Jan21

New Year’s Resolutions…are they worth it?

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Look at the calendar-it is crazy to realize we are already at the end of January.  With each new year, it is customary to make resolutions.  Silly little requirements we place on ourselves to try and make our lives better, our health better or to just let go of bad habits.  But in all honesty, as you approach February, how are you doing on your resolution?  I can tell you how mine is going…terrible!  Ugh, each day I get up and say to myself:

“Self, you can do this.  Eat better, work out more…yell at the kids less…do more yoga.”

By the end of the day, not only have I devoured a package of dark chocolate (that is supposed to be good for you, right?), I have also missed a work-out because my son wouldn’t nap and then had a scream-fest with my 6-year-old daughter on why we don’t disrespect mommy and daddy with words.  Ah, another day and another failure of the resolutions.

So here is my idea on resolutions.  Simply don’t make them.  It just automatically sets you up for failure!  What I have discovered over the years, after long conversations with my girlfriends, is to set realistic goals.  Goals that you can master one tiny step at a time.  Not many people do very well going cold-turkey, right?  So if your vice is soda, cut out one soda for the week.  The next week, cut out another, and so forth.  Gradually you will reach your ultimate goal of giving it up.  All too often we are pressured to fit into a perfect mold, a cookie-cutter shape.  But usually the real beauty we miss (especially women) is that we are all unique.  So why do we want to conform to one set standard?

All too often I am just as guilty as the next Jane Doe in feeling I should be thinner, have less wrinkles or drink more juices.  I could write hours and hours on this topic, but I don’t want to bore you when I am just getting started on blogging.  I am sure this item will come up again and again in later posts.  So stay tuned, or send me some comments and we can chat.

And because I think every new year deserves a new wine-here is my wine tip for the day. For those of you determined to give up desserts, you may not want to leave out cherry pie. Okay, not an actual pie, but a delicious, fruity California Pinot Noir with the name “Cherry Pie.” It is a wine to drink alone, with poultry or any kind of red meat. Try it and you will immediately fall in love with a different kind if “pie!”

http://www.cherrypiewines.com/wine

Until next time, cheers!

Jan21

Loosing a Father.

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Loosing a Father.

*Written January 21, 2013*

The one-year anniversary of my father’s death rapidly approaches and I have found myself contemplating the past year without his presence.  Dad and I were so close, as close as any daughter could be to her father.  We were so much alike, yet different in many ways.  Dad was always someone I could talk to and know I would get that “realistic perspective” of life, and he was never afraid to tell me his honest opinion-even if it was completely opposite of what I wanted to hear.

Dad touched a lot of lives for the 72 years he called Earth home.  He was a husband, a father, an uncle, and a grandfather.  But what he loved being the most was a doctor.  For the sake of time and space, Dad’s medical career was outstanding.  He started out as a general practitioner in the Air Force back in the late sixties, and after a tour in Vietnam, came back to settle down in Memphis.  He married mom in 1975 and in the next few years decided he really wanted to specialize in radiology.  By 1982 he reached this dream, moved mom and myself up to Cape Girardeau, and spent the remainder of his life working as a radiologist for Cape Radiology Group.

Dad and I shared many loves, but the main one we connected over was wine.  Anything and everything I know about wine comes from what dad taught me over the years.  Now I continue this passion, and seem to be converting my husband from Budweiser products over to Napa Cabernets.

I could go on and on about my dad, about how much I miss this man, about the piece of my heart that aches and longs for one of his great big bear hugs.  But I would be here all year if I took time to write everything down.  For those who have lost loved ones, you know the kind of pain and loneliness that comes from death.  Others may have yet to experience this.  One thing is for sure, we all have to face death at some point in our life, and the ordeal is never easy.  So end today by telling someone you care about how you feel, give them a hug or a kiss, or simply take time to have a conversation and find out about their day.  Because tomorrow, that person could be gone.

My father’s favorite Napa cabernet has to be Raymond.  Raymond Vineyards, located in St. Helena, CA, was always considered to be a “table wine” in my dad’s home.  It was one of the first wines he learned to collect on, dissect and truly enjoy as a connoisseur of California reds.  I still enjoy this wine on a weekly basis, thanks to my dad.  And I hope you find a bottle to enjoy too.

To learn more about Raymond Wines, visit http://www.raymondvineyards.com.

Until next time, cheers!

Jan21

Toddlers are…

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July 24, 2011

*I wrote this piece two years ago with the intention I would publish it.  Better late than never, right?*

Having a daughter is an interesting experience….one that changes on an hourly basis.  One minute she is sitting in my lap telling me how much she loves me and saying things like “Happy Mother’s Day,” or “Happy Birthday,” to only be talking back and yelling “NO!” at the top of her lungs.  *sigh*  Does it get any easier??  When does this crazy yo-yo attitude even out a bit?

And the kicker to it all?  I have another child coming in October….What?  Oh boy.

You know what my biggest fear is about having another child?  I feel as if I am failing at raising the one I already have, so what business do I have bringing another person into the world?  Okay, maybe not completely failing, but I do feel as if I come up short a lot of times as a mom.  My problem is trying to keep up with what all the “smarties” out there trying to tell me what to do with my child.  Have her learn this, make sure she knows that, yadda, yadda, yadda.  But you hear that stuff enough and you start to believe it.  Like drinking the Kool-Aid.

Well, let’s just hope that God gives me an extra dose of patience for this next child, or maybe for just the one I have now.  I certainly will need it while trying to nurse, change, and play with a new baby while keeping a toddler entertained and feeling loved.

For you moms out there wondering how you are going to make it to the next day, here is my advice.  Take a deep breath and remember Rome was not built in a day (sometimes it helps to have a glass of Italian wine in hand to really believe this statement.)  And for you moms who seem to have this gig under control?  Give me some pointers, and quick!

As for Italian wine?  Well, my favorite reds tend to come from the Piemonte region, which is located just at the base of the Swiss Alps.  Look for wines from Barolo or Barbaresco, or wines made from the Nebbiolo grape.  These wines age very well, over decades, and have a spicy fruitiness that holds them unique to the region.  Don’t be afraid to try one, most wine and liquor store owners can guide you towards a bottle without completely breaking your budget.

Until next time, cheers!