Hump Day Distractions

Awwww.

Today is Wednesday. Today is Hump Day. Lordy get me over that hump!!

* HOLY inspiration, every one of these smart, beautiful, powerful mamas.

* You should really read what this sleep doctor has to say.

* For my fellow Game of Thrones geeks. Amazeballs.

* Where to buy cheap art.

* And while I'm getting my inner geek on, want to see how much thought went into the NYC subway signage?!

* Just purchased. Will let you know if I'm able to get my pinup on this summer.

* An absolutely adorable denim apron (because who says the chef can't look chic!?) (via exPress-o)

* Holy crap that's cool.

* Don't worry, THIS sweet pair is still lovingly snoozin the days away together.

Healthy Habit of the Month VII.

The forgotten healthy habit.

This post is the seventh installment of SeektobeMerry's "Healthy Habit of the Month" series. Sourced from my bff's at Weight Watchers, online articles and my own efforts to keep fit and trim, throughout 2013, I will attempt to integrate one new healthy habit into my life each month. Join me!

Hello my fellow health-minded friends! How are we doing this month!? Like everything else in life, I'm finding that some days I juggle my healthy habits much better than others. "One perfect week" went really well for me (even if it would be more accurately titled "one super-close-but-not-quite-perfect week") and I never miss my scheduled weekly workout, but I'd be lying if I said my accountability buddy and I are still in touch and too many breakfasts have been sans a piece of fruit. It's a work in progress. For this month, I decided to venture a little outside the standard healthy habit line of thinking and focus on a part of our daily routine that all too often gets sacrificed for just about everything else...

Healthy Habit of the Month #7: Sleep on it.
When people think about good health, diet and exercise are usually their primary focus, but research shows that getting enough sleep is just as important to our overall wellbeing. Not only does getting enough sleep actually help us maintain a healthy weight,  but it's been linked to our mood and memory as well as serious biznaz like cardiovascular health and fighting cancer (read more HERE). The problem is (as we all know) sh*t happens. Stuck at work, out with friends, up with the baby, an AMAZING tv show... everything seems to get in the way of a good night's sleep. So what can we realistically do about it? How about for this month we all pick 1 day per week where we establish a bedtime and get our recommended 8 hours? Just like scheduling a workout, why not schedule your sleep? Because though we may not be able to reach our sleep goal every night, once a week seems do-able and our bodies will no doubt benefit from the guaranteed rest. Good luck and sweet dreams! (and for some "good sleep" tips, click HERE, HERE and HERE.)

Check out past "Healthy Habit of the Month" posts here: 

- Month 1: Adding a fruit or vegetable to every meal

- Month 2: Schedule a workout
- Month 3: Find an accountability buddy

- Month 4: Keep track (of your movement)

- Month 5: Challenge yourself

- Month 6: 1 Perfect Week

A Manhattan Moment... tales from 4:45am

Damn you hooligans!!

Last night, as Dr. H and I were peacefully attempting to sleep off our first-day-back-from-vaca exhaustion, we were startled awake around 4:45am by a thunderous crash. "What the hell!?" he says. "This can't be for real" I reply. Already accustomed to the occasional garbage truck or screaming college coed late at night, we knew this was something new... and ongoing... and f'ing loud. We clicked on the sound machine and I popped in my ear plugs. Reverse beeping, asphalt dumping. Now I'm out of bed, opening up the terrace door, observing in horror a full-fledged construction scene four stories below. I'm pissed. Hell hath no fury like a woman woken from deep slumber (and who is now stuck in bed with a tossing and turning husband). I needed to take action. I needed to complain!!

As I spelled out my street address to the lady on the other end of my 311 call (who sounded exactly the way you'd expect someone working the pre-dawn shift at 311 to sound...) I thought to myself "holy crap, I am that crazy lady!" I'm that lady calling to lodge a complaint, demanding an explanation, snapping pictures with my cell phone and mentally drafting a heated letter "to the authorities" while I attempt not to foam at the mouth. I think this makes it official folks, I'm old.

The Staycation (part i. of ii.)

Stay home.

This past weekend Dr. H and I spent 5 consecutive days off from work and at home. Abandoning our usual hustle, bustle and urge to travel for catching up on sleep, saving money and relaxing, this was the longest "Staycation" of our relationship. Manhattan is quiet and romantic during Christmas, so we were able to enjoy our city, our home and one another's uninterrupted company for days on end (we still like each other!) Since "getting away" by staying home was new to me, I thought it might be fun to share some of the things that I think made our Staycation a success... Tomorrow I'll cover our eats and activities, but today, here are some Merry Meri tested and Dr. H approved Staycation tips:

(1) Clean up!

The first day we both had off we (I!?) made cleaning up a priority. I wanted to tackle the dust bunnies, piles and nagging list of household chores right off the bat so that they wouldn't be hanging over our (my!?) head the entire time we were home. Plus, it's awesome to be home when your place feels tidy and smells fresh, so take an hour or two and straighten up, then kick back and enjoy.

(2) Workout

Dr. H and I did an impressive amount of eating, drinking and lounging over the long weekend, so working out was a must. We seized our quieter-than-usual city and schedules to go to a SoulCycle that's often hard to get into and used each other as motivation to actually get on the bike. The workout allowed us to spend countless hours on the couch with very little guilt.

(3) Split up

I think part of what made our Staycation such a success was that we didn't feel obligated to stay together the entire time. We ran some of our own errands and didn't hesitate to fly solo for personal favorite activities (mani/pedi for her, uninterrupted couch lounging for him?). Just like solo time for independent interests on travelling vacations, make sure you and your bud don't feel obligated to spend every waking minute together.

(4) Sleep (late and often)

Dr. H and I are excellent sleepers - we can still sleep well into the morning (and perhaps I saw the clock strike noon while still in bed one day?!) Unlike a vacation, staycationing relieves you of any "see it now or never" pressure (there's always, tomorrow, or next month, or next year!) so seize the luxury of excessive sleeping. 

(5) Go for walks

No destination in mind, just go for a stroll. Dr. H and I took full advantage of the empty sidewalks, meandering down streets we usually skip and enjoying the fresh air. Strolling like a tourist in our own town allowed us to notice things we usually rush past and enjoy just being in a place we love.

(6) Do  things you've been meaning to do...

We started watching Game of Thrones, busted out our new Would You Rather game and painted a chalkboard wall (it's AWESOME). Waking up without a plan for several consecutive days gave us time to think of all the things we've been wanting to do at home and actually DO them!

Sweet dreams (eventually).

How about we start at EAT & skip to SLEEP TIME?
ps- "pyjamas"?

How long does it take you to get ready for bed at night? If I want my head to hit the pillow at the same time as Dr. H, I need at least a ten minute head start... There's teeth brushing and face washing, contact removing, moisturizer applying and medicine taking, also one final pee, apartment door locking and last but not least, night time hair styling (usually a high bun or pony to ensure maximum morning hair glamour). It's my routine and I can't see how to remove a single step. Even on my most exhausted (or lazy or boozy) nights, I never ever climb into bed without at least a clean face and minty mouth. Dr. H on the other hand can make it from couch to comatose in about 3-minutes flat. I envy his no fuss existence.

And the worst part of it is that sometimes I stay up too late, lingering on the couch in front of the television, out of sheer apathy for my own routine! I think "ooooh it's so annoying to get ready for bed, I'll just put it off for a few minutes longer..." (because contact lens removal is that difficult?) Is it insanity that I'm so routinized that I can't even go to sleep without checking things off a to-do list or are my steps truly essential!? Maybe someday we'll have a magical way to be cleaned and primped and bed-ready in seconds, but until then, I'll see you in my dreams (eventually:)

Hump Day Distractions

Do not surrender! We're halfway there!!

Welcome to Wednesday my merry friends! It's all kinds of toasty here in NYC so I suggest we turn up the AC and hump this week out together.

* Pluto hasn't been a planet in over five years (and other things that will make you feel OLD!)
* Obviously I taste as I go (who doesn't do that!?) but I'm making a ton of these common cooking mistakes... until now!

* Dog vs. Bubble

* A great read about the relationships we form with our Nannies (of the caregiver, not grandmother variety)

* "I think it's a book about a haunted theme park and it stars a magical magic guy and he's good and evil and he's trying to get rid of the ghosts" - a 6 year old's guess as to the plot of The Great Gatsby based on the cover art.

* Take me to the dollar store, I have dishes to make! (Has anyone ever tried this? Does it really work!?)

* Looking for fifteen friends to take a bike ride in Des Moines, Iowa with me. (via IowaGirlEats)

* When it's time to sleep, it's time to sleep (doggy style).

Go ahead, stay the night.

Do you think the Pink Ladies stopped having slumber parties
when they left Rydell High behind?

Grown ups need to have more sleepovers. I've given this a lot of thought and I see no reason why adults don't have more slumber parties. As children, all the coolest parties are sleepovers, college is basically four years of continuous sleepovers and then suddenly, just because we all have the option of "going home at the end of the night" we stop acting like extending our good time late into the night and on to tomorrow isn't totally awesome!

Now, is your friend's futon, pullout couch or air mattress as cozy as your own bed? Not a chance, but there's something irreplaceable about late night antics, snuggled up chats in sweatpants and sharing a lazy breakfast. More than the obvious bonuses (go ahead and have another drink; don't bother with a hotel) I think that sometimes the best time with friends is just "being" with friends. No planning, hosting or activities, just being together for no reason other than that being together makes you happy.

So next time you and your crew are hanging out on a Saturday night, don't call it quits and head for your house, pack up your pillow and toothbrush and offer to bring bagels for the next morning.

Ed. Note: I recognize that seeing "no reason" why adults don't have more slumber parties is a bit of an overstatement (especially for those of you with kiddos!), but sometimes tossing reason(s) aside is good for the soul:)

Bigger is Better?

I'm feeling sleepy...

What size bed do you have? Dr. H and I are queen sleepers, but we've spent the past 5 nights in a hotel sleeping like kings (literally) and I must admit... it's been pretty great. Gone are the battles over tucked (me) vs. sloppy (him) covers and random bent elbows (his) and knees (mine) have not inflicted any pain. On the flip side however, the king bed has allowed me so much space every night that it's almost like I'm sleeping alone! There's no snuggling, no spooning, no contact of any kind!

Dr. H contends that king beds, though glamorous and very comfortable are bad for business because you're just too far apart from one another (note: he's not the one taking elbows to the eye) but I'm not convinced... bed-mate bliss might be well rested spouses snoozing in peace on their own side of the mattress! Do you think it's better to be cozy in a queen or living large in a king?

Stow aways from San Diego 

PS: Today at Sea World Dr. H won Pedro, a sa-weet penguin by tossing a softball into a milk pot (it was amazing). Wish us luck getting home!

You look tired.

We've all been there little buddy!

"You look tired" = the worst social chit chat line ever invented. Seriously! Is there anything more rotten than having someone say this to you!? When someone says "you look tired", there are two possibilities, either a) you are exhausted and now must face the rest of the day knowing you look as crap-tastic as you feel, or b) you're actually feeling quite bright-eyed and bushy tailed, but for some reason you apparently look like you're about to pass out. Awesome.

What are we hoping to accomplish by saying "you look tired" to one another?! Are we  really so strapped for conversation that we have to remark about one another's bleary eyes and dark circles!? Maybe if someone saying you look tired meant you got to go take a nap, it would make more sense, but last I checked, no one was pulling out the futon for me! Truth is, most of us are tired and we're doing everything we can (caffeine, concealer, hitting snooze just one more time!) to hide it. So here and now I vow to eliminate "you look tired" from my vocabulary and I hope you'll join me in my jargon crusade. Next week maybe we'll move on to "so how about this weather we're having!?"