been pilling up (Jon does do most of the chores, but some, mostly taking care of the litter box, are just mine, and need to get done, really really bad), friends will want to hang out, and to be totally selfish... I try to squeeze in some extra me time too (ie.. a long run, followed by a longer than necessary shower).  My sweet, sassy, Mary gets skipped again.  I almost wish she'd complain about it more, it's harder to avoid something that is pushing in your face.  But again, Mary just lets it roll off her back.

But today, TODAY, I made it happen.  Everything was done, and the afternoon was quiet.  Liam, crazy as he was, played outside for two hours!!  (I did make him come in and thaw out once)  And during that time, Mary and I got our fix of each other.  We played Busy Town, a game that I am convinced was created by someone without kids, but it was Mary's pick, so that's what we did.  By the way, you can only see about half the board in his pic, it's obnoxious.  We snuggled and drank hot chocolate.  We played Barbie, and had a dance party.  

Today, my sweet bliss came in the form of a soon to be 5 year old girl.  She made me feel like a Mommy again, not just an occasional caregiver.  She doesn't hold a grudge against me, she doesn't make me feel guilty, she just takes what she can get and runs like wild with it.  She hugs me and kisses me, and warms my nose with hers.  She "helps" me in the kitchen, and she allows me to take an extra space to two forward when I'm totally loosing the game so I won't be sad.  She accepts me for who I am, she appreciates me, she loves me.  And that is the sweetest bliss of all.

With this wine following as a close second, it's totally awesome. 

What's your bliss?

Sweet Bliss

Description on the bottle:  The best word to describe this wine is YUMMMMMM.  The aromas are a heavenly blend of ripe red fruit and subtle toasted oak with deep cherry flavors and a velvety chocolate mouthfeel.  The wine is outrageous with barbecued ribs and spicy dishes.  For the ultimate indulgence, pair with chocolate cake, cheesecake or cobblers.  Our pour on its own as a divine aperitif.  After all, everyone deserves a little Sweet Bliss.

Sarah says:  I couldn't agree more with this bottle.  YUMMMMMM is the best way to describe this wine.  It's so freaking delicious.  It's smooth, it's sweet, it's chocolaty and fruity, it's so good.  I found this bottle in the 1/2 off bin at Wine Palace and now I want to go back and buy the rest of them!  I can't believe it was in the 1/2 off bin!  Usually grabbing something out of there can be a little risky, but this one is totally working for me.  It's the perfect ending to a Friday night.

Overall rating:  Two thumbs up, I'd give it more if I had more hands!

Sarah says:  This day was just flat out awesome.  This wine really was the perfect ending.  It started with being woken up by my alarm clock, not kids or cats!!!  That is pretty rare for me, and I love it when it happens.  Then I finished my goal for the week at work around 11:00, which means I get to enjoy this weekend without an unfinished workpaper hanging over my head.  Then, I went to Rice Bowl, one of my favorite places to eat, with Wendy, one of my favorite people, for lunch!!  During our Detroit days, we were there at a minimum of once a week, but it's been a good couple of years, and we were needing it.  It was oh so delicious, Rice Bowl never disappoints!  Then I came home to discover our new mattress has been delivered, and Jon had the bed all made up, waiting for me to get in my jammies and crawl in.

I can barely express my excitement for this mattress.  It's a little odd, since I don't do a lot of sleeping, but I'm hoping this new mattress might change some of that.  The mattress we've been sleeping on was... well... old.  I got it in high school.  Total side note here, and I love my Dad, so don't take this the wrong way... my parents separated and divorced while I was in high school.  Somewhere in the midst of that drama, I went shopping with my Dad, and somehow upgraded from an old twin bed to a brand new fancy queen bed.  I'm pretty sure it was some sort of "I know the life as you know it is over, but I still love you, let me prove it to you" type purchase, but I'm not complaining, I totally took advantage of it.  I loved that bed.  But, it had a good run, and it was way overdue for a new mattress.  So off Jon and I went, to the mattress stores.

Let me tell you a thing or two about mattress shopping.  Sales people are annoying.  We did the Art Van thing, where they put you on a bed machine to find the perfect bed.  The guy looked at Jon and mines report and was like "Uh, you guys have really different bodies".  Really, guy?  We sort of already knew that.  I'm pretty sure there is no mattress that meets both our needs, so he was just aimlessly walking around with us, not being very helpful, but pressuring us to purchase something quickly.  We got out of there.  We tried some other places too, Sears, ABC Warehouse... nothing bad to say there, nothing great either.  We ended up at Value City Furniture... not my first choice, but the selection was good, the prices were right, and the saleslady was awesome.  

So, the new bed is ready and waiting, Havanah has tested it out, and it's calling my name.  Wish me luck for a good night of sleep!  To celebrate, I will drink another glass of this amazing delicious wine! 

What has you excited these days?

Chardonnay Part II

Sarah says:  Here we are again, dieting means I only drink one glass of wine a night, which means it takes 6 nights to finish one bottle of wine (sometimes 5, depends on how generous I am with my servings), which means I'm still working on this bottle of Chardonnay that I don't really love, but don't dislike enough to dump it out.  I've heard about a clever little trick (which I have not tried, but am interested in), to add Sprite or 7 Up to wines that you don't love to make them a bit easier to drink and thus empty the bottle.  I apologize for the lack of variety lately.

I did something recently that I don't generally do.  I read a book (that's not the part that I'm referring to, I love to read!), and then got the great idea to immediately rent the movie.  I read The Firm, such an awesome book!!  It's a 500 page book, and somehow I managed to read it in less than a week!  WHAT?!  It usually takes me weeks, if not months, to read a book.  Not because I don't want to finish them, simply because I can't find the time.  By the time I get the time, I'm usually so sleepy, that I read a few pages and zonk out.  This book however was different, it was such a page turner that I couldn't possibly fall asleep.  It was exciting and intense, but wasn't too confusing or overwhelming.  I found time to read this book.  I stayed up into the wee hours of the night reading this book.  I specifically let the kids watch extra TV (mother of the year, right here!) just so I could read an extra chapter.  I liked it, a lot more than I liked this wine.  (as a side note, this book was also very different than the normal romance that I usually read.  It's possible that I liked it so much simply because it was something different).

So, once finished, I was so excited, I rushed to the library and rented it!  (Another side note:  I completely don't understand why anyone would ever pay to rent a movie, the library is full of free ones!)  Jon warned me that the movie wasn't good.  I ignored him.  Tom Cruise wouldn't disappoint, plus the book was just so good!  Oh wow, was I wrong.  The movie was dull, and didn't have any of the exciting intensity that the book had.  Tom didn't capture the enthusiasm that Mitch, the young lawyer had for his new job and being the best.  They totally ruined the story between him and his wife, making it seem like they actually broke up instead of that just being a planned distraction.  The private investigator died wwaaayyyyy too quickly.  They didn't include the big hideout/hunt at the end.  It was boring, I found myself reaching for the tablet to play Candy Crush less than halfway through.  

In all fairness, I'm not sure how to properly turn a 500 page book into a 2 hour movie, but they needed to keep trying with this one.  Don't waste your time on it.  Just like this wine, sadly it's not worth it.

What's your favorite book turned movie?

Bridge Lane Chardonnay

Description on the bottle:  With its light body and fresh finish, our steel-fermented Chardonnay displays crisp, clean flavors with a lingering minerality on the finish.

Sarah says:  Hmmm... it's a little sweet for my liking.  It's not bad, but I couldn't drink more than one glass of it at a time (which it's a good thing I'm cutting back on my consumption, otherwise I'd be disappointed)!  I wonder if my tastes are changing?  It seems that I'm like more and more reds, and finding whites too sweet.  Does this mean I'm maturing?  I find that seasoned wino's seem to lean towards red, while newbies like the whites.  Any thoughts on that?

Overall rating:  Thumbs 3/4 down.

Sarah says:  Speaking of change... since it's halfway through January, I thought I'd update on the New Year's Goals - since that is requiring change.  So, saving an extra $50 turned out easy, since Jon worked some overtime during Christmas and New Year's, his first check was awesome.  And, his theater is having some staffing changes, so he's working more than normal lately to help out.  I'm anticipating his next few checks being a little higher than budgeted, which means extra savings for us, whoo hooo!  What am I saving for you ask?  Well, that is another topic for another day!  The second goal was to loose the 5 lbs of holiday weight I put on.  Ok.... first of all, that was a little ambitious.  I generally aim for 1 pound a week, given that there are only 4 weeks in Jan, loosing 5 would have been pushing it.  Second, I was on vacation the first week of Jan, so that week was really just a bust.  By the way, if anyone knows the secret to loosing weight while on vacation, I'm all ears!  Gaining is easy, maintaining is manageable, but loosing... impossible.  So, even though I'm half way through the month, I'm only about a week and a half into my weight loss plan.  I'm not halfway there.  And third, sadly, I pulled the 5 lb number out before actually stepping on the scale.  It MIGHT have been a little more than that.  I'm making progress though, my new goal is to be back at what I consider my normal weight by the end of Feb ( I will never ever ever post what that number actually is, don't even bother asking).  The great thing about creating small goals instead of resolutions it they allow for more flexibility and changes like that.

Anyways, I've been eating better again, working out again, drinking less again.  I've been doing some new workouts.  I still love my running, but I find it hard to do that in the winter.  Going to the gym is too much hassle, I'd much rather just put on my shoes and run outside, but it's way to freaking cold for that.  I've been doing these new things called a Tabata workout.  It's a 4 minute, high intensity workout.  It totally rocks my world.  On the busy days, I usually just squeeze in a few of these whenever I can.  Lots of times I'll do one in the morning, one before dinner, and one or two before bed.  Finding 4 minutes is much easier than finding 30 min or more!  And, if I'm just doing one at a time, I'll be tired, but not sweaty or anything, so there is no need to shower, or even change into workout clothes.  Often, I'll do 3 in one sitting, 12 minutes is still nothing to complain about.  By the way - I do change if I'm doing several tabata's at once, that is exhausting.  I totally encourage you to google it if you are looking for something new and fast.  There are several video to give you ideas of what to do.  I just wing it, and pretty much change it up every time - don't want to get bored!!  My go to's are jumping jacks, squats, butt-kicks, jumping rope, and burpees.

What's your latest workout?

I completely value exercise and eating right, staying healthy is very important to me (ya know, gotta make an impression on those kiddos!).  I also value the importance of rest.  So tonight, I kick back, open a bottle of wine, and chill out.  Cheers to that!

Vina Tarapaca

Description on the bottle:  Established in 1874, Vina Tarapaca is one of Chile's most traditional wineries. Located in the heart of the Maipo Valley - Chile's most prestigious wine growing region.  Pure Sauvignon Blanc with a lemon straw color and green highlights. The amounts are lively with grapefruit and lime characters. The palate displays tropical fruit, balanced by refreshing citrus.  Serve cool.

Sarah says:  Well... I don't really like it.  I'm trying to decide what to say without sounding too negative. It's VERY citrus-y, especially in the grapefruit area, and I don't particularly like grapefruit, so I'm not enjoying it. A sip or two isn't bad, but a whole glass, is uncomfortable as eating an entire grapefruit, it just isn't my thing! I find the whole thing way too sweet and bitter bitter bitter.  

Overall rating:  Blah.

Sarah says:  While I didn't love this wine, I did get something for Christmas that I do love, and I mean LOVE.  An electronic wine opener!!  This video is the first time I used it, I probably should have read the instructions, but I eventually got there.  Check it out.  

Totally awesome, right?!  I've got it down pat now, so it goes a little smoother.  Best Christmas gift ever, thanks Carolyn!!

What was the best present you received this year?

Groote Kaap

Description on the bottle:  NONE

Sarah says:  The lack of description on some of these wine club bottles continues to make me crazy.  Luckily, I only have a couple more bottles before I get to go back to picking out my own wine!  The only glimmer of information provided on this bottle is that this wine is from South Africa.  I didn't even know South Africa had good land for wine producing!  Apparently they do, this Cabernet Sauvignon is pretty yummy.  I drank it last night (New Years Eve) while hanging out with some friends and eating a load of bad food.  This wine pairs nicely with pizza, sour patch kids, and rice chex puppy chow.

Overall rating:  Thumbs mid way up.

Sarah says:  Speaking of New Years, it's that time of year, resolution time!  The time of year where everyone is bound and determined to change some part of their life for the better, and works really hard at it for about 5 weeks, then forgets it ever happened.  Jon doesn't even bother with them because he thinks it a waste to bother with it when he knows he won't finish it.  I like to argue that it's better to do something good for a few weeks rather than not have tried at all.  I think it's comparable to the saying "It's better to have loved and lost, than not have loved at all."  True, most resolutions don't stick, but they certainly won't work if you don't even try starting them.  Oh well, boo on him.  I will continue to make and break my resolutions!

I would like to try something a bit different this year.  Instead of setting vague resolutions, such as I'd like to get more healthy, and I want to save money better, I'm going to try setting specific goals at the 1st of each month.  Something that is more measurable and can be adjusted as I discover what is working and what isn't.  So with that, my January 1 resolution/goals, are that I would like to loose the 5 lbs of holiday weight I put on, and I would like to put an additional $50 into my savings account.  In the past I've come up with really long lists, but I have found that it's too overwhelming for me.  I'm going to stick to a few each month, and I can add different themes in as the timing is appropriate.

There you have it folks... to be continued Feb 1.  What are your resolutions?