My Secrets to Successful Aging...it's not all about the genes

I recently changed my Facebook profile picture from a photo of my feet in crocs standing in sand to a photo of my face with my chin resting against my hands as I am seated on a piece of Pilates equipment in my studio. Nothing special, just a photo taken by a friend for use "professionally" when needed.  What struck me was the almost immediate (and continual) responses, "likes" and "comment posts" to that photo. Truth be told, that photo was taken a few years ago, however I still look pretty much the same. And that's exactly what was being mentioned by friends who were posting. People from my high school days were saying "you look exactly the same as you did in high school" and "it must be the water you drink in California", "what are you doing?"

Well allow me to share some of my secrets (which are really not so secret). Yes DNA does play a small part, however genetics are only 10% in play here and those genes I can say without a doubt came from my dad. Throughout his life my dad was consistently told by so many people (mostly his doctors) that he looked at least a decade if not more, younger than his chronological age. This would infuriate my mother because she would often be kidded about "marrying a younger man". My mother is two years younger than my dad's age and she let everyone who made that comment know that fact.

So here are my not so secret "secrets" that I live by. But before I get into that..... here are (3) photo's taken over the decades so you can see for yourself. 

  This is my HIGH SCHOOL photo from my yearbook circa 1978.  Age 17 at the time

This is a photo from my "Aerobic Instructor Days" (80's hair) circa 1989   Age 29

This is my FB profile photo I posted - taken Oct 2010 - Age 50


Ah yes, if you do the math this year in August I will be 53. I am damn proud of it too. I also for the most part hardly ever wear make up, except on the rare occasion when I dress up for an event- (yes I am wearing some light make up in the above photo). Even then my make up consists of a few blush strokes on the cheeks, mascara and lip gloss. I have no time or patience for make up.  

Here are my 10 age busting not so secret secrets....

1. Surround yourself with LOVE. People you love and who love you. Tell them you love them. Partners (husbands, wives), family, friends and animals. Daily. Connect however you can (in person, voice, email, text). DAILY.
2.  Remove TOXIC people from your life. Toxic people are like vampires, they suck away your soul and leave you with nothing. Get rid of them and you will feel lighter, instantly. Trust me on this one....
3. Laugh EVERYDAY. My husband asked me why I fell in love with him. My answer...He makes me laugh, EVERYDAY. We end an argument by breaking out into laughter and forget what stupid thing we were arguing about. laughing is good for the soul and burns a lot of calories.
4. Drink Red Wine (except if you have an addiction then skip this one). 
5. Eat WHOLE FOODS EVERYDAY and make them the bulk of your nourishment. 
6. Eliminate TOXIC foods and Toxic products (toxic anything that comes in contact with your skin -read labels and check the ewg.org website) from your life. COMPLETELY. 
7. MOVE your body DAILY. Outside preferably. If you want to call it exercise that is just fine by me, just move. And Stand and Sit with proper posture, always.
8. DRINK WATER daily. A lot but not too much. 
9. SLEEP deeply and soundly as best you can. I realize this is a tough one for many people. Try going to bed earlier, that may be a good start.
10. FEED your mind. DAILY. not with crap either with good stuff...you know what I mean.    

Yes I do all this - and it keeps me living a reduced stressed life (notice I did not say stress free because that would be a lie). The truth is - Stress is the number one thing that will age you faster than anything else. I am also extremely blessed to have a career that I love, which everyday I am so grateful for. 

So that's it - my not so secret secrets to how I believe I stay looking and feeling younger than my chronological age.  

You got any secrets? 

Till next time - L        

For Whatever it's Worth...in my humble opinion...

My New Years resolution for 2013 is to try new experiences. My latest experience was a fitness workout that has exploded over the past few years called "CrossFit". I'd been curious as to what the hype was all about, so I decided I would join a friend who is totally into it and find out for myself. I first heard about CF in 2007 after reading NYT article that was not too favorable about this new type of training. According to the NYT, people have died doing this workout, which is certainly not a good endorsement in my humble opinion.

 With that said, I feel it is important to be open minded and fair and reserve judgement  until after I personally have experienced any workout I wish to express my personal opinion about. Which leads me to this latest blog post about various fitness workout trends that have come on the scene over the past several years and how I feel about their validity. 

I have been involved in the fitness industry for over 30 years wearing many different hats from "aerobics" instructor, fitness facility owner to exercise therapist. I've tested and passed a multitude of certifications and earned a Master's Degree in Exercise Science throughout the decades, so at this point I feel I can say I am qualified to give an opinion when it comes to fitness.

Along with Crossfit, I have taken Core Fusion (The Bar Method), Pilates group reformer SPX (Pilates Plus/Platinum), Circuit Works and Zumba. I will give my personal experience "review" on each and try not to scare or bore you. 

 (Zumba Photo by CIMM)

Let me begin with Zumba.Watch for yourself FUN, FUN and (more FUN to watch actually) but....Seriously, my hips don't lie and don't operate like that any more (hip injury is limiting).  The class was FILLED with all ages and sizes so I was impressed at its widespread inclusion. The instructor was young, tiny, and exposing her rock hard abs AND she was a little difficult to understand (even with a mic) competing with the very loud music. Holy crap I am old..... The music did make me want to move my body and I must say many of the movements were so familiar so I was able to do most of the class. In fact, the moves were pretty much recycled from my "aerobics" instructor days. YES, grapevines and more. The class was fun, but I must say I had "been there done that" enough times in my life that I didn't need any more of it. Zumba (check) just not my kind of workout.


Circuit Works...Sample reel - good name because it works! I love circuit training, it's a great bang for your buck combining both cardio and strength training in one workout. It moves fast and it is HARD. Because the class moves fast (the intervals are timed) YOU must pay attention to executing good form throughout. The trainers will be busy correcting (if they are good) and leading the class so it will be up to YOU to self correct. Be attentive and don't push beyond what you can handle properly or you can get injured. Be SMART and have fun. Also the class should have no more that 6-8 people to (1) trainer ratio. If you walk in and the class has 15-20 to (1) trainer - beware you better know what you are doing.

The Bar Method (Exhale's-Core Fusion)...See for yourself It's a ballet bar class on steroids, overworking the glutes to no end. I took this class (4) times and not because I liked it. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't the instructors teaching and it was the format that I completely disagreed with. They work primarily in a pelvic tucked (posterior tipped pelvis) position (NOT in neutral) which is counter to the positioning I instruct my clients/students to work in in Pilates training. Posterior tuck is NOT a good position for the pelvis because it compresses the lumbar spine. This class HURT my back every time I walked out the door. I followed instructions knowing full well it was counter to everything I know and preach as a Pilates practitioner and Exercise therapist. Why? Because I wanted to fairly review this workout and put on record it is by far my least favorite and to steer clear unless you would like a herniated disc injury in your future. You can come see me for your repair....

(pilates reformer photo by KOMUnews)

Pilates "Plus/Platinum" Group Reformer (SPX)....Sample workout here -
I took this SPX group reformer method at (2) different studios and they were both very different using the same workout method. This is not Pilates the way Joseph Pilates intended his name to be associated with an exercise regime. It's timed, it's fast and pays little to zero attention to technique, form and execution of movement because of the format. One class was horrible (Pilates Plus on Abbot Kinney) and the other class was OK (Sweat Pilates in Culver city). So here is an example where the instruction makes all the difference. While I am NOT a fan of group reformer classes, I do feel that as long as a "group" is limited to (4) students (tops) who are at a similar fitness level and have had at least 10 private reformer sessions, I am OK with it. SPX is far from Pilates that it should be called "minus the Pilates" instead of Pilates Plus.

(photo by CrossFit Fever)


CROSSFIT LA.....Check this... I joined a friend (who is a few years younger than me) in a BEGINNER Crossfit LA class one evening a few weeks ago. She LOVES this workout,is totally addicted and wanted me to come with her and see what it was all about - (swearing to me LACF was different than all the other CF workouts out there). To me CFitters get this addiction (drink the cool-aid) and join the "cult". I have such a negative impression of this workout (especially after watching you-tube videos and reading that NYT article of this insane workout)- BUT I was ready to be open and try it. SO..I went.

 My first clue should have been the extensive waiver (3 pages) that I needed to initial every paragraph on, and sign my life away at the end. I have never seen a more detailed waiver that you could not possibly read and understand in the time given. I mentally prepared myself. They do limit the class to 16 participants (to one instructor) so that is good, I guess.... I was clearly the oldest person in the class (I am a few years older than my friend) and one of 6 woman (excluding Shirley the instructor). The class consisted mostly of young guys wanting to get "buffed" and test their testosterone. The thought in my head at that moment was, "I am so screwed". Still, I was prepared. The class is 50-60 mins and has a specific format (WOD-workout of the day) that ALL classes (every level) do that particular day. The WOD consists of basically 3 to 4 exercises that get repeated over certain time intervals throughout the hour. The first 10 mins is a warm up of either foam rolling or using a small ball to prep a particular body part that will be mostly worked (i.e. Lats). The first exercise which consisted of raising a weighted bar over head (snatch high grip pull?) which I used just the 15 pound bar only (during the actually exercise) was instructed and rehearsed prior with just a light pole. The instructor Shirley was very clear, concise and attentive I do want to mention (I really liked her). The other 2 exercises were tuck jumps (plyometrics) and push ups but not the traditional push ups. You begin lying on the floor pushing yourself up (modification can be on knees) lowering to the floor with arms bent, raising your hands then pushing yourself up again. I'm not sure what these pushups are called because I think it's a "CF" push up (they were new to me). These 3 exercises were repeated to exhaustion in a sectioned timed format with the push up section being counted so everyone has a number to report at the end which gets written on a white board at the end (next to your name) and then a picture of the board is taken and posted on facebook. This congers up the competitive edge within and silently among your CF com-padres. At the end of class we celebrated a class participants birthday by joining in doing the number of burpees of the age he was turning. I think it was 34. I passed on the burpee's - no thank you - celebrate on your own, I'll eat cake. 

I know people LOVE this workout and more power to them. I said to my friend, "just be VERY careful and don't do ANYTHING that would be compromising and lead to injury". I trust her and know she will be smart. While I may not agree with the workout format or choice of exercises (I feel they could lead to serious injury), I did like the instructor - she was NOT intimidating and allowed the participants to do what they felt they could handle (which is NOT like most CF's) where I understand the instructors intimidate participants into doing things like lift heavier weight (overhead) that is way beyond their control. The social aspect and camaraderie is like no other I have ever seen (cult like or not). This socialization keeps people interested and exercising which is what I would rather have than the alternative couch potato with one hand on a remote and the other in a bag of chips.   

NEXT..... I'm going to try Richard Simmons "aerobics" class in Beverly Hills, so let me find my thong leotard, headband and leg warmers and sweat to the oldies! 

Till next time..... 

:) - L

I wish I had more......

TIME
I find myself constantly saying that. Look...it's been since NOVEMBER since my last blogpost and writing is something I really LOVE to do. OK maybe not so much love after all, but it is something I do enjoy. Since that last Nov. post I have been to Tampa to see family, went with Dennis to Tuscany & The Amalfi Coast for 3 weeks and in between all that? Well I worked A LOT in between. Oh! I did recently go see Prince at The Forum, which was a treat since the last 'rock" concert I'd been to was about 12 years ago. Other than that, well....hanging with my "menace", dinners with good friends, hikes, Farmer's Market runs, Book Club dinners and I am sure other things can be added.

This sounds really like what amounts to is a very FULL life. Yet, I always complain I need more time. Why? Why am I not fulfilled with the time I get? I mean isn't 24/7...365 enough?

In all actuality.. It is really...

I believe the key here is TIME management.
I somehow need to carve out having a "second" Sunday on another day.

Maybe, the real key here is - getting away from my time stealer's... There I said it... TIME STEALER'S and we are know what they are...anything that has to do with an online connection. Yes folks they are time stealer's and I need to come clean here and admit that if I spent less time on "FB" and everything else with a connection to the cyber world I would probably have more time that I would know what to with, maybe even a "third" Sunday...

Really what I need is a power outage and to say bye (for now)...
Going to take a nap :)

Thanks for letting me rant...till the next time, if something doesn't STEAL IT!!!

What gives me JOY!

While contemplating what to write about in my blog this morning I could not help but notice how great I feel. Is this JOY? Am I feeling joy(ful)right now? What exactly is making me feel this good and can I hold onto it forever, or at least for a while. So I decided to write about it and put it in the archives.

One thing I definately know that is giving me joy is SUNDAY. This is my favorite day of the week because it is my day to be unscheduled without guilt. This is my guilt free day. Suffice to say, yes I am someone who does possess those unruly feelings that no one wants to have (guilt, worry, anxiety etc....) you know them.... because everyone to some degree has them.

Sunday I give myself guilt free permission to drink COFFEE (which I have for the most part given up caffeine) and I LOVE coffee! Happiness in a cup...love it. I get up early and watch CBS SUNDAY MORNING which to me is the only show worth waking up early to watch (no I don't have DVR or TIVO). Then I go to the farmer's market and get my bounty for the week...YUMMMMM. Today I decided to also blog because it has been about a month since my last post and just because I wanted to.

So today.... Is My JUST BECAUSE I WANT TO DAY and that gives my utter and complete JOY!

For me...what gives me great joy lies in the simplicity of my life, the uncomplicated-"ness" and mere enjoyment of the experience of feeling what is going on inside me at the moment and not missing it because I am too damn busy to notice. I seem to be able to do this on Sunday. I only know one person who can do this everyday and that is my husband. Yes, I can honestly say he really is able to do this everyday, whether he is in Cozumel scuba diving or whether he is home living his "normal" daily life. It is truly enviable and I strive to be more like that. Right now I will take Sunday....

So today "My Joy" is simply:

Waking up when I want
My coffee and CBS Sunday Morning
Farmer's Market
Breakfast with my Mom-in-law (whom I adore)
Listening to KPCC (NPR) while cleaning mi casa (which today I don't mind)
Making guacamole for Book Club tonight
Skyping with my daughter and hopefully Dennis
Watering the trees and enjoying sitting among the Bamboo & Palms in my backyard
Seeing my Book Club buds for laughter, good food, discussion
Wine without the Whine
And whatever else my heart desires
Getting what I hope is a restful full nights sleep

My desire is to extend this to the rest of the six other days of the week, but for now I will take this one day and "simply" relish in "My Joy"....

What gives you Joy?

Ciao for now~

My "INNER" Experience

It is one week now since I returned from the INNER IDEA conference in Palm Desert CA and I am happy to report that what I learned there is still with me. Beyond attending four days of jammed packed informative sessions, being with other "like-minded" individuals, sharing stories and a room with 2 women who were 15-20 years younger than me, I also learned something about myself. I learned that there is always something new to learn. It never ends and that is the beauty of gaining knowledge.

It's been so long since I have attended a conference, mostly because I had the attitude of "what am I going to learn that I don't already know" which is the most arrogant thought. Well...frankly A LOT! It was my own arrogance that was my biggest barrier, because after 30 years in the fitness business I guess I felt entitled to have it. WRONG. This was very hard to admit to myself and (to now write this publicly), but also very important. It's not that I ever really stopped gaining "exercise" knowledge, it is that I gained it through private avenues, watching you-tube videos, educational DVD's, reading magazine articles, books, and other on-line sources. After attending years of conventions, conferences, workshops, seminars I guess I was done with it and needed to learn via other avenues and gave up attending anything that gathered a bunch of "fitness" people together in one place. Well I am so glad I changed my attitude and attended this years Inner IDEA conference.

What drew me in to go to "inner" verses say the "World" Fitness Convention (held the month before in downtown Los Angeles and much more convenient location) was the AHHHHHHH factor. The Inner IDEA conference was formed 5 years ago in an effort to step away from the traditional IDEA mega conventions that normally generate thousands of attendees who come and spend days attending high energy fitness frenzy sessions and milling around the expo taking in all the latest and greatest gadgetry the fitness industry has to offer. Truth be told it gave me a headache even thinking about. When I first started in fitness these types of industry "get together's" were my adrenaline. Now for me, I can tell you those days are way over. So when I first heard about the Inner IDEA conference (which primarily attracts attendees who are teaching yoga, pilates, meditation, nutrition etc..), I thought "now this is something I could attend" and really enjoy. Not wanting to go alone, I recruited another friend/colleague who recruited a couple of others and we registered. I must say another big incentive was the LA Quinta resort and the 500 person limit to attend.

After the almost 3 hour drive to the desert, I began to experience this feeling of calm and utter joy come over me (mostly because I was on vacation) as we drove onto the gorgeous property of the LA Quinta Resort. We checked in to the hotel with ease and then went to register for the conference. Another breeze....no line, 5 minutes tops and if we wanted to change sessions no hassle, just show up to the session you want and if it's full we were able to just stand and observe. Easy schmeezy... love it. We proceeded to go to the room, unpack, decompress and get ready for the first session, which was Creating Reformer Choreography presented by Nora St John who was fabulous. From that moment on, my creative juices (that were on drip) began to flow. I could feel the cogs in my brain turning and I knew, in order to keep this going I needed to be 100% present the entire time so I didn't miss a thing. I now learned lesson - #1) NOTHING ELSE "OUT THERE" is as important as BEING RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW. Being Present is the gift I gave to myself for the entire weekend. That message was reiterated again at the opening ceremony with beautiful words and music, chanting and an inspiring key note address by Brant Secunda (Huichod Shaman and Healer) and Mark Allen (six-time Ironman Tri-Champion) and authors of Fit Soul Fit Body. I turned to my friend Megan and said "I am not opening my lap-top this whole weekend" as I made a silent vow to myself to step away from the outside world. This for me (and you all know what a FB and email addicted junkie I am) was a HUGE progressive step.

Every session I attended I learned many new things, along with being introduced to many of the finest presenters in the world. Scott Josephson, who is from the Hippocrates Health Institute did two brilliant presentations: Women, Metabolism and the Hormone Highway and Search and Explore popular diets. I don't think I ever laughed so hard, nor had more fun than in Lawrence Biscontini's Bosu:Hard Core Peace Core. Who would ever think you could do mindful yoga, pilates, t'ai chi, chi gong and chants on a bosu and SWEAT?
Lawrence was brilliant, and deserved The INNER award he received at the opening ceremony (especially after taking his Moonlight Meditation class and there being more distractions than ever thought possible) and he still managed to keep the entire class centered and focused. Paul Check's "The Last Four Doctors You will Ever Need" completely threw me for a loop when here I was thinking traditional docs and it was metaphorical. Dr Diet, Dr Quiet, Dr Happiness and Dr Movement, "well being is as simple as 1-2-3-4. How true is that statement? Very... Micheal Kings' reformer sequencing brought new light to putting movement together in a beautiful seamless sequence like a dance. Break it down and Build it up by Michael Fritzke took traditional Pilates movement and broke them down down into teachable pieces we could use for own own classes. I could go on and on but I would be remiss if I did not mention the session that stuck with me the most. That would be the last one I took and ended my weekend on such a glorious high note with . Sue Hitzmanns' MELT on Pilates rocked my world.
Can I say I LOVED IT any louder? This woman was not only an amazing, knowledgeable, dynamic presenter but her passion for wanting to heal everyone in the entire world through her technique came through loud and clear. I was so beyond impressed I decided that when her instructor training comes to Los Angeles I will be the first sign up. I have used everything I had learned from that one session since, and my clients, students and patients just melt (literally). I am Melting over this and cannot wait for more.


We (Megan, Emilee & me) ended on a beautiful note leaving Palm Desert, the 117 degree weather and the most wonderful attendees we befriended (especially Susan & Diane yes you guys!) behind, filled to brim with knowledge, purpose and inspiration. I would say this was the best money and time I have ever spent on an educational conference and I am definately going to attend next year. AND.... my industry colleagues who are reading this...you are all invited to share with me this amazing experience.

It's A Full Time JOB to Stay Healthy In This World

It has been several weeks since my last blog, and frankly I just needed a break from feeling like blogging was a job (even writing a blog once a week sometimes feels like pressure). Writing is a passion of mine and I want to keep it that way, so when I am inspired and have something to say, I will. Today I do, and now I write.

I have been feeling like I need a suit of armor (or hazmat) to survive and stay healthy living on this planet. I know that sounds extreme, but lately that's how I feel. Sometimes reading and empowering myself with knowledge may not be such a good thing...I may now be thinking "ignorance is truly bliss." Have you ever noticed that just about everyday something else comes out across the wire that can be harmful to your health?...Egads!!...It is amazing people actually live past birth. Between our air and water being polluted, our food supply being sprayed and genetically modified, personal care products being filled with toxic chemicals penetrating our skin how do we even have a chance? And you think the western medical establishment and BIG PHARMA will help if we succumb to disease? Well think again...because that's a crap shoot as well. Like I have said over and over again, taking responsibility of ones own health is the first (and BEST) defense. Over the past month, I have made several very positive healthful adjustments to my lifestyle (and my husbands...he he) to help promote our best defense and increase "our" vitality.

Way Back in my early twenties (during the stone age), I became a vegetarian which lasted for about 17 years. I was later bamboozled into thinking animal-based protein was the very best source of the so-called highly nutritionally valuable macro-nutrient source, whereby having me start eating meat (poultry actually) once again. I became hooked on meat, and did buy into touting it's nutritional value trying to convince myself of it's worthiness. I did this for fifteen years until I recently decided to become a plant-based/whole grain eater once again, and honestly, it wasn't so difficult. The turning point for me was reading the book The China Study. I have read more books about nutrition, diet...yada yada over the years to realize this book really had me at "you want to know how healthy you are...look at the end of your fork" (also watching FOOD INC about 100 times). The author of this book says throughout "I am a researcher" and indeed he is. Not only is T. Colin Campbell a researcher, he is a very thorough one at that. His list of cited studies and references was the size of a small book. His argument for eating a plant-based, whole grain diet could not be disputed. While he does tout vegan-ism, vegetarianism is the next best thing so that I knew I could do with the intention to go vegan (someday?). Now the tough part was getting my 2 gallon a week milk drinking, cheese eating, carne asada burrito consuming husband to make that shift, and that was a whole other story. I decided to use the old "blood doesn't lie" trick and went straight to the cholesterol and triglyceride (he just had a physical and blood work done) in your face these are your levels.. truth. "You need to get those blood levels down especially now that you're in your fifties" was my rant and I used the book as proof. My husband is a "just the facts ma'am" guy, he wants legitimate cited studies, research, hard core proof...so then I knew I got him because this book has it all. Thanks to T. Colin Campbell and The China Study book, now Dennis is a transformed man (OK on his way to being a transformed man). It's been a week for him now, and I already see the changes and it's great. He may slip in a little meat here and there on the road to being a vegetarian, but I will take it...this is a major milestone.

As far as I go, well this week I ate just about completely vegan and I feel fabulous. I prepared my first all American vegan burger recipe (from my new vegan cookbook), which will be grilled tonight, and eaten along with accompaniments of fresh greens from the FM and (of course) wine (not giving that up). I must say vegan prep has a labor intensive learning curve, but definately worth time put in. I also went through my medicine cabinet, and storage drawers and threw out all the toxic sun screen, cosmetics, and personal care products that did not score above a 3 on http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ which amounted to a few hundred bucks worth. I decided our health and life was worth it. I am now using this website to restock my supply of just about everything which has now turned into another job. I have officially become a product researcher...OY Vey.

In this ever growing toxic world we live I believe the best defense starts at home, making positive changes using reliable, trustworthy resources (as in never believe the FDA) and yes it takes work to find them. And I am happy to pass them to you so you can have another job as well...

OK put on your HAZMAT suit and go out and enjoy the world!!!!

See you next time....

yours in Good Health ~ L

MOM a beautiful 3 letter word

Turns out Mother's day is really like every other day with the exception of everyone wishing you a "Happy Mother's Day". My daughter called at 7:04AM to wish me a Happy Mother's Day knowing I would be awake watching CBS Sunday Morning (she's 3 hours ahead or she would NEVER call that early) and felt her obligation was done. I appreciated the call with gratitude and asked her if we could Skype later on as I needed to get a few more sips of coffee in me to be able to speak any more words. She said "no problem I'll call you when i am in front of my computer", then we said our I love you's and hung up. My next call was to my mom who always seems so surprised to hear from me when I call. Weird... especially being that it is Mother's day. My husband wished me a Happy Mother's Day and asked me what I wanted (meaning a gift of some sort) and I replied "I don't want anything but you can clean the house". I couldn't have been more serious. We proceeded to go about our normal Sunday, going to the farmer's market for our weekly bounty and then getting ready for his mom and brother coming for dinner which has now added more work for me on my 24 hour vacation day and mother's day holiday. Woop-tee-do..... I had mentioned to my husband that it was his mom coming for dinner and that since it is mothers day he should make dinner. He turned on the grill and asked when he should put the meat on to cook. That was his contribution. Well not entirely, he did clean the bathroom. Woop-tee-do. I spent most of the day shopping for food, dusting, stripping beds, preparing dinner, cleaning the kitchen and it's 15 minutes before Desperate Housewives and I haven't even showered yet. Yep, this is like every other day with the exception of a bunch of Happy Mother's Day wishes, flowers from my mother in law and more work than I would normally do on a sacred Sunday.

Time for a shower...then I am crawling into bed, turning the TV on and shutting the bedroom door and enjoying what is left of my Happy Mother's Day....

Till the next time...

Ciao~ L