random thoughts

today was the first non-cold day since...well, since winter began. the sky was clear blue, the sun was in full force and the temp was in the mid-50s. we got an early start to the day. did some shopping (including buying myself this dress! [in gray floral]) and then worked in the garden. my 12'x4' plot at the community garden had plenty of weeds that we dug out. we cleaned up about half of the plot and planted carrot seeds. i've never planted anything from seed..last year i put little plants in the dirt. it will be exciting to watch stuff pop up out of the ground! alena was worn out by dinner time. i took time to pay extra attention to her. i let her go crazy in the tub and dressed her in a nice cozy PJ set. isn't that the best feeling, being that good kind of tired, clean, warm and cozy and laying down to sleep? i try to give her little luxuries like that. i absolutely love (and am thankful that i notice) the sparkle in her eyes when we're having an especially good time together. life gets busy sometimes, but there's those moments when i see her look at me and i know the foundation of her childhood memories are being made. and i just melt.

alena continues to amaze me with how fast she's growing. she can say her ABCs and count to 10 on her own, but she can also correctly identify, in random order, written letters! this amazes me! i haven't sat her down to work on this. first, a month or so ago, she pointed to my t-shirt and said "ABCs!" --she recognized that they were letters. then she would point to a specific letter and name it. i guess her little tykes laptop and word world is sinking in.

since high school, i had gradually gained 23 pounds. last fall i did weight watchers and lost about 13 pounds. since then (and through the holidays) i've pretty much maintained that weight. however, i'm itching to lose another 10 and be back to my "original" weight. another 8 past that and i would be at the thinnest i've ever been in my adult life--the weight i was when i worked at the bridal shop (running on my feet 45 hrs/week with no time for lunch) and again when i was pregnant and couldn't keep anything down for the first 18 weeks. so my goal is, starting monday, to get up at 6:30am M-Th and walk a 2 mile, hilly walk along the lake in my neighborhood. it's not an unreasonable time to get up in the morning, and i'd still give myself friday, saturday and sunday to sleep in. i know i can lose weight through food alone, but i really need to tone up this post-baby body. in a culture where obesity is on the rise, it seems that all my friends are taking up running as a hobby, several have lost some serious weight and gotten in incredible shape. so i, at +10lbs, am feeling quite chubby while everyone else is getting in great shape. i know all about healthy living and i did great at practicing it for the time right before, during and after pregnancy. i need to get back to that.

while i'm one of the least knowledgeable people when it comes to celebrities and movies. but i'm planning to watch the oscars tomorrow. i'm usually pretty focused on more serious issues in life, but once in a while, i like to sit back and relish in the spoiled, lavish wealth of it all. the beautiful, thin actresses in their designer gowns that cost more than my car. diamond jewelry that is priced higher than my house. i guess in every little girl, there's magic in getting all dressed up like royalty.

i'm so excited that spring is on the way!! everyone enjoy your warmer weather this week!!