Laughter & The Plague a.k.a. Beauty & The Beast

   Well, I am glad to be back after being plagued with a nasty head/sinus cold that had me bedridden for days and out of commission for a couple of weeks!  A special thanks to Carla, the 'Soup Goddess' who provided and nurtured me with a variety of her homemade soups throughout!  The first weekend, I took a small reprieve on the Sunday morning to volunteer at a joint fundraising venture put on by Rotary Club of Burlington North and Breast Cancer Support Services.  It was 1 Million Steps for Breast Cancer Awareness.  I was working the Registration Table when all of a sudden the whole mall seemed to break into hysterics!  Hysterics of laughter that is!  Ever heard of Laughter Yoga?  There were a couple of Laughter Yoga instructors imparting their wisdom and laughter to all the walkers.  I seemed to recall reading that Gretchen Rubin mentioned it in her book "The Happiness Project".  Weird.  But true.  There really is such a thing!
    

"For my next experiment, I decided to try laughter yoga.  Founded by an Indian doctor, this combination of yoga and laughter has spread rapidly around the world, and I kept running into references to it as a happiness-inducing activity.  Laughter yoga combines clapping, chanting, breathing, and stretching exercises drawn from yoga to calm the mind and the body, and the simulated laughter provoked by the exercises often turns into real laughter." 

Gretchen attended a class but found it wasn't for her and did not return.  Now, I'm not so coordinated that regular yoga moves come easily to me, and to add laughter amidst that would likely find me rolling on the floor laughing at my own inability - which I'm sure I can just as easily assume in the comfort of my own home!  That being said, laughter does have its benefits to be sure, and it's worth finding ways to elicit laughter, even if directed at oneself!  After all, laughter is infectious!  And what better Colin Firth film to watch in correlation to the subject of laughter than "Nanny McPhee"!  The antics that the children of Cedric Brown (Colin Firth) perform so aptly in their plight to rid a succession of nannies is comical and clever.  I enjoyed watching this movie again with my kids!  I still remember the day I saw it in the theatre with Matthew when it was released in 2006.  He came home and drew a picture of us sitting in the theatre watching it.  Here's a photo of the picture.  We are in the very front row and he is sitting on my lap holding his bucket of popcorn.  You can see his rendition of Nanny McPhee on the screen!  Sadly, Colin's character wasn't as profound in his little eyes as he wasn't included!).

"The person you need is Nanny McPhee".  This movie could be classified as parental fantasy!  I mean, what parent doesn't at times wish a "Nanny McPhee" would whisk into their life and work wonders with their children.  Teach them manners, to do as they are told, and respect their elders.  Hell, I know I would have graciously welcomed a "Nanny McPhee" if only to tackle potty training!  When Nanny McPhee reveals to the Brown children, "When you need me but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, then I have to go. It's rather sad, really, but there it is." , I felt this summed up the process of parenthood rather poignantly.  When your children are young they need you and as they become teenagers they want to distant themselves from you somewhat in preparation for 'leaving the nest'.  Once they reach adulthood and move onto post secondary education and careers, they still need you, but in a different way.  They are able to provide the basic necessities themselves (food, water, shelter etc.).  Thinking of Matthew heading off to high school next year makes this all too evident to me and I'm saddened that he's growing up so fast - but at the same time excited as he gradually reveals the man he will become.  And of course, there has been plenty of laughter along the way and I know there will be more to look forward to!

   Speaking of things to look forward to, I'm hoping we've finally seen the last of the snow and can start enjoying the outdoors more again!  Although I was sick for a couple of weeks, I still managed to get to Curves 3 times a week!  It was evident that I was lacking energy as the computer showed my residual energy as high as 61 (not sure what units this is in but that's the number).  Yesterday, I was happy to see that I completed the workout without any residual energy, so I must be on the mend!  Furthermore, I did indeed get my weight back down to 138 lbs.  Not only that, last week I weighed in at 137.5 lbs and yesterday I weighed in at 137.25 - that's less than half way to my next incentive (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)!  I also had my monthly measurements done and lost 3" overall from bust, waist, abdomen, hip and arms!  Last week, three different ladies told me they noticed I'd lost weight and asked how I did it.  I told them about the Colin Firth Diet Club and the culmination of what that entailed.  I left that day elated and on a Colin Firth Diet Club high!  I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to lose the next couple of pounds and earn my next movie before we leave on our Mediterranean cruise next month - in which case, I will proudly don the bright green bikini I recently bought!

   My culinary adventures over the past couple of weeks were on the lean side as I let others cook for me while I rested, but there are two new recipes I tried.  The first was Creamy Butternut Tagliatelle taken from the March 2012 issue of Chatelaine.  This tasty dish with butternut squash was paired with salmon and a spinach salad.



Last night for dinner I made Cantonese Lemon Chicken, a recipe I discovered in the Spring 2013 edition of Food & Drink magazine while visiting my in-laws on Easter.  Let me tell you - this dish is like meal and dessert all in one!  The chicken was tender and coated in my new staple - panko crumbs, and topped with a lemon sauce redolent of lemon pie!!  I will most definitely be recreating this one!  My mouth is watering in anticipation of it!

   More good news to report!  Yesterday I tested my blood pressure while at the grocery store.  I took five successive readings which were 136/83, 125/78, 129/77, 126/70, and 123/86.  Check out those diastolic numbers!!!  Nurse Judy would be so proud, as am I!  Guess that extra water I've been drinking has really done the trick!

Today the sun was shining brightly and invigorating my inner soul.  With all this good news - the pounds lost, inches gone, blood pressure optimal, I felt ready to try on that pile of pants hidden in the closet from thinner days.  They fit again!  Well, four of them do, I've still a little ways to go to fit into the other two again - but this is great news!!!  I was beginning to think "There'll be snow in August" before I'd be able to fit into those pants again!  Not to mention don a bikini!  Mark my words, that when I am down to 135 lbs I will purge my larger fitting clothes!  I'm glad I saved these old pants - a) because it means I don't have to go shopping for news ones (wait, that's a catch 22!  I save some $$ but deprive myself of shopping?) and b) it's very rewarding to find you can wear something you've been too fat to fit into for years and years!  I'm finding my thinner self in here somewhere finally!  And I feel great!

Till next time, remember to have a good laugh, watch Nanny McPhee and "Beehive".