Happy Leap Day!
I love random, nonsensical reasons to celebrate anything. Something that only happens once every four years is a good excuse for a worldwide party, no? I’m hoping to run into Leap Day William and trade my tears for candy. I could really use a Twix. Bonus points to 30 Rock for starting a trend if people show up at work in yellow and blue. Let me know, K?
LEAP!
Speaking of my love for chocolate, I joined a new gym a couple of weeks ago and it’s life-changing. First of all, I had to write up a financial proposal for Cory to prove that joining a gym - even though we have thousands of dollars in gym equipment in our house – would make sense. (To make it work, I decided to cancel one of Lexi’s expensive weekly classes since she already has three, put some money from my business into it and cut out my Zulily spending. Easy.) I’ve had my eye on this place ever since they opened and a salesperson called-slash-stalked me weekly but it didn’t make sense considering we had a home gym. Fast-forward a year and I’m searching, begging, grasping for some “me-time”, a good go-to place on weekends when there aren’t any Birthday parties and a new source of motivation to get fit. Enter Gym Heaven.
I’ve seen many failed attempts at indoor play spaces that cater to Moms who need some alone time where there is a cafe, some gym equipment and a hair salon. This is different. This isn’t mainly a playspace with some adult stuff thrown in. This is first and foremost a gym. But what makes it more than a gym is that it’s built for the family. The imposing building welcomes me with open arms, takes my children and gives me the gift of time. Unlike my previous gym when I lived in Queens, the child care center is more than a room with a TV. It has a dozen computers pre-loaded with age-appropriate games for children. Climbing equipment. A basketball court. The ability to go outside in the warmer months. A toddler room with parachute and bubble time. A friendly and courteous staff that doesn’t page you at your child’s first whimper but does everything they can to distract and entertain said child so that you can complete your yoga class in peace.
You never have to wait for a machine. There are classes to fit your every interest. A cafe that serves mostly natural and healthful foods as part of an expansive menu. Two indoor pools. Two outdoor pools. Basketball courts. A rock climbing center. A spa and salon. Sauna. Steam. A family changing room. Roomy lockers. Things to do. Things to buy. Things that make your kids actually WANT you to go to the gym. And it’s open 24 hours a day! Cory and I recently spent a Friday night working out, then got the kids for dinner at the cafe and then went swimming together. You can spend forever in this place. It is exactly what this Mommy-who-doesn’t-have-a-nanny-or-babysitter needs to breathe a mental sigh of relief. Lifetime Fitness, if you’re reading this, I would like to star in your next commercial. Your facility is a win-win for my family and so far worth every penny.
LEAP!
My daughter has taken to stripping. The other night after Cory put her to bed, she stripped off her zip-up one-piece Dora pajamas, peed on her mattress and called Cory in to show him her diaper in one hand and her pajamas in the other. It was hard for him to be mad at that cute little naked girl who looked so proud but after changing the sheets and putting her back to bed, she gave an encore performance for me! After changing the sheets again, I put her in two-piece pajamas. For some reason, she’s not a fan of taking those off. I silently prayed she wouldn’t do a threepeat because I was down to one clean sheet.
LEAP!
I joined Pinterest, the online pinboard where people share theme-based images with others such a recipes, products, craft ideas and anything else visually appealing that would make up an All-Star Web Scrapbook of sorts. Someone suggested I get in on the frenzy because it would be good for business. So far, it has proven to be yet another way for me to waste valuable time. It’s amazing how many times I turn on the computer with the intent to do one thing, and I end up lost in the internet abyss, eons away from where I wanted to be. Ever go onto the computer to look up supplies for your business but your homepage is CNN.com where you see the latest headlines and after reading a few articles, the recommended stories at the bottom take you to Site B and you somehow end up on People.com reading about the latest divorce when your phone dings and it’s Facebook – forcing you to look at a status update and when you finish you see a friend posting about their cat finishing the NY Marathon and you end up “liking” ridiculous stuff that you don’t even care about?
Damn you, social media!
LEAP!
Ryan gets what I call “crazy eyes” when he’s overtired. Either he’s still not recovered from our Florida trip or he’s been eating way too much sugar. He gets a good amount of sleep but by 4pm each day, he’s throwing himself on the floor, spewing crazy nonsense and generally looking like a possessed demon. Aside from the crazy eyes, I can tell he’s done when he goes World War 3 over the dumbest thing. The other day we had a playdate where Ryan was able to participate in his friend’s soccer class. To get to this class, you have to take an elevator to the building’s Lower Level. Ryan wanted to press the elevator button on the way down but didn’t get to it first. When it came time to go return to the parking lot, he was upset when someone else got to the button before him again. He refused to say goodbye to his friend and then burst into tears in the car. His chief complaint? The button was square and he had never and will never see a button like that again. NEVER! When I say the crying turned to sobbing and then wailing, it was like someone had died. I didn’t know how to stop it. Even Lexi was trying to hold his hand and kept repeating, “Okay…okay…” He wouldn’t let go of the ridiculous elevator button scene. He begged me to turn the car around and go back so he could touch it. He was choking on his loud, uncontrollable sobs. I said to him I have never seen him so tired and upset over something like this. It’s a FREAKING SQUARE ELEVATOR BUTTON for G-d’s sake! Who cares?!?!? Apparently, Ryan cared. Waaaaayyyyy too much. Suddenly I suggested something he hadn’t done in two years – take a freaking nap! He balked at the idea – “napping is boring – I can’t see when I nap!” and “napping is for babies” – but ten minutes later I turn around and the impossible happened…
On that note, I think I’ll get some shut-eye as well. Enjoy your Leap Day, all!
