Dim Sum

If you have been following my blog you know that my life is pretty hectic.  Is full of work, school, dance classes, wrestling practices, Zumba, and whatever else life throws my way. Our schedule changes constantly.  I already have an email that the days of wrestling has been changed for the next two weeks. My husband and I make our game plan and run with it.   

This weekend was different, but fun. Nice that we didn't have a tournament or party to go to. My husband and sister-in-law took Lincoln to see Monster Trucks at Ford Field. Ava and I went to see Jack and the Giant Slayer. Sometimes I find that it is nice to separate the kids and give them one on one attention.

We ended our weekend with dim sum at East Lake Restaurant. This is a Chinese brunch. Having dim sum is another tradition in my family. This meal is family time. I don't mean just my immediate family. When we go I ALWAYS go with my parents, bring my kids, and sometimes my Po-po (grandmother) comes too. This time I brought my sister-in-law and friends of my parents went too. I have only gone to dim sum without my dad once.  It just seems wrong not to have him there.   

Dim sum is MOUTHWATERING bite sized DELICIOUSNESS. You are seated and they provide you with a card. Carts go by, you order if you want something from the cart and they mark it on your card. The carts go around during the entire meal. Tea is also served. We have gone to great lengths to get good dim sum. When I was younger we used to go to Canada.

I like that the meal is immediate. As soon as you sit down you can start ordering. The thought never crossed my mind to get forks until my sister-in-law asked for one. That was never an option for me when I was growing up. there are pictures of me attempting to eat with chop sticks in a high chair. My poor kids are subject to the same thing, but they manage to eat (and eat well). My daughter probably ate three orders of hakau (shrimp in a rice wrapper) herself.

The definition of dim sum is "to touch the heart." To me it truly does. It is a happy time when we get to have a meal as a family and enjoy each other. We don't do this nearly enough, but when we do it is a delicious meal and a great time. 

Dart Through the Week

My mission is to get through the week. So many things to get done this week ( two dance classes, one wrestling practice, two  Zumba classes, getting our taxes done, and going to Lincoln's tournament). It's our home tournament so we are helping. My hubby and I have been car pooling all week because his car died.  I must admit that I liked it. My "personal limousine service." I found that it's nice to have a chance to talk in the morning and spend a few minutes together. Arron would drive and I could  also use my iPad, catch a catnap, and talk on the phone.  Arron learned  this week that the reason I never answer my phone after work is because I'm talking to my mom on the phone. Hehe. It was also nice to have him drop me off and pick me up at the door. On Tuesday he showed up with a sugar free Red Bull and a snack. So lucky to be me.

We didn't expect to be without a car all of the sudden. Finding a car in a short period of time is not fun.  Guess I'm lucky that Arron has been researching the Dodge Dart since last year. On Friday Arron went on a mission to find a car.  Boy was I surprised when he ended up with a...Dodge Dart.  I have be excited for him.  It's his first new car.

We finally have another car and I go to leave for the store and I can't because I can't find my keys. Then I remember that Lincoln was playing with my keys this morning. He made a comment that it wasn't easy to get the keys off of the ring so that he could play with them.  I explained that keys are not to be played with. In the morning I went to leave and forgot about the keys because Arron told me to take the Dart. I am lucky that my mother-in-law  was over in the evening so I could take her car grocery shopping.  I call my sister-in-law that night and she tells me that  the keys are on the top shelf in the bathroom.  Now I would not put the keys on the top shelf. I can't reach it without getting on a stool. Although, a four-year-old standing on the counter can easily reach the shelf.

There is always something going on in the Berger household. All I can do is accept it and hope for the best. We are going to get through the week one way or another. Good thing we have lots of  family to help out and kids to keep it "interesting."

Think Positive, Be Positive, Live Positive

Of all of the things I have learned during my life, one of the most important lessons is being positive.  Being positive impacts every aspect of your life every day.  To me, attitude is everything.  They way you feel and how you portray yourself to others has an impact at work, with professional connections, at home, with your friends, your children, family members, complete strangers, etc.

At a very young age I learned to redirect my energy through judo. It started at judo and eventually I could use exercise to deal with negative energy. At the end of a hard workout I feel WONDERFUL. It's like I am able to restart from a better place. Being healthy is one thing. A peer of mine, Dan Capizzo, discusses how important it is to keep the mind trained. Living at the Olympic Training Center and training with elite athletes really taught me how to use my mind and body together and my recovery from stressful situations (i.e. training for high level tournaments, pursuing Olympic dreams) became almost instantaneous.

Being a positive force takes time and dedication. It started with  USA judo and exercise and eventually became a way of life for me.  For over ten years I worked at a job that was high stress.  I found myself dreading going to work. I stumbled upon a book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."  With so much in common with the book I started to apply it into my daily life.  Next, I attended a Society for Human Resources Management Conference.  Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, was a presenter.  He gave an inspiring speech with such honesty. He talked about his journey through life, work, and events he sponsored for Delivering Happiness.  On the plane home from the conference I was reading his book, Delivering Happiness, and since then I've been a supporter of constant happiness since. It's odd that one encounter gave me the motivation to change. My change was getting a new job.  I moved to a company where I have no stress. Removing one stressor allowed me to find happiness everywhere else. 

I try to approach EVERYDAY with a positive attitude. If my day starts going astray I will literally say "this is not going to happen (red cape on)," I try to refocus my energy and keep going as positively as possible.  I've found that if you let things go downhill the slide is quick and not an enjoyable ride. If my day isn't the best I follow it with a great workout. Sometimes it is on the treadmill, sometimes it's at Zumba. I was lucky to find a way to redirect my negativity to positivity.  I hope you have been able to find this too.