I’m in the dentist’s office waiting on my hubby (one-car living means sharing things like dental visits), so I thought I’d use this time to give a quick update on my five-minute challenges.

The paper trail. My house is overrun with paper. Drawings, months-old homework and junk mail multiply like weeds. I have a stack in my kitchen, and there is a laundry basket full in my guest room. (The room is also known as Bev’s room, although my friend has yet to stay there). Last week, I dedicated a few minutes each day to taming the mighty beast. I handled the top of the TV stand and a side table in no time, but the dreaded monsters in my kitchen and ironing room (I mean, Bev’s room) are more than my five minutes can handle. But I haven’t given up.

Exercise. I know this one is crazy. There is no workout that will turn you into Jillian Michaels in five minutes a day. But, I’m giving it a shot. In the mornings, Mike drops me off at the garage stairwell. Climbing 12 flights of stairs with a computer, purse, lunch, coat, AND in 4-inch heels may not be the best way to work out, but it sure is a doosie. Yesterday, I did five minutes of Pilates. My stomach is sore today. That’s got to count for something.

Still in progress. A few days ago, I wrote about my need for alone time in the car. I haven’t tackled that yet. It’s still on the list, along with the five-minute manicure.

So, my journey continues, and I’m always on the lookout for new ideas. If you have any thoughts, or if there’s something you want me to try, let me know!

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I don’t want to say that my husband and I never see eye-to-eye, but on some days, it certainly feels that way. I like to be on time. I like things neat. I like to finish what I’ve started. Well, most of the time, at least. When things aren’t “just so,” I tend to freak out. Big time. Mike, on the other hand, is more of a “go-with-the-flow” type of guy. He can mop the floor on Monday and empty the water bucket on Wednesday, and he’s always astounded by how much that bugs me. “I’m getting to it,” he says whenever I ask him about a item on his Honey-Do List. “Yeah, but when?” I say before I stomp off in a huff.

Today, I was home late from work. I had to hitch a ride with a colleague because he got off work late. (Check out yesterday’s post on the joys of car sharing.) He was heating up dinner when I walked in. “The mail’s on the counter,” he said. I dropped a handful of junk into the recycling bag and picked up a catalog. I immediately abandoned the rest of the mail; I absolutely adore catalogs. I rarely buy anything, but I enjoy pondering the use for things like penguin-shaped bookends. This catalog, though, was from Sur La Table, a store that sells high-end cookware and kitchen gadgets. I’m not sure how we got on this list. Fingerhut is more our speed.

I took the catalog to the family room and flipped through a few pages. They had a set of grill plates you could use for vegetables. Hmm. I thought. Those could be useful. I imagined us firing up our rusty gas grill for asparagus and Brussels sprouts. I put the book aside and started to unbraid my daughter’s hair.

“Honey – Did you see this?” I turned to see him looking through the catalog.

“I didn’t go through the whole thing.”

“Well, they have a set of grids you put on the grill so that your vegetables don’t fall through the grates.”

“Yeah -I saw those.”

“We should get them,” he said. I continued to work on Elyse’s hair while he turned pages. “Ooh! A deluxe potato cutter!”

I had to smile, because I thought the same thing about the potato cutter when I saw it. I started thinking about the other things that we agree on, from which brand of peanut butter to buy to how we raise our daughter. Suddenly, we didn’t seem all that different. We just seemed right.

I woke up this morning a little resentful. I wasn’t sure of the source of my mood, but I figured the rain had something to do with it.

By the time I got ready, dressed my daughter, and jumped into the car with my husband (we are sharing as a way to save expenses), my foul mood was full-blown.

Elyse sang about strawberries on her way to daycare, which made me smile. But, Mike and I rode to downtown in silence. Pretty sure that didn’t improve my spirits.

As I snatched my bag out of the backseat, I realized that I missed riding in my car alone. It’s nice to spend extra time with my family, but I used the 30-minute trek to and from work to decompress. It gave me a chance to shed any hangups from home before I got into the office and vice-versa. It sounds cliché, but I think it made me a better person.

I thought about different ways to explain this to my husband. All the scenarios I concocted seemed like one-way tickets to more days of awkward silence.

So I’ve decided that this is another opportunity for a productive five minutes. Five minutes of peace. Doesn’t that sound great? I haven’t figured out how to make that work yet, but I will definitely keep you posted!

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

When it comes to taking lunch to work, I’m pretty inconsistent. I could be on a hot streak for weeks, but after one wrong move, I’m walking to the Chinese buffet three days in a row. When I do take a lunch, half the time I don’t want to eat it, but I suck it up and think about what I could do with the $8 I’m saving.

My problem is laziness. I think it takes Herculean effort to pull together something appealing and nutritious. So many times, I reach for the Lean Cuisine. Many people really enjoy the low-cal frozen meals; I happen not to be one of them. After all, the term “Lean” is part of the product name. I’m usually starving within two hours of eating one. Then I end up raiding a colleague’s office for candy. It’s a bad scene.

This week, I tried something different. I checked my fridge to see what leftovers I could work with before they went bad. This weekend, I made a pot of soup for my husband to eat when he comes home from work. (He gets in at 2 or 3 am). It took less than a minute to put some aside in a bowl for Monday. Sunday’s leftover brown rice paired with a package of tomato-basil tuna made for a great lunch today. Plus, the rice was already in a small microwave container. Tossing that and a pack of string cheese in a bag took seconds.

Tomorrow, I’m taking more soup. It was really good! And for a snack, I packed a yogurt and strawberries. Total prep time – 2:38. I’m sure it would have taken less time if I had yogurt in single-serving cups.

I hope this new streak holds, because I eat way too much when I go to the buffet.

I once had a male friend tell me that every man needs a sista circle – a group of women he can turn to for advice, encouragement, or a friendly ear. I was reminded this weekend that women need the same.

Between work, travel for work, teaching, and time with my family, I lost touch with my friends. It’s an imbalance I fight often. The days and weeks fly by, and I mean to show up to a happy hour or simply pick up the phone. But, as I’ve said before, life sometimes gets in the way of living.

The stars aligned this past Friday, and I was able to connect with several of my friends. I met one for lunch, and I hung out with the rest later that evening. I had two (or was it three?) pomegranate martinis and a lot of laughs. A weight, that I didn’t even know was there, was lifted, and I felt more like myself than I have in a few months.

If you caught the title of this post, then you won’t be surprised that the next paragraphs are love notes to my girls.

My Chicago Sista – Distance and work schedules keep us from staying in better touch. But no matter how much time passes, we will always be the best of friends.

My STL Sista – I think you are the one person who keeps me from slipping into the depths of obscurity. While I hope a drop-dead gorgeous man one day replaces me as your date to company-sponsored functions, I relish them as an escape from the everyday.

My Bartending Sista – Whenever I come over, I can count on you for good food and great drinks. Those martinis were the TRUTH!

My Warrior Sista – I am in awe of your unwavering faith and your ability to turn endings into new beginnings. I look forward to watching you evolve in the next chapter of your life.

My Graceful Sista – Your poise in the face of an overwhelming challenge is simply amazing. And your new haircut is fierce!

My Nurturing Sista – You were right, I so need to hang out more often! I hope you are taking some breaks from caring for everyone else and caring for yourself.

My Business Sista – Girl you are doing it! I’m glad you could get out and relax too.

Thank you my Sistas! We’ll have to get together again soon.