On Recovery Road

I'm maybe eighty-five percent?

Hiya, Friends!  Well, ya know, yesterday, I was sick, and I was also, the day before.  What great luck, to be sick on a Fridee and Saturdee. 

It wasn't all bad, yesterday, though.  I drank so much orange juice I swear I'm givin' off a golden-orange glow now.  I discovered the joys of ginger ale.  Oh, that stuff's good!  It isn't good to drink out of a sippy cup, though.  That got me squirted in the eye with errant ginger ale.  But it's okay.  I drink it from my Hello Kitty mug and feel fancy while I fight for my optimal health.

We watched the Polar Express.  I think we've pretty much watched that movie every Christmas for my whole life, and I know it isn't the first time Mommy's seen it, but darned if she doesn't bawl all the way through it, every time.

And you know what?  Mr. Noodle's brother Mister Noodle is in the Polar Express.  He played both the engineer and the engineer's helper and the whole movie is dedicated to him, on account of it was the last movie he was in before he died.  Finding out Mr. Noodle's brother Mister Noodle passed away all that time ago made me feel sad, but I get to see him on Sesame Streets that still have Elmo's World on 'em, and also in the Polar Express, so I think the actor Michael Jeter left a really nice legacy for Little Kids like me. 

After that, I got to eat some spinach with salt and vinegar on it, which is my favorite.

Friends, I'm gonna beat this darned cold.  If you're fighting a cold, too, we're in the fight together, Big People.  Lotsa liquids, as much rest as you can get.  Some good movies.  That's my prescription. 

I love ya, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Sick Days Are Not Quick Days

Germs stink, Big People!

Hiya, Big People.  As you read my web log posting today, please know that I am suffering from a cold. 

I am not happy about this, no matter how hard I tried to find a way to be happy about this.  My forehead hurts.  My nose is stuffy.  I'm hungry, I think, but I don't wanna eat. 

I don't like Mommy and Daddy poking and prodding at me and trying to look in my throat.  My throat is my business, and I don't like it being violated by Big People eyes.

I'm tired, but I don't wanna go to sleep and miss something. 

Friends, I realize that Big People and other little kids get colds all the time.  I've had a cold or two in my day, as well, but normally, I enjoy a robust immune system.  So this minor interruption in my health just upheaves my world, my very sense of Who I Am, which would be a little girl who doesn't catch colds.

Anyways, Friends, I'm gonna go enjoy some extra fluids and tolerate some extra rest.  As Daniel Tiger says, "When you're sick, rest is best... REST IS BEST!!!"  So that's what I'm gonna do.  You just can't argue with a little tiger in a red cardigan, Friends.

I love ya lots, Big People, and I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!  (An air-kiss from a distance- I don't wantchyoo gettin' this!)

Happy No Matter What!

Even on the rainiest day, I find the sunny side!

Hiya, Friends!  Hey, you know what?  I'm a pretty happy little gal.  It's something I really pride myself on being.  Happy.  I love the Pharrell Williams song, I love the Clinique perfume, I love the feeling.  All Happy.

Happy is kind of a choice to make, Friends.  Some days, you can try and try and try, and still not be really HAPPY!!!  But you CAN try to find the bright sides to things.  That's what I hafta do, myself, but it's gotten really easy for me.

Well, ya know, earlier this week, I was workin' my muscles, and even though anatomical know-it-alls would tell ya different, as a happiness specialist, you listen to me when I say that bein' happy is like a muscle.  You can work on it, practice using it, and make it stronger.  You can make it more automatic.

It feels a little weird at first, workin' on your happy like it's a muscle, but the more you work and practice, the easier and more natural bein' happy will start to feel.

Pretty soon, you'll be like me.  Happy in just about any situation or under any circumstance!  How about that?!

Hey, Big People!  I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow, mmmkay?!  Muah!

My Little Yellow Dump Truck

Harvert and I have some serious work to do!

Hiya, Big People! 

Well, I've kicked my holiday preparations into high-gear.  That's why I'm bringing out the heavy equipment.  Nothing helps me truck things from one spot to another and dump out those things like my Yellow Dump Truck.

I love my Yellow Dump Truck, because it's so useful, and also because it looks like the PennDOT trucks I see going around the roads at my house.  My Yellow Dump Truck doesn't have a snowplow on the front of it like the PennDOT trucks do, but it's still cool and super-useful!  And it has a little guy in it that drives!  His name is Harvert. 

Yeah, it's a unique name, I know.  But back when Harvert was just born and his folks were tryin' to figure out what his name oughtta be, his mommy wanted to name him Harvey, and his daddy wanted to name him Robert, so they compromised and came up with Harvert.

People often think it's a misspelling of 'Harvest,' and they think that's an odd name for a dump truck driver, but then Harvert tells 'em the story behind his name, and they think that's pretty odd, too. But Harvert's a really nice fella, so people can get past the odd name.

Plus, if they're like me, they call him 'Harv.'  That's an ambiguous nickname, as it can work for Harvert as well as for Harvey, so nobody hasta be any the wiser!

Well, Friends!  Harv and I have lotsa work to do, so I'd better go!  I love ya lots!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

It Makes Ya Stronger!

Straight-arm medial delt raises are killer! But they make me stronger!

Hiya, Friends!  Well, I'm still exercisin'.  It really is a hobby of mine.  A passion, if you will. 

It's because it makes me feel empowered.  I am a little kid who likes to be in control, and when I'm exercisin', I am in control of those weights.  You bet I am! 

And, I get to listen to cool tunes while I exercise.  I try to keep things up-tempo, on account of how I like to use the music to count out how long to hold a repetition.  Could you imagine holding a straight-arm medial delt raise for an eight-count while listening to a slow-dance song?  I mean, sure.  Your muscles get stronger by being under tension longer, but there comes a point where you gotta just come down and start your next repetition, you know?

And.  I always smile when I'm exercising.  It makes things seem a little easier.  I smile, even if my smile looks more like a grimace or a gritting of my teeth.  Sometimes, I've gotta fake the smile until I make the smile, but in the end, I can give myself a great big pat on the back for exercising.

I love ya lots, Big People!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!

Muscle Mania

My Little Pink Weights remind me to have Girl Power!  Roar!

Hiya, Big People! 

Well, ya know, I've always been kind of a Strong Little Kid, but that doesn't "just happen." I mean, some of it "just happens," but mostly, I have to work really hard to be strong.

I hafta eat right.  I hafta get enough sleep.  But most of all, I hafta exercise.

I know exercise can be a drag, Big People.  It's never been a drag to me, but I understand other people think it's a drag.  The trick to it all is findin' something you love to do.

Me?  I love liftin' weights with my Little Pink Weights.  I have one for each hand.  I can do all kindsa exercises with 'em.  I can do biceps curls, triceps kickbacks, double-arm rows, dead-lifts, and shoulder presses.  And that's the beginning of all the things I can do with my Little Pink Weights!  They're a versatile workout tool!

So anyways, Friends, exercisin' doesn't hafta be a drag for you.  You just need to find something you think is really fun!  And exercisin' is so good for you, and so good for your heart!  How about that?!

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll be seein' ya tomorrow!  Muah!

This. Is. Awesome!

Christmas is twenty-four days away!  That's two-dozen!

Hiya, Friends!  Well, it's a new week, a new month, AND it's the Christmas season!  I can't begin to tell ya how whipped up I am about all this awesomeness!  I can't!

I have big plans for some big fun this month, Friends.  And I want you go come along with me.  It's already gonna be cold outside.  Christmas is already on its way.  It's December.  Ya might just as well be happy about it.

If you're havin' trouble gettin' non-miserable about all of it, just get yourself a nice hot beverage.  Bring a fuzzy blanket to wrap up in while you sit at your desk.  Maybe spritz some Christmassy room spray around your immediate vicinity.  Or maybe not, if you or a coworker is allergic or sensitive to that sort of thing.  Umm.... maybe bring in some fresh-baked sugar cookies?

Or there's always donuts in the conference room.  That always puts me in a good mood, Big People.  I bet it'll work that way for you, too. 

I love ya lots, and I'll see ya tomorrow, right back here!  Get excited!  Muah!