t-giving countdown: stress

as part of the countdown to t-giving 2011, today i'm talkin' 'bout stress, bay-bee.

let me first start off by saying this is my 4th draft of this installment. apparently, writing about stress was meant to be a purging, cathartic experience as evidenced by my paragraphs and paragraphs of ranting in prior drafts. i mean, yikes, girl.

in my opinion, stress over the holidays is caused by our own expectations.  we either expect too much or too little around the holidays not only of ourselves, but of each other.  the date of the calendar will not transform you into a terrific chef.  it will not suddenly make you a patient and understanding person. the date on the calendar also does not induce a pity party.  yet, we commonly have these expectations.

anyway,

common causes and cures (in my own estimation) of stress around t-giving

cause: travel

travel is unavoidable.  it's a necessary curse of spending time with your friends and family.  with the inclement and unpredictable weather in wisconsin in union with the morons on the roads, travel, especially during the holidays, well, it just sucks. 

cure: plan ahead. 

 all right.  over the holidays (at least in my case) people on average have to travel to at least 2+ destinations in one day.  i've found it helps to agree on a timeline for arrival and departure at each location prior to getting on the road.  my husband finds while this is helpful, the fact that i'm typically always running late due to a wardrobe malfunction, is not helpful.  so, this year especially, i commit to planning ahead so we can stick to a schedule and live by it. 

take into consideration road conditions and peak traffic hours when planning your arrivals and departures.  most likely, you'll hit the worst of it around 3:30-5:30 on thanksgiving. remember: just because it's thanksgiving doesn't mean that people will suddenly drive responsibly. also, no one will die if you miss the kickoff of the next game in the event of an unexpected delay. don't let the road rage bitter your slice of pumpkin pie at point b in your journey. 

cause: people

just because it's a holiday, it doesn't mean that your mom will stop nagging you about your short skirt.  it doesn't mean  that your g-pa will tone down his frank and hella non-p.c. views of everything in front of your new boyfriend.  you will not magically give a damn about anyone or anything you don't give a damn about the other 364 days a year. 

cure: suck it up, buttercup

ok, maybe this advice isn't the best.  would you prefer, "get over it?"  we all can think of someones name right off the top of our heads that will always be "THAT GUY" or "THAT GIRL" at a family function.  you know the type.  they will either be stand-offish, throwing a bitter pity party of one at the kid's table. or "THAT PERSON" will be super perky and fakey and touchy feely.  whatever the extreme may be, you can only control yourself.  so, if you're "THAT GUY" or "THAT GIRL" you're the only one who can make a decision to adjust your expectations and your attitude. friends and fam might frustrate you, but they always love you. so,  hey, grouch-a-saurus and debbie downer, family and friends are probably the only people that put up with your crazy ass.  and if you are not "one of those," don't let them rain on your parade.  hey, if they are miserable or annoying all the time, your tolerance should be built up to their crazy-asses by now.  show them some love no matter how hard you have to bite your tongue.

cause: cooking

this section might just be for the ladies as us ladies are typically the ones who take on this responsibility around the holidays.  i'm talking about the womanly instinct to contribute something of beautiful, tasty, deliciousness to the t-giving festivities.

cure: take the easy way out

i am super fortunate that my mom and my mom-in-law are way into handling the t-giving meal solo.  i get it. it's a point of pride.  every year i volunteer to help and bring something but every year it is rejected.  this is totally a blessing, people. don't feel bad if the moms cut you out of the equation.  they are doing you a favor. cooking for t-giving can be intimidating and women often over-commit to things outside their comfort zone and beyond their general skills and abilities for the sake of wowing people.

tip:under-promise, over-deliver.  i volunteer to bring an appetizer or a dessert.  those are easy to make, easy to transport, and people can live without them if you totally screw it up for some reason.

tip 2: don't make something you've never made before!  seriously.  it's all about the test-runs, folks.  if you don't want to be stressing over a sunken cake or a runny dip, try it before you serve it to other people. and by "try it" i don't mean make it the morning of.  this weekend is a good time to test drive any new recipes you think you might want to whip out on turkey day.  side dishes and main courses come with a lot of anxiety.  keep it simple and remember, it still counts as homemade if you open the can and put it in a fancy dish or heat it up out of the freezer :)

you can't go wrong with....

*biscotti-delicious cookie that is great for an after dinner snack with coffee.  easy to make or buy.  easy to transport.  easy to love.

*cream cheese bricks with crap on it--not literal crap but there's little jars of jelly, typically with spices you can buy that you just pour over a brick of cream cheese and invite guests to "dig in" with a ritz.  easy.

(that's the stuff i'm talking about)

*hummus with veggies and/or pita chips--yeah. no brainer.

that's my take on stress for the holidays.  if you don't like my advice, then talk to my friend carlos rossi.  i hear he's a pretty legit holiday helper :)

t-giving training.

thanksgiving is 2 weeks away...2 weeks away!  thanksgiving is gunning hard for my favorite of the "non-jesus" holidays, although it has some work to do before it blows valentine's day out of the water.  i dare you to jockey for the pole position, thanksgiving 2011.  make your move.

thanksgiving is like christmas except without having to buy stuff.  i like that i can just hang out with my friends and family without having to buy their affection with material things.  i can just buy their love with tasty side dishes instead. 

however, t-giving can both literally and figuratively be a total turkey.  if you're trying to stay in shape and eat well, better sleep from november 23rd-november 26th.  t-giving has four, sassy "s" words that can really throw a wrench in the old "getting my pants up" routine.  sugar, stress, saturated fats, and being sedentary. 

holidays be full of tasty foods full of saturated fat and sugar and they are in abundant supply.  let's be real, who can exercise that much restraint?  i see a crock pot full of mashed potatoes and i'm all over it.  plus, there's lots of adult libations around the holidays and booze be full of empty calories due to the high sugar content of most alcohols and mixers.  holidays also be stressful, yo.  stress (for some people) only causes one to drink and eat more.  and it all adds up to a holiday where all you want to do is sit on your fat, bloaty behind and watch home alone for the 100th time in between football games (which sounds awesome, right?)

ok, there's nothing wrong with getting a little lax around the holidays.  it is going to happen.  get after it.  enjoy yourself.  i plan on probably getting a little wild with the dark meat (that's what she said) myself.  admittedly, i got a little crazy after my half-marathon.  i've had more sugar and bad carbs in the past two weeks than i have had in the past 3 months.

this is why i am spending the next two weeks training for t-giving.  that's right.  training.  increase the exercise, decrease the saturated fat and sugar (true story: i have a garbage can full of candy corn,) and just chill out. 

feel free to join in on the fun and watch for some helpful tips to work around those sassy "s" words as we countdown to t-giving 2011.

h&b: smooth operator

friends, winter is creeping up on us.  although the weather has been pretty indecisive and relatively mild the past few months, the dry air is slowly settling in as evidenced by my bloody, dry, cracked knuckles, my chapped lips, and my dry scalp.

over the years, i've tried a lot of fancy-schmancy stuff to help keep the "gator effect" in the winter down to a minimum.

here are some tried and true products that i'm willing to bet you'll be into...unless you like bloody knucks, dandruff, and gritty lips...which is totally your call.

baking soda: cheap, handy exfoliater

every journey to smooth and supple skin/hair starts with exfoliation. 

put 1/2-1 tsp in the palm of your hand with your facial wash to buff away dead skin.  use more for a more intense scrub. you can also sprinkle on a loofah in the shower or use it to strip away excess residue in your hair if you mix a small amount in your shampoo. i use this stuff on occasion to help smooth rough elbows, knees, feet, whatever!  it's more cost effective than cosmetic lines out there and incredibly versatile. 

vaseline: cheap, intensive moisturizer

i don't know how vaseline made it's way into this world but i don't want to live without it.  it's not just for beauty pageant smiles.  if you want to moisturize super troublesome spots in a short amount of time, slather on some of this goo and hit the sheets.  make sure whatever you grease up isn't exposed to your sheets, clothes, etc. because this stuff is impossible to get out.  grab an old pair of socks or a rando, mismatched pair of  magic gloves to help protect your linens from the petrol.  i can't stand doing this so i only do it in extreme situations because it totally works.  however, i'm a big fan of vaseline as an emergency lip balm in any sitch.

cetaphil: best drugstore moisturizer (for my money, at least)

cetaphil is a staple in my house.  it's like frank's red hot sauce: i put that s*$& on everything :) cetaphil is a great option for winter moisturizing.  it is a humectant which means it draws moisture in and keeps it there.  it also is non-comodogenic meaning it doesn't clog pores so you can put it on your face and not worry about breaking out.  it also does not have fragrance which is a particular bonus in the winter.  ever notice how lotions with scents BURN BURN BURN when you put them on chapped hands?  that's because of the alcohols and chemicals involved with fragrance.  they actually end up drying you out worse than if you didn't have any lotion on at all.  my friend, cetaphil, comes available fragrance-free so all i feel is 'ahhhhhhhhh' when i put it on instead of  'OMG! AHHHHHHHHHHH!'

pantene pro-v 2-in-1- moisturizing shampoo/conditioner

using conditioner every day can make your hair dull and weigh it down.  however, if you are prone to getting a dry scalp in the winter, using conditioner in small doses every day is a good way to keep dandruff down.  selecting a 2-in-1 product like pantene offers is a nice balance of cleaning and moisturizing without being too hardcore on one or the other.

lastly, chapstick.  i love my chapstick.  i have at least 6 sticks between my office, my house, my car, my purses, my nightstand....wherever.  chapstick isn't just for your lips, folks. i use it on small, dry patches of skin.  i'm not exactly using as directed when i put it on my forehead or knuckles or even when i work some into my palms to help smooth fly-aways and keep my eyebrows in place, but it works.  i would just recommend you use 'original' for those more adventurous purposes. 

side note: my husband hates when i wear stuff on my lips.  it's a guaranteed way to get a big "EWWWWWWWWWWW.....LIP STUFF" and a sour face from him after a smooch.  but when i wear cherry chapstick, the dude has no complaints :)

stay smooth, my babies.  stay smooth.

half-marathon, vol. 1: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

i did it.  i successfully completed my first half-marathon.  all the hype surrounding half-marathons is true.  the pain, the exhilaration, the adrenaline, the excitement, the pain, the unadulterated joy, the love, the pride, and the pain...it's all legitimate.  it's intoxicating.  it's addicting.  it's an accomplishment.  it changes you.

i'm part of a club now.  i can put that "13.1" sticker on the back of my car.  i'm a legit member of a running brotherhood.  it feels pretty damn good.

after this post, you likely won't have to hear about this damn race ever again except for a few relevant references for future posts. it's mostly because i'm sick of talking about it but more so because i am not a person that believes in coasting on one accomplishment.  i mean, there's a reason i don't walk around with my high school DECA trophies or that one ribbon i won from a coloring contest at the grocery store.  that's not to say i don't believe in a good, long, sustained celebration after a major accomplishment, but i find i don't do a lot of forward moving if i stay in one spot for too long.

the good

i finished.  i finished in under 3 hours.  my goal was 2:38.  more on this "time thing" later.  but the good thing is, i did it.

also good: there is no shortage of positive energy in a race.  all the runners are rooting for one-another.  all the  spectaters want you to do well.  total strangers outpour a tremendous amount of support, well-wishes, high-fives, shots, hoots, hollers...its indescribable.  it is a tremendous encouragement.  really, really awesome.

the bad

until mile 7, i was having the run of my life.  i was making the best time ever.  i felt amazing. i was keeping pace right alongside "clay matthews" at the 2:30 marker.  then, around mile 7, without warning, my left knee started burning.  three strides later, the pain was incredible.  i couldn't bend my knee without tearing up.  never, in all my training or in all my life, have i ever experienced that kind of sharp, burning, relentless pain in that area of my knee.  i walked it out, stretched it out, watched the 2:30 marker fade into the distance.

the 2:40 pacer stopped to see what was up as she watched me struggle, jogging 20 seconds here or there and then hunching over on the side of the road to stretch.  she, having struggled with the same issue all her life as a seasoned runner, informed me it was most likely an IT band injury.  basically, i pissed off the ligament that is responsible for connecting most all your muscles from your ass to your knee--it controls the movement of the leg.  you don't want to get it angry but i totally did with all the downhill sprawls and uneven paths. 

i had to walk the last 5 miles or so.  the medics at the finish and the personal trainers in my office affirmed the pacer's suspicions.  i need to start a rehab program to get the IT band to "calm the hell down" so that i can get running again.  but for now, i need to take a few weeks off and get healthy.  kind of a bummer but a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

more good

a runner from milwaukee had the same problem but her started more around mile 3. super nice chick named devon.  we decided not to quit and to support each other the rest of the way.  remember what i said earlier about the positive energy in a race?  you can't find nicer people...really.  just a testament to the bond that runners have on the course.  we support, we rally, we finish :)

(finishers!)

the ugly

i lost a toe nail during the race.  tmi? probably.  took my shoes off and found a bloody toe with a missing nail...whoops.  guess that "post-race pedi" will have to wait a while...you know, until i have all my toe nails again.

again, all the hype is true.  it finally happened: i'm a runner.

*special shout-out to my husband who sacrificed a trip to the hampton hot tub, a dinner at potbelly, and all body heat reserves just to help me do this damn thing.  <3  he says i've never looked happier, not even on our wedding day, than i did in the race pics.  i told him that it was 100 times less painful to marry him than it was to finish this race.  i was ready for the race to end but this marriage thing...i want that to last a long, long time :)