Cat Mulan's Mindful Musings

/

About a year ago, I reviewed a pre-published book for a colleague. Yesterday in the mail, I received this HUGE package from her containing copies of the published book, a lovely thank-you note, cat toys and--BIG excitement in the Harris household--a new cat tunnel. 

That, people, is how to do a "thank you" in style.

The book is a delight. It's a gift book called Cat Mulan's Mindful Musings and the author, Margie Yee Webb, also took all the stunning photographs you'll see in the book. The text is cute and will make you smile but the photos...! They will just make any true cat lover melt. You can't paw through this book and not want this cat for yourself. 

Read More

The Spaghetti Story

/

Sometimes I think I missed out on not having kids. Look at all the great blog posts I'm missing! Luckily, I have my sister and her two boys to fill the void. So I have for you today a special treat: THE SPAGHETTI STORY. 

My sister's youngest, Cole, is 4. My sister was out of the house one night and her husband Grant made a spaghetti dinner for the boys. Cole is a good eater but every now and then he just gets it in him mind that he's not going to eat, and so it was with the spaghetti. Nope, not having it. 

Well, said Grant, everyone who finishes their spaghetti gets a treat and gets to go outside and play. No dice. Cole refused to eat. So Grant and his older son finish their meal and they go outside to play. "You can come outside once you finish your dinner," Grant told Cole.

Read More

Smug Marrieds: The Hey Cutie Scenario

/

You know you need to pay more attention to your spouse when...

Blair and I are sitting on different sofas in the same room, reading. I look up and am struck with how handsome he is as he concentrates on his book.

"Hi, Cutie," I say.

No response.

"Hi Cutie," I repeat. 

Nothing. 

I clear my throat and Blair looks up. "Sorry, what?" he asks.

"I was just saying, 'Hi Cutie,'" I answered.

"To me? Oh. I just assumed there was a cat walking through the room."

Classic.

A Bad Run & A Lesson In Dehydration

/

I had a horrible run yesterday. I set out to do 11 miles and ended up walking almost the entire last 3 miles of it. It would be easy to blame it on the heat (already past 80 degrees when we started at 7:30 am) but that wasn't it. The Greenway was packed with runners, each pushing forward through air so thick it literally felt like it was pushing you back. No, for me, if was a combination of factors that included: 

  • Barely drinking any water the day before the run
  • Not eating a proper meal the night before the run
  • Heading out too fast in the initial miles
Read More