Dates are Wonderful

Last night my husband and I went on a date to the Melting Pot in Pasadena.  We haven't been able to have many dates since the arrival of our daughter for the simple fact that she wakes up at 6am and so do I (during the week, my husband gets up on the weekends).  That translates to an early bedtime for me because I like sleeping and being rested.  Sadly, that also means that going out at night means I turn into a pumpkin at 9pm or so.

However, last night, caution was thrown to the wind!  As a thoughtful and terrific Christmas present, Doug's sister not only gave us the funds to have a night on the town, the offer came with babysitting!!!  So after a fun afternoon of playing a board game together with my sister-in-law and her honey, my husband and I fed the little one, loved her up, and tucked her in for a restful evening.  Then ... we hit the town!

We had reservations in "lovers lane."  This meant we had a cozy booth where other patrons did not have a view of us, nor did we have  a view of others.  The privacy was dreamy.  We enjoyed the classic fondue menu and relished the time to reconnect.  My husband is a great guy who is fun to be around.  That's why I married him!

This semester (I'm a Ph.D. student as well as a professor), my husband and I have dedicated one night a week to date night.  We're planning on having a babysitter (who primarily watches TV and calls if anything suspicious happens) one night a week so we can have a date.  I'm thinking we'll sometimes go out to eat, but more likely is us going to a great bookstore or walking around old town Pasadena.  Dates don't have to be an expensive dinner to be terrific.  Just having the time to laugh with and enjoy my man does the trick for me!

Copyright 2012 Heather Corwin

Your Partner Should Make You Laugh

A key all successful relationships seem to share is laughter.  When I see people who love each other, I notice that both make the other sparkle and usually laugh most of the time.  That's not to say great relationships can't be serious at times - of course.  But humor is the glue.

My husband just returned from Chicago and I've been really missing him.  When he arrived at 2a.m., I couldn't see him because it was dark.  We laughed in the dark and told each other some stories we couldn't wait to share and promptly fell back to sleep.

In that time I laughed more than I had in the four days he was gone.  Yes sir, laughter is so important!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

Monring Rituals

Morning is a time where we begin a new day.  Most of us have a routine we do most days like take a shower and have a cup of coffee or tea.  Some of us like to eat breakfast.  Sometimes Sunday is the special day where a larger breakfast complete with sausages or bacon, a personal weakness, and eggs are involved.  I know I'm really feisty if I'm into French Toast.  Yum - so good!

Ritual is different than routine in that it helps you center for the day, at least that's how I see it.  So what do you do to center yourself each day?  For me, a steaming cup of chai or coffee or tea is my heaven.  I sit quietly and contemplate the things I have to do.  If I'm lucky, my husband will have time to share his coffee sitting time with me and we both share our thoughts for the day.

Another ritual I enjoy is we have a window in our bathroom so when I'm showering, I can look out onto my garden or up into the trees.  So lovely.

Whatever you do in the morning, I encourage you to take a moment - even if you don't think you have one - to appreciate the things you have today.  Have a great day!!!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

Guilty Pleasures

I like to think of myself as an intelligent, focused, and successful woman.  So guilty pleasures don't always fit in my model of who I think I should be.  For the sake of this argument, I'm defining a guilty pleasure as something that I would not offer as information to someone whom I have just met.  For some people, they love pro wrestling, for others tabloids, and others love video games.  Who says these things are wrong if you love to do them?

The truth?  I LOVE romance novels!!!  There I said it. I love the formula of girl meets boy, boy annoys and intrigues girl, conflict ensues, and they triumph together.  I don't have to wonder if I'm going to feel good at the end of the story - I know I'll feel good.

When I'm stressed or I am facing a big life transition, my go to is romance novels.  These novels calm me down and get me out of my own story.  I get to think about people who often fear love but decide to fall nevertheless.  My favorite trilogy of all time is Nora Roberts Three Sisters Island Trilogy.  Now, I happen to enjoy magic and the idea of it.  If you have a problem with it (you were against reading Harry Potter) don't even think about reading this trilogy.  If you do enjoy a little magic and romance, you can thank me later.

Let me know what you think!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

When the Cat is Away, the Mouse Will Play

So my husband is out of town this weekend and I have plenty of solitude to cuddle my cat, read my Ph.D. books, and clean. While I was pondering all of the wild things I could do while he was away, I realized I just love down time to cultivate stillness or mindful activity. Okay, this is not a knew realization for me.

Creating order in my space and home helps me be clear and unfettered in my life. Having time to tend to the house without the distraction of cuddling up to my husband, is rare and reflective for me. I love the feeling a clean house gives me - AFTER it's done. The doing can be therapeutic, but not always something I hunger for. Plus, according to Psychology Today, a clean space (often) reflects an orderly mind.

Well, kids, I miss my husband. As it happens, you get to hear about it.

Okay, so I really should have titled this "Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder", but would it have been as enticing?

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin