Writes for Kicks

I headed to the gym after carpool drop-off this morning.  My kids' school starts really early, so I was able to drop carpool off and head to an exercise class that starts at 7:30.  I literally drive right past the gym, to get home, so there are no excuses.  Later in the day, as things get crazy, I can feel good that I got my work-out in before I ran out of time (and energy!).

As I pulled in the parking lot I saw a car stop after the driver pulled out of his parking spot.  He was lighting his cigar.  I had to chuckle to myself and comment to the person working at the front desk.  Doesn't that negate whatever he just did for a workout?

Anyway, I hadn't done an exercise class in forever.  I go in spurts.  If you read my last blog about getting tennis elbow raking leaves last fall, that was partially because I had been attending this challenging exercise class where we used a lot of heavy weights.  I had done the class before I had raked leaves that night and the combination of the two had left me with this painful, swollen elbow.  Not only did it turn me off of raking leaves, but the exercise class as well.

This class was being taught by a mom at school, who I know, and it was a new class so I thought I would be supportive and attend.  Well, she didn't need my support.  Her class was crowded and it was awesome!  It's a muscle conditioning/strengthening class and it made everything burn, so you don't feel like you are wasting your time, that is for sure.

Who knew this woman was totally funny as well.  There were times I was laughing so hard it was hard to hold the body bar still (while balancing on one leg, I might add).  The reason I decided to blog about this, I guess, is just that sometimes you have to shake up your routine a little bit. I've been really bored with working out lately but it is so important to get those endorphins going.  You feel so much better after you do.  Being able to laugh out loud for a majority of the class was such an added bonus.

As I left the club smiling I walked past my neighbor's car.  A mom of five children, her license plates say: "WHAT KDZ."  That always makes me chuckle.  Then I saw a new little sticker on her car "I know I run like a girl...try to keep up!"

Ah, simple pleasures...sometimes it's just the little things.

It's that time of year!  I love fall!  I love the colors, being able to wear jeans, going to my children's' sporting events and decorating the house for Halloween.  But what I don't like about fall is the annual raking-of-the-leaves ritual.

It's not that I mind raking and leaf blowing that much.  Truthfully, I love my leaf blower; even though it does blow the mulch all over when I'm trying to clean out my garden beds.  It's just the fact that I will have to clean up the leaves at least five or six times.  The first time is fun.  The kids and I make leaf piles...I get out my camera...when we are done we schlep big tarps full of leaves down to the woods.

The second time...still kind of fun.  The third time, the kids abandon all the fun before the piles are even formed. The fourth time, my daughter's hands will be freezing before she even steps out the door and, well, so on and so forth--you get the idea.

I live in a heavily wooded neighborhood.  "Gorgeous" would be a good word to describe it.  It really is.  But it comes with a price.

The only thing is, that other than the trees in between my neighbor's and my driveway, on one side, I'm the only house without a wooded front yard.  All my trees are back behind my house, and to one side.  Everyone else has trees all over their front yards and guess where all the leaves from my neighbor's house across the street go?  They fall down on the ground and sit there until the wind blows them all on to MY yard.

Well, that's not entirely true.  Depending on which way the wind blows they either blow on my yard, or the neighbor to her north.  This annual event really bonds me with the neighbor to her north.  We wave and commiserate with one another as we both are out there, cleaning up the leaves, yet again!

I know it is not my neighbor's fault, exactly.  Like my dad says, "it's mother nature."  But as we get in to November and it is FREEZING outside and I am out there, yet again, because I don't want to go into winter and have all those leaves kill my lawn, it's kind of hard to be upset with Mother Nature.

I kind of feel that if my neighbors across the street would pick up their leaves at least a couple of times, they all wouldn't blow into my yard. 

Anyways, I know this is petty, really.  And it is fabulous exercise, so I do try to keep that in mind.  Hopefully I won't get tennis elbow like last year where I couldn't raise my arm more than halfway up my body.  So, since I am done griping, here is a picture of the first successful, group clean-up of 2008.  I even got a neighbor kid to get in on the action.  Though he did disappear before the clean-up began.  Hmmm, how did that happen?

Well, here's something you don't see every day...

According to an Associated Press story, a couple in Cambodia divorced and the husband took his half of the house, albeit in bits and pieces.  That's certainly thinking outside the box.  I guess he gets points for creativity.

As Forrest Gump would say, "that's all I have to say about that."

Piles on the counter and on the office floor, and just when you think it's not possible--there's more!

Stuff for school, junk from the mail, postcard flyers advertising a sale!

Coupons, receipts, articles on how-to, costume ideas for the day we say "boo!"

Permission slips, patches for uniform rips, rosters for soccer and volleyball, carpool schedules for one and all.

Deadlines, meetings, bills, bills, bills--my contribution to the local landfill.

Everything kept out--in plain sight--file it and you may forget overnight.

Leave it out so you can see what needs to be done with less difficulty.

To-do lists, box-tops clipped...I toss, I sort, I file and purge.  I just want to toss everything; but I resist the urge.

Thank you's, post cards, cute kid pix...some fit on the refrigerator door; but if you manage to find enough room, soon there will be more.

The weekly "what's up!" they get from school to help them learn the Golden Rule.

Reminders of upcoming tests, order forms for girl scout vests.

Oh!  And the most confusing part...what to do with all the art?

Water colors, oil prints, cray-pas, crayons, self-portraits, flowers, a Japanese fan.

Alright, o.k. I'm finally done, my house is clean my work is done.  I'm all pile-free and feeling proud.  So much so, I shout out loud.

My label maker is out of labels, my piles are removed from the kitchen table.  I'll try to remain pile-free as best as I am able.

Fifteen a minutes a day is all "they" say, to keep my home looking just this way.