Rhetorical Questions
We arrived back in L.A. yesterday afternoon, picked up Maya, and in the span of 5 hours I…
- spent way too much money at Target
- stocked up on just about everything Trader Joe’s has to offer
- battled the horrendous traffic home
- emptied 3 suitcases
- went for a walk with Maya to tire her out (I only tired myself out)
- read her 2 books
- made dinner
- baked granola bars with Maya (more on that later)
- gave her a bath
- worked on her math skills
- and fell asleep in front of American Idol
It’s great to be home. I mean, why would I want to hang out at Caesar’s Palace when I could be sorting Ali’s laundry?
Or what kind of crazy person would I be if I enjoyed a gondola ride at the Venetian more than explaining to Maya 1,000 times that a lowercase “i” is simply a line with a little dot on it. It is NOT a line with a giant circle on top of it.
And why would I want to be back at a Maroon 5 concert on the Mandalay Bay Beach when I could hear Maya sing a offkey version of “Say What You Need to Say” as she dominates my iPad?
I’ll throw one in for Ali…why would he rather be driving me crazy working from home today when he could be watching the hot girls who were paid to dance on the tables at the computer nerd reception we attended on our last night in Vegas?
That is a rhetorical question. Of course.
On to the real questions…
Q: What does your husband do? You both seem to have a lot of travel opportunities! AND I love the look of your daughter’s room from your About pg! nice pic of the family! did you decorate it yourself, or hire someone (or a friend)?
A: Ali works in marketing for a computer hardware/software reseller. He has always travelled quite a bit and now that my job is flexible I am finally able to go with him from time to time. I also take real vacations now, something I never used to be able to do. That will soon change though as Maya starts kindergarten in the fall and I won’t be able to take off whenever I feel like it anymore. Not that I should be doing that anyway, as I have a child!
Maya’s room was decorated, for the most part, by my mother. When we moved in I had the stripes done by a painter but my mom did almost everything else. My contribution was the rug which I don’t particularly care for anymore and I ordered the canopy for Maya’s bed. I like things to look nice but home decor doesn’t particularly interest me so I leave it to people who know what they are doing.
Q: What skin products do you use?
A: If I may steal a line from Clueless – my skin is like a Monet…from afar it looks pretty decent but up close it’s a big mess. What I’m trying to say is that although my skin looks okay in the photos you see on this blog it really isn’t that good! When I was younger the dermatologist gave me every prescription known to man with no results. It was only after I eliminated sugar, soy, peanuts, almonds, and dairy that my skin and I formed a fairly good relationship. I use Cetaphil face wash and SPF 15 moisturizer, Avalon Organics Night Creme, and I wear little to no makeup. Things are precarious but I’m hoping for the best.
Q: What is your typical workout routine?
A: I used to be obsessed with the gym….you can find that post here. I still exercise every day but no longer at the pace I used to. I do yoga 3-4 days a week (from yogadownload.com), I run 1-2 days a week, I do strength training 2-3 days a week, and I walk a few miles every day. Lately I’ve been determined to get to level 3 of the 30 Day Shred and I am slowly making my way there.
More questions to come…but right now I have to answer a far more pressing question posed by Ali: “What are we having for lunch?”
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy working from home together?
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
I used Cetaphil face wash too. It’s one of the only soaps that doesn’t irritate my skin.
I’m so glad that you’re no longer obsessed with the gym. Life is just too short and you are way too great of a person to let that take over your life. So many other women can relate to you and I’m sure that you have inspired them to reevaluate and slow things down a bit. 🙂
Hope you’re having a wonderful day!!
Ya, Lawrence and I enjoyed working from home together for about a week. Ha. I’m glad you had fun in Vegas. Wait, I want to hear more about the baked granola bars…
I used to use Cetaphil. Good stuff. I’ve seen you close-up, my friend, and I don’t see the big mess you refer to 😉
I didn’t know you did Shred. That’s a big mystery to me. I’m afraid to try it, but intrigued at the same time. I don’t exercise as much as you, but I do similar stuff — walking and yoga. I can’t run. Kills my knees and bores me to tears. It’s great that you’ve been able to cut back on your old, rigorous routine. What you do now still seems like a lot to me! Then again, I don’t do much, and I live with a guy who thinks that walking to the recycling bin is exercise.
The worst part of vacation is the return laundry. It’s the last thing you want to do after you get back. Ugh, I feel for you.
And, yeah, you’re totally right. Being home seems much better than that awful vacation. 😉
You’re so funny! Sounds like you had a fun time in Vegas…
How do you manage to get your workouts in and still have time to take care of the house and Maya? I can barely keep my own life together…
You seriously crack me up! Especially the question about Ali!
I have to agree with Tracey… the worst part about returning from vacation is unpacking and laundry!
yay you’re back! well..i’m happy! anyways, dude, i totally forgot you were a hardcore worker outer like me! we should do something next time! =D
ahhh kindergarten. i kinda want to go back!
I like things to look nice too, and I wish I was better at home decor, or had the time for it. I guess it isn’t worth it with my current situation, since I’m not sure how much longer I will be living here…but I’ve been living in my apartment for a few years and it looks pretty much the same as when I first moved in (white bare walls and just enough furniture to get by) plus a bunch of additional clutter.
I read your post about the gym..I used to have an exercise obsession too. It is detrimental black and white thinking…that more is always better (or in the case of food…we may think “less is more”) but it isn’t true. We need to find a healthy balance, where food and exercise are not the most important things in our lives. I’m glad you have found something that works for you and you’re no longer killing yourself at the gym. It isn’t worth sacrificing your life, health, and sanity…You deserve better than that.
Glad you had a good trip!! I love the return home…it always feels so nice to be in my own bed!
the night after a return trip is no nice to crawl into bed buttt i have such a terrible mentality that everything has to be put away *immediately*…or else i die? i dunno but it’s wicked annoyingggg when all i want to do is relax ha!
you got to see Maroon 5! oh way cool! and I LAUGHED OUT LOUD at your explanation that an i is just a line with a dot and not a line with a circle!
oh those days are just ahead for me!
seems like you crammed a LOT in your short trip! NICE.
oh I have to to go Target…and I will probably spend a ton too. someone needs new: pj’s…shirts….shorts…socks….play shoes…diapers…and on and on.
I am afraid I might want to peek at stuff too and blow my budget!
haha
Love that first picture – beautiful. You DO have really nice skin Ameena. Kayla used to have really dry skin and being in Canada with such harsh weather in the winter I used to lotion her whole body from head to toe everynight. Then my mother in-law heard there was this wash that was really good and told us to let Kayla try it. She told us it was called Caterpillar or something like that. Long story short, we went everywhere looking for “caterpillar” and it turns out it was Cetaphil. I should’ve known this though coming from my Asian mother in-law. Now we just call it Caterpillar. Lol.
You’re getting some great questions. Have fun!
Oh and Kayla’s skin isn’t as dry now so guess that stuff is working for her.
Oh, great q&a! I wish I had your job or something that allowed me to travel extensively. I feel so limited in my current position when there is so much I want to do. Oh, and sadly it looks like Cali is not going to be an option for me 😦 I’m actually going to be moving to Austin instead. I’m excited though for a new chapter.
I love my Cetaphil face wash. Ever since I switched to it my skin has finally cleared up. The other ones I tried had so many different add-ons (salicylic, glycolic acid, etc.) that it just irritated my skin further. I’m sticking to good ‘ol Cetaphil for sure (and my grandmother used it all the time and had great skin!)
Have a wonderful day!
Haha I still draw giant circles on top of my i’s. Apparently I dont know Im a grown up and shouldnt do that. I hear about it ALL the time!!
glad you got back safe.
love this post (as usual)…what can i say..u r genuis…
i ought to try to write more…apparently i find something else useless to do instead 😉
I adore you ten times more for quoting Clueless. That is all…
Looks like you had a fantastic time in Vegas! At the end of a vacation I’m always a little sad but also relieved to be back home (I always miss my own bed! 🙂 ).
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy your witty posts and your view on life in general? You have a real talent for writing, Ameena, and some great wit to go along with it.
Great pics! Glad you had a great trip…I soooo want to go to Vegas now 🙂
Ooo, cant wait to hear about homemade granola bars
you’re hilarious! haha.. oh u so know ud rather do laundry!!! lol jk ❤
Funny post 🙂 Hey, at least you’re honest about the fact that sometimes day-to-day parenting can be a little tough! I’m glad you had a brief break! And a very cute daughter.
LOL, this post is really funny, I enjoy reading it! Btw, I wanna know about your homemade granola! 😀 I’ve been wanting to make some too so no need to buy anymore..just like the bread
Ameena, I’ve been MIA but I just wanted to say I’m obsessed with you. The end.
i love i’s with big circles over them – or hearts – when did i give that up?
Las Vegas sounded like a great time.
I think it’d be great to work from home, and to work with a partner. But I know it doesn’t work for everyone.
I hate having to do grocery shopping and figureing out what to eat after vacation.. I sort of wish that would get done while I am out of town… A couple years ago at a cooking class I met a girl that her job title was “personal Assistance” she did the families grocery shopping, dry cleaner pick up, drive kis to and from school and games. etc.. I need one of those.. I just don’t want to pay for it.
I can’t work with Raymond at home. We have such different working style that even when it comes to cleaning sometimes I have to ask him to leave the house so I can clean.
LOL, I SAW THAT ONE! i’m sure his tire was much heavier than mine! i can do the 115-150 one by myself, but me and justin had to double team the 300# one…but my coach flipped that like no one’s biz. =D
Love the clueless shout out. And Maroon 5. That’s all 🙂
My skin was a mess for about 5 years.. then I got rid of dairy and it cleared up immensely. It’s cool (and annoying) how food can totally mess with your skin.
I remember Maroon 5.. once upon a time. They use to be so popular and then they just kind of died off. Although it looks like a new album is coming out in the fall so maybe my interest in them will be renewed. I hope so because I use to really like their music.
I feel I know you much better now 🙂
I had to cut down on sugar to reduce my zits from flaring up. For years I used to argue with my mom(after all, “I” was the “nutrition” student and was armed with research articles that said that there was no relation between diet+acne) who used to notice that I would have an angry flare up on my face after Diwali/Christmas. I refused to give up-then I took a hormone test which revealed that I was “Insulin resistant”. To cut a long story short-the sugar in my diet required extra insulin, which caused all the hormonal ‘acne’ problems. So, finally my mom did her “I told you so” jig!!!!
Yeah, that’s always the b-tch about traveling – the return. That’s when I wish I could travel like a character in Harry Potter or some other fantasy-type book/movie. Just wiggle my nose and voilá, I’m home AND the laundry is done.
Glad that you had fun in Vegas though!
haha I love that you quoted Clueless! My skin is the same way…it looks fine from a distance but lately I’ve had a bunch of little bumps. TMI?
It’s way too easy to go overboard at Target!
I have never been to Vegas..someday! I can go crazy at Target too.
OH and I hate to cook after a nice vacation, it is like the worst thing to do.
I use cetaphil and an SPF moisturizer, too. I rarely wear makeup except when I need to. 🙂
Oh that reminds me that I need to restock the pantry again. Sucks coming home after two weeks to an empty fridge. hahaha…
I cannot believe this- I love GP as well. I loved her in Seven and I thought she made a great couple with Brad Pitt. I follow her Goop and in my opinion she is classy and fabulous.
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