Category: Really Arb stuff

Gym bunnies

In a bid to deal with our son’s low muscle tone I suggested we go for personal training at the gym and promptly bought one of those PT packages. It would a great Mother-Son bonding thing to do, I thought. It would be fun, I thought. 

If you know me at all you’ll how much I hate going to the gym. I am the most UN-gym-type person you’ll ever meet. My idea of gym is leopard-crawling in at 5am and making a beeline for the treadmill where I spend 40 min doing a brisk walk, avoiding eye contact with everyone and people-watching from the bubble of my treadmill.*

This personal trainer thing is so far out of my comfort zone it’s like a whole other universe. 

But, I thought, he will probably work more with Daniel and I can do my usual slinking-to-the-treadmill-thing. 

Not so much. This guy clearly likes a challenge. I did unspeakable things like crunches, lunges and push-ups this morning. And star-jumps. Star-jumps people! I haven’t done those since I was 10 years old. I may or may not have look shocked and outraged when he demanded suggested them at first. He may or may not have crossed his arms and stared me down a little. I’m usually a very difficult person to stare down, but I zipped my lip and star-jumped like a boss. 

He, very successfully, managed to juggle my personal torture training very well with keeping my son engaged and sweating and laughing. He didn’t complain ONCE. 

I’m going to be so sore tomorrow, but it was fun. I might get used to this. I may even grow to love it. 

Goes to show, you’re never too old to become a gym-bunny, nê?

*I mostly stare at the Lycra-clad women with faces fully made up and perfectly blow-dried hair. Who even bothers with make-up and hair at that ridiculous hour?

Me Time

I had booked a half-day’s leave for today ages ago as it was meant to be Daniel’s birthday party tomorrow, which we decided to postpone until next week. (Long weekend, too many people away, weather bad for what we have planned blah blah blah)

I usually take time off before parties in order to prepare and bake the shit out of many, many things, but this year he wanted some fancy schmancy TMNT cake off Pinterest* after which, watching a YouTube tutorial on how to make Michaelangelo’s head, I promptly called a local cake lady. I know my own limits. 

This meant I had an entire afternoon TO MYSELF. This is unheard of. I considered canceling the leave for about a nanosecond, but the thought of a little time to myself was just too appealing. 

 So, I made an appointment at the hairdresser and took myself off to lunch and shopping in Tygervalley. 

I did attempt feeling guilty about my children sitting at Aftercare whilst I was flitting around a shopping mall and sitting at a hairdresser for 2.5 hrs, but the strangest thing happened: there was no guilt. I loved every minute of it. 

Whilst living in the UK in the 90’s (cough splutter, 20 years ago!) I used to love doing things on my own. Going to the library in Kensington High Street, buying Pret pastries and eating them, still steaming, on the Tube platform on the way home. I worked strange hours (as you do in hotels) and hardly saw my flat mates. Those were good times.

There’s hardly any alone time these days between work and home, and I wouldn’t exchange my life now for anything, but today was cool. 

I might try it again sometime. Soon.

* note to self: keep kids off Pinterest