Usually I'm the type of girl to buy a box of hair color and have a girlfriend over to chat, drink wine and apply the potion to my head. (Maybe we should drink wine AFTER the potion is applied?) But I've opted to have a professional color my hair tomorrow. Why? Because she gave me a coupon for a free cut & style with any chemical service.

But I've realized that it has been nearly a month since I've seen my two best friends. We used to get together once a week to exercise. But then one of them went out of town, then the other one went out of town as soon as she got back and then when they were both home I went and got a full-time job! So....needless to say, we've sort of lost touch.

So how am I supposed to gain balance in my life if I don't have any girlfriends to vent to? How am I supposed to keep my body in shape and keep my sanity if I don't exercise?


Well, I started reading. My dear friend from California sent me a gift card so I purchased several books with it. The latest I've read is by James Patterson, Sundays at Tiffany's. It was absolutely brilliant. I laughed. I cried. I was shocked at the end. It was wonderful and I would LOVE to star in the movie version!

So, what I would like to do is give away a few of these "escape from reality" gems to the ladies who read this blog! Here's how it will work:
1. Tell me what you do to find a little bit of balance in your life.
2. Tell me who you admire and wish to be more like...and why. (It can be anyone.)
3. Share my blog with one person - have them leave me a comment.

That's it! I'll give a book away to the first five people who respond!

In the end...it's balance or bust!

“What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.”

Henri Matisse

I'm going to attempt to break down the pros & cons of each "character" or "player" that I experienced today. This is going to be tough...but we'll see how it goes.


Mommy                                                              

• Cute moment with Diego today...he said he loves me and is proud of me.
• Got furious with the boys when they interrupted me on the phone...kinda blew a gasket.
• Spent some quality time outside in the cool, Spring air. We played racecars!
• Snuggled with my twins...so soft and squishy!
• Missed the boys after being gone three hours.

Saleswoman

• Saved some wonderful women mucho money and gave them options to draw more customers.
• Had to compete with HORRIBLE schedule conflicts with hubby and babysitter. Very stressful.
• Got to do some pre-shopping for the big Saturday event at Peter's Path!
• Worked way harder and longer on one sale than I anticipated...let the babysitter down by being late.
• Truly enjoyed being in the field, helping small businesses save money.
• Liked interacting with other adults.

I don't exactly know where that leaves the score...I was also a wife today...not a very good one with my pouting and fussing about stuff. Ergh. It was a good day and a bad day for both characters. I thought breaking it down might help me to determine where the lack of balance is. I'll have to try harder, sleep on it and recap tomorrow night and see if there are any recurring themes. 


That should work, right?


Balance baby! (or Bust.)

I'd have to say that I'm generally NOT an easily addicted person...but I've found that shopping is an addiction. So is the television show Bones. And, to be grossly honest, during the Christmas season, I was quite addicted to Coquito. (If you have never tried it, be very, VERY careful...it is decadent, loaded with rum and goes down smooth!)

In my past (pre-Mommy) life, I was not addicted to anything. I greatly enjoyed a lot of things like surfing, running, weight-lifting...kicking the guys' asses that couldn't keep up with me on company runs!!! OORAH!

*ahem*

I enjoyed motorcycle riding, road trips...you know, lots of stuff that I will not do again until my three sons are teenagers or moved out! (At least there is hope!)

Which got me to thinking: why am I so addicted to shopping and Bones? Well, the obvious reason for any shopping addiction is the instant gratification one gets from snagging an on-trend pair of pumps or a stunning new blouse that SCREAMS LOVE ME, TAKE ME HOME! Bagging a beautiful, one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry is an absolutely orgasmic experience and getting a great deal on a wardrobe staple...like the AWESOME black trench I got ($350 price tag - snagged it for $30.) Heaven? Well, for me, that's as close as it comes!

As for my addiction to Bones, I guess it's because the main characters are sort of versions of me...I'm like Dr. Brennan (but shy a few IQ points) in that I am pretty fairly independent, value intelligent conversation and can sometimes be a bit cold. (True confession, don't judge.) I'm like Booth (without the penis and mucho HOT, rippling muscles) in that I'm a people person and totally enjoy connecting and having an emotional response to every moment I experience. 

The polarity between the characters is dramatic...yet you can see through watching the series that they compliment each other perfectly. Maybe this whole mommy vs me thing is just another dramatic polarity thing. Opposites attract or whatever...

Anyway, here's to finding Balance...or Bust!

Okay, received a little bit of static today from the hubby. It isn't really his fault, but his reaction could have been a little more positive.


Ad libitum is Latin for at one's pleasure. Wikipedia also states: "It is a common misconception that "ad lib" stands for "adding liberally". 


In my apparent mis-education, I thought that ad lib meant adding liberally. Glad I looked it up. I suppose both definitions, correct or not, pretty much describe my situation. Anyway, the reason I titled the post the way I did was because I took a big step this past week:


I got a j-o-b. 


Besides my work-from-home gig, which I currently only do between 9-12 at night anyway, I got a B2B sales job. I'm working with small- to medium-sized businesses which is right up my alley, I hate large corporate department stores (Walmart sucks!) Anyway, the hubby and I discussed and figured, one sale per week would cover the baby-sitter and add a bit of play money into our budget. So, if I sell more, we'll just be even more comfortable than we currently are.


Today was my first day on the job. Without getting into details, I didn't make a sale and had to rush to pick Diego up from school because Tony didn't have a car seat. Oops, minor detail. Well, he cancelled the babysitter so I had to cancel my two appointments this afternoon. And so this is my break-down of the situation at hand:


1. He's frustrated because I didn't make any money today. I'm frustrated because of his obvious lack of faith. 2. He was upset that he had to watch the twins. I was upset because he cancelled the babysitter so I lost several more chances at making a sale.
3. He obviously has reservations about me being anything other than Mommy. I obviously have ambitions beyond raising fine young boys.


Ergh.


Anyway, I don't know why I did this to myself. I knew he would be, well, disagreeable: But to be so pessimistic right out of the gate!?!?!?!?!? Well, that was just uncalled for. But to see it from his point of view, I'm probably being selfish and inconsiderate. 


So, on top of every other character I'm playing during this act in my life...I've added another character. Does this make me a more well-rounded actress or just add a TON of confusion? We'll see in the coming weeks.


Here's to Balance...or Bust!