Friday, March 26, 2010

There are Voices in my Head!

This weekend we are going away - for the first time since I started this whole thing.  The fact that we have made it two whole months without a road trip is a record in itself I think.  My parents are taking us to Canmore for the weekend, one of our favorite mountain towns.  Plus, we have some amazing friends who live there so we are really, really excited. 

On the other hand, going away for the weekend also comes with its set of 'Marebare' challenges... for instance, the preparation has taken me pretty much the entire week!  I had to start the laundry on Monday to make sure that I had enough clean (and DRY) clothes for us to pack, clean my house (I can't stand coming home to a dirty house) and buy/prepare/pack all of our food (our 'condo' has a kitchenette).  In fact, yesterday I am pretty sure that I set a record for bread-making.  I made three loaves of ciabatta bread, cinnamon buns, regular buns, soft pretzels and bagels.  Plus, with all of that bread making going on, my son conveniently found the time to terrorize me for much of the morning.  It was a very busy day!

Last night, I 'got away from it all', thanks to the babysitting services of my amazing mother-in-law.  The woman is a complete saint and manages to take phenomenal care of my son while also leaving my house cleaner than she found it (I am still desperately trying to figure out her secret!).  Anyway, with Pat on duty, I was able to go to the home show with my dad and my husband.  I know what you are thinking, wierd place for someone who isn't buying anything these days right?  In any case, I mostly find home and renovation 'stuff' to be extremely boring and I spent most of the time looking for the booths with free food (there were strangely very few), what a disappointment!  While in my travels, I came across a booth selling 1200-thread-count sheets for only $55  ($100 for TWO sets)!  Now, sheets are one of mine and Trent's true loves (don't ask).  Immediately, a familiar voice in my head said, "They are too cheap NOT to buy!  Make sure to get two sets to get the best deal".  Now this voice seemed so familiar and comfortable to me that I had two sets picked out and my hand on my credit card before I even realized what I was doing.  As soon as my hand grazed that shiny visa card however, something strange happened... a new, stronger, deeper (and meaner) voice boomed in my head "DO YOU REALLY NEEEEEED THOSE?"  I looked around, half expecting everyone around me to be staring at me with accusing stares.  I immediately started to retreat from the booth, mumbling something to the lady about needing to confer with my husband (yeah right!).  Then I spend the rest of the show carefully avoiding her booth (it wasn't hard - the show was HUGE).  It was a close call.

Last night, as I went to bed in our 400-thread-count sheets, I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as my face scratched against the cheapish cotton.  That being said, I was also wondering how long it was going to take those darn things to wear out!?  I was also thinking about the voices... the 'Marebare' voice, the stronger, louder, meaner one, saved me from making a purchase that I really didn't need.  I guess that's what this year is all about, trying to awaken and train my subconscious to think before it indulges.  Now that it is working in my favor, I wonder if I could train this voice to be a little nicer sounding?

Well, here's to small victories... I'll take what I can get!

“Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of.” - Proverb

Marebare :)

P.S. Don't forget to turn your lights off for Earth Hour this Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 pm - make a party out of it!  Get some candles, some friends, some wine, some snacks... sounds like a perfect evening to me!

2 comments:

  1. Don't be afraid to bring some of those cinnamon buns out to Canmore...

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  2. Hooray for small victories! I have sheets that are 30 years old. Some aren't the most beautiful things, but it's usually dark in there...

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