Getting a Promotion!

It's not for me, though I did have a very nice annual eval at work this week.

This promotion is for Veruca & Stevie - my beloved inner 'brats' [no, I'm not schizophrenic and yes, I know they have medication for that ;)].

As a bit of history, I met Veruca first, even though she's the 'youngest' - perpetually around 8-10 years old - as part of concept launched by the FlyLady's mentor, Pam. Eventually she devoted an entire websiteto meeting and living with your inner brats. At the time I was just getting started with the FlyLady way of things, learning about my own perfectionism, surrounded by loads of physical and body clutter, no routines, no concept of proper spending, eating, or exercise habits, and basically having a mess of a life. There were definitely good things going on for me, but it was very unbalanced. That's when Veruca came into my life.

She named herself from the character in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory because really, that was her - she wanted everything done for her and she wanted what she wanted right NOW!

It took a while to really get a handle on her and figure out what made /her/ tick so I could start figuring out what made /me/ tick, but we eventually struck an accord. Sometimes I had to play the 'mean mom' saying 'NO!' a lot, but the best thing is that I learned how to play once in a while - my morning ritual of having coffee & doing makeup on the balcony was either her or Stevie's idea but it's been a part of my day that I look forward to every morning (I sometimes get the hubby to join me when he's home. :) Veruca also loves we get to do the morning walkies around the neighborhood when the weather cooperates because it means a lap around the park where there's always puppies!

As my relationship with Veruca grew, her 'older sister' started to emerge. Where Veruca is loud, demanding about wanting to be catered to and all about instant gratification, Stevie is much more quiet, tends towards brooding and being very 'emo' - she is a teenager after all. All of a sudden I had a new 'brat' to learn about, along with learning to live with a boy (my now hubby moved in around the same time... coincidence? I think not!)

Again, the 'three' of us started to work together, and honestly, if it weren't for Veruca & Stevie, I would have fallen off track so many times before the wedding that I would have needed a much larger dress than I did.

THEY were the ones who prodded me to get out of bed to work out (health benefits be damned - I wanted to look HAWT!) and once the eating better and exercise started making _me_ feel better, those habits were an easy transition. The 'brats' love to go grocery shopping and to cook - knowing that the house filling up with yummy smells is because of what *I* made, not from takeout, was a rush!

Unfortunately, there are times where I slip back into the role of 'mean mom'. I forget how they have helped me along the way, putting them on the shelf as it were because I get very wrapped up in the minutiae of what's going on around me. That's when they start to rebel.

Lately, they've been 'acting up' a LOT, and they have very good reason. There has been a lot of personal growth on my part, and from what I can see, they're improvements. I've been operating from the place of 'short term sacrifice, long term gain' but I've also forgotten something along the way: Fun.

Yesterday I commented about my 'brain' going back to The way Things Used to Be - that is a big part of it. I got wrapped up in the seriousness of the work, and left no room for play.

And left no room for Stevie & Veruca.

Well, that's changing.

I'm pleased to announce, that on this day do I, the "Queen Mum", present to you the newly elevated _Princess_ Veruca and _Princess_ Stevie.



Let's face it - they deserve to be treated like royalty for the lessons they've taught me. Besides, when it comes down to it, what girl doesn't want a tiara?! (and all three of us are total suckers for the Princess Diaries movies!)

To them I promise to be ever mindful of their contributions and the wisdom they can impart into my life. I will also keep these thoughts in mind at all time, and especially when life becomes WAAAAY too serious:

1. Everything can be a game.
2. Don't walk when you can run.
3. If you don't like it, don't eat it.
4. Laughter feels good.
5. Playtime is important.
6. The world should be full of color!
7. It's always more fun with friends around.
8. Adventures are found outside, not inside.
9. It's important to use your imagination. (I had to leave the extras on this one! You can be Captain Fantastic or Stupendous Woman [YAY! Stupendous Woman!] any time you want. Give yourself permission to believe in your own super powers and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go.)
10. Anything is possible.
11. You have your whole life ahead of you. Here's your chance to do it right.

("11 Things Children Can Teach You About Weight Loss")