Proof That I Need More Sleep

I get into a really bad habit where I have a ton that needs to be done so I stay up late working on it. Then the alarm goes off in the morning, and I'm still tired. I manage to get through the day, but I'm slightly less productive, so that's more work to do after the wee ones go to bed. Generally, this works out alright, even though I'm one of those people who really does best with more than eight hours of sleep.

Every once in awhile, this habit catches up with me and my body - or maybe my brain - screams at me that I need to get some more sleep. This week? Yeah... I need some more sleep.

When I woke up Wednesday, I wanted to go back to bed, but I didn't. Instead I got up and got the wee ones ready for school. I fixed their breakfast, got out their vitamins, packed their lunches, and we headed out the door.

After dropping the wee ones at their respective schools, I headed to the gym as I do most days. Even when I'm tired and can't do my full workout, I can at least do something, I decided awhile ago. I popped into the locker room and started grabbing my clothes to change. I had just done wash and was happy that - tired as I was - I remembered to grab my workout gear before I left the house. So of the two items that were in my clean laundry, which do you suppose made it into my gym bag?

If you guessed the black cami that I also happened to have washed that day, you'd be right. The only good thing is that I always have an extra of each item in my bag at all times just in case - why yes, I do know myself well. They aren't my favorites, but they'll do. After my workout, I reached into my bag to get my towel so I could shower. Ummm, no towel. Why? Because my oh so responsible self had folded it up and put it away instead of placing it into my gym bag where I needed it. Oops.

And when I picked up Mister Man from school? Well, I got a little bit of an earful from him - well-deserved, too. I had sent him Little Miss's lunch instead of his own. And that's a problem. She has to have a dairy free lunch, and he won't do sauces or hummus or the like because of textural issues. Instead of sending them nearly identical lunches that day, I'd sent her dairy free pizza, heavy on the sauce, and celery sticks with red pepper hummus. Interestingly, I'd checked the containers before I slipped it into their lunchboxes to be sure I gave them the right ones, but I didn't open the containers to check to see that I'd put the right food into the right containers. Oops.

I didn't listen, in case you're wondering. My gym issues? I forgot the towel. Again. And worse? When I did remember the towel, I closed my locker and locked it. It wasn't until after my shower when I was standing there in my towel trying to unlock it that I realized I hadn't changed the combination before locking it, so I had no way to get in. My gym nightmare finally came true.

Tonight? I'm going to bed as soon as the wee ones do!

This Is *NOT* The Time For A Brain Fail

I recently joined a new gym. It's good because it's much closer to where I live and spend most of my time, making it more convenient to get to. It's newer, too, so it has some new fangled technology with the machines and such that make it extra fun to work out. Even better? It's half the price of my old gym.

One of the really cool things is that the lockers have combinations that you reset each time you lock the locker, meaning I don't have to carry an uncomfortable key with me everywhere. And I don't have to worry about losing said key.

Of course, I also no longer have a key. When I nervously mentioned this to my tour guide, she laughed and agreed that they have to come unlock lockers for people a few times a day because they forget the combination. It's no big deal, she reassured me.

My first day at the gym, I decided what my combination was going to be for every time I came to the gym. I wasn't going to be one of those people who needed help, ha! I calmly turned the four dials to my code, closed the door, turned the lock, and spun it to a random set of numbers. I was set.

I returned from my workout and went to my locker. Or wait, did I choose the locker next to it? Or on the other side? Uh-oh, I didn't look at what number locker I had. Yikes! Then I realized that there was only one locker that was in use and locked near where my locker had to be located. Panic averted.

I dialed in my code and hummed happily as I successfully opened the locker. I got out my shampoo and everything I needed for my shower, then proceeded to relock it with the same code. I took my shower and returned - now confident that I knew which locker was mine.

As I stood there dripping in my towel, I plugged in my code. And the locker didn't unlock. I jiggled it a bit, to no avail. I wondered if maybe I had it sideways, but no, that wasn't it. I tried again and again, but I was stuck.

I pondered the likelihood of sideways again. Was my code of 6394

6 3
9 4

Or was it

6 9
3 4

Maybe my hand slipped down naturally as I was thinking 6394 instead of going left to right like a book. I think I need a new code, one that won't allow for this type of confusion with the second and third numbers identical (6334, anyone?). But first, I need to get my locker open.

Ok, seriously? It would be bad enough if I had to walk out past all the exercising people to the front desk to ask them to unlock my locker. Doing it while dripping wet, shamefully tugging my towel to hide more? Ummmm not gonna happen. I took a deep breath and resolved to simply wait in the locker room until another woman entered, then beg her for assistance. It would be slightly less humiliating that way, right?

I began to rue the loss of my key. The key that told me where my locker was when I forgot because someone took "my" locker. The key that unequivocally opened the lock when I tried it. But no, my new fancy gym doesn't have keys.

I gave it one last college try, and amazingly, I felt the lock give a little bit. Maybe I didn't have the wrong code but instead had my gym bag wedged against the lock. I wiggled it and jiggled it and gave a huge sigh or relief and thanks to the heavens that I wasn't going to have to humiliate myself then and there - I could save it for another time.


I am also giving away a Progresso Souper You Debut gift pack here.

Oh, and while you're at it, I finally set up a Facebook Fan page for my blog (and corrected the link here - oops!). It's way overdue. Go like me on Facebook if you would so I can get an official username - once I get enough likes. You can also follow me on Twitter, too, if you're so inclined.