Excuse me, I’m having A Walk In The Clouds moment in the adorable skirt Katie made me. (Incidentally, that’s Gym Hubby’s favorite movie. Yes it’s a chick flick. He also loves Bed of Roses and is proud of it.)
My problem with sitting is not that it will kill you. It’s not that it will make you overweight. It’s not even that every chair in my house has play-doh, gum, silly putty or a wayward child stuck to it. No, even though all three of those things are true (thus sayeth the research – sitting a lot increases your risk of death by up to 40%) the real problem with sitting is that I never get a chance to do it. Between my multi-tasking personality and the relentless demands of my kids, I’m on my feet well past sundown. I’d make a joke here about dropping dead in the saddle except that a saddle would mean I got to sit down, even if it was on an unpredictable animal.
The solution to my posterior-parking problems? A standing desk. When I asked Gym Hubby for one for my birthday, he seemed skeptical. In all fairness I’m known for asking for all kinds of random things that I think are good ideas at the time and then end up being a pain in the butt. But I have three words for him: Big Metal Chicken. (If you have not read that link, you MUST. You will die laughing. In fact, I advise you to read it somewhere where you can do the snort-laugh without getting mocked). Anyhow, he was convinced of my sincerity when I jerry-rigged a standing desk out of an old Amazon diaper box, a rickety bookshelf and our first aid kit. Not only was the thing a serious hazard but it also didn’t go with our decor of Things That Have Been Licked.
So a couple of weeks ago, Gym Hubby took me on a romantic date to IKEA (you mock but their salmon dinner is really kind of awesome) and let me pick out the standing desk of my dreams:
Thankfully I’m as cheap a present picker-outer as I am a date. This hot little number sells for about $60. Although, weirdly, whenever I stand at my desk I always stand on one leg in this bizarre flamingo pose. I’ll switch legs every few minutes but for some reason I can’t just stand on two feet and face forward like a normal person.
Look how neat and tidy everything is! And it folds up flat (and lock with a key!!) when I’m not using it. Which would be… never. But in theory it’s pretty awesome that it’s so space-efficient, right?
That adorable little bowl on top (that I made myself with my friend Adrienne – love you girl!) keeps all of my cables, cords and spare wireless mouse safe. (You would not believe how fast wireless mice disappear in my house – I’d say they couldn’t have just sprouted legs and walked off except that thanks to my kids they pretty much do just that).
Another great reason I don’t want to sit down is that I don’t want to wrinkle the beautiful skirt that the super talented Katie made me. Katie and I are blog friends but I also had the pleasure of meeting her in real life when she came to visit Minneapolis and dropped in to do a workout with the Gym Buddies and I (seriously, anytime any of you are in the area let me know – we’d love to have you!). We totally clicked, mainly because she’s so awesome but also because of our shared love of sewing. So when I posted my Two Ways to Wear a Pillowcase skirts, I immediately thought of her. We decided to do a blogger skirt swap! I made her a red checked pillowcase skirt (go check it out on her blog!) and she made me this black and white number.
My favorite part are the two sweet little red-buttoned pockets on the front that are perfect for holding my cellphone, my chapstik or a contraband binky (they are for bedtime only, Jelly Bean!). Thank you Katie! I can’t even tell you how much I love it. I’ve worn it as much as is hygenically acceptable (how many wears are okay between washings? 100? Good.) and always get tons of compliments on it.
And hey, look what I found while I was having my impromptu photo shoot – GRAPES! On our grape arbor! When Gym Hubby planted these last year it was my turn to be skeptical (in all fairness he has a history of being an overly optimistic gardener) but I’ve been amazed at how well they’ve done with our 6-week growing season. If you look closely you’ll see bunches and bunches of teeny little green grapes! Totally made my day. It’s the little things.
Have you ever tried a standing desk? What’s your solution to the sitting problem? What’s a little thing that’s made your day lately? And seriously, will someone please tell me how long it’s okay to wear a skirt/pants between washings??
My son thinks you can wear a skirt/pants until it sprouts legs and walks to the washer by itself. I think you can wear it as long as it passes the smell test and has no visible dirt but that is just me and it has worked just fine for me since I hate doing laundry.
I hate standing, and I always sit with my feet up (kneel / cross legged / one foot on the floor and the other on the 1st leg’s knee). And when I can, I do stuff on the floor level. I squat, sit on the floor or lie n the carpet.
A lot of things at my home are floor level (like the whole living room). A surgeon I met had researched that cultures where people do stuff on floor level have less back and leg problems, and they don’t know what varicose veins are. Apparently when we sit in a normal chair we slump and all the wrong muscles relax and the blood goes down to the feet. When we sit on the floor (or lie on the belly in front of a laptop or book), the muscles retain their tension and the blood circulates better all over the body. After he travelled all over the world to research this he threw out most of his furniture and wrote his book belly down on the carpet.
I was pretty impressed with this scientific validation of my own theories. Either way, I couldn’t imagine having a standing desk, I hate standing more than anything. I do the flamingo thing too! I’m guessing it is an instinctive way to rest the feet, and to stop all the blood flowing down?
I had a roommate who would lay upside down every night with her legs up the wall to prevent varicose veins. It always made me giggle but they I tried it and it’s really quite comfy! Good point about it’s *how* we sit that is problematic.
dang sister.
I need me a photographer who isnt FIVE.
Yeah, my photog is 9. I trained him good, no?? He has a good eye;)
Wow, and your hand painted bowl even matches your outfit.
I like that standing desks are trendy because it’s driven the price way down. Last year when I researched them, there was nothing under $500. That looks like a super deal for $60.
I keep saying the same thing over and over but it’s still true – the whole ‘sitting will kill you’ thing really frustrates me because it is presented without much in the way of a solution for those of us who work full time at a desk job. I like my job, also it pays the bills, so I’m not about to quit. So what’s a desk-bound girl to do?
Very cute skirt! And love the standing desk. 🙂
Yeah, that’s a tough situation and one I think a lot of people are in. Maybe take mini-breaks to stand up and stretch every 30 minutes?
OMG I HAVE TO GET ONE OF THOSE DESKS! even though i am moving to a place with more room, i would love to have this to save space too! plus it will keep me OFF the computer so much with it in front of the tv on the coffee table! thanks for the lead!
ok so i went tio ikea website and i searched standing desk but nothing returned on the search! any idea how i should search for it?
I linked to the product up in my post. It should take you straight there. (Or try searching for “wall desk”)
That desk looks great. Honestly, though, if I had one, I’d probably get a high stool to sit upon.
Hahah – I’ve thought about it!
I have a standing desk at work (adjustable, anyway). I stand for the majority of the day at an office job, sitting down every once in a while for lunch or if I’m super tired. I absolutely love it. My legs got so achy sitting all day, so I was super excited to discover that my keyboard tray raises and lowers!
Okay, so I obviously (and humbly) love the skirt, and you make the skirt what it is, but I also LOVE the idea of a standing desk! I bet I’d get way more done while standing, because slacking off would just make me stand longer. So, an answer to procrastination, too! Truly a multi-tasking desk. I need one.
I rarely wash skirts. You are wearing those leggings underneath? Is ay you can go until there are visible stains.
Haha, no the leggings are so that when I squat down to pick up my baby or sit on the floor to play with them (or when my kids pull on my skirt and almost pull it off me – it’s happened), I don’t have to worry about flashing!
Love the standing desk idea! One of my biggest problem with following Geneen Roth’s advice is sitting when I eat. How do you do that when you have kids? I am cooking, serving, getting the kids milk, cleaning up the spilled milk, getting a new cup for more milk, etc etc. It’s easier for dinner when hubby is home to help.
I stopped wearing skirts because they kept flipping up when I was playing with the kids. Your leggings underneath the skirt idea is a perfect solution, may have to try that.
That is EXACTLY why I wear the leggings! They’re so comfy and I don’t have to worry about “sitting like a lady” 😉 And yeah the sitting down undistracted thing is super hard with kids. I just do my best. At lunch I usually feed the kids first and then sit down for my own lunch (with a magazine… yeah, working on it!)
Katie did a great job with that skirt!! Super cute 🙂
So sweet that your hubby likes A Walk In The Clouds. I’ll embarrass my hubby by revealing that he likes Steel Magnolias, but only b/c it was filmed where he grew up in Louisiana 😉 (yeah, sure).
This is a little off topic, but how do you keep your skin looking so gorgeous? Like you, I have very dry skin, but struggle to keep mine from red flakiness despite lots of lotion. Any secrets for a desperate alligator?
Well it helps that it’s SUPER humid here in the summer (my winter skin is a different story) but I also swear by First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P248407&categoryId=B70
It’s a little pricey but the jar is huge. Mine has lasted me 2 years now and I use it every day.
And thanks for the compliment!
Ah! I am going to try that Ultra Repair Cream to see if it helps with my eczema. Surfing the comments is so useful. 🙂
Love the skirt. I prefer skirts in the summer.
I’ve been working on the standup desk for a while now. I have a conventional desk at work and need something that I can put on top (attaching anything to the wall is out, as is replacing the desk entirely). Management tends to look at me somewhat askance whenever I try this sort of thing (I’ve been sitting on a ball for ten years, I’m vegan and I run at lunch time–all this makes me a member of the lunatic fringe). I, too, found the answer at Ikea. I’ve commandeered a nightstand that I bought for my son–it cost $20 and has two shelves, one for the laptop/screen and one for my keyboard, and is the perfect height when I put it on my desk. I just have to attach a little shelf on the side for my mouse (a couple of brackets and a piece of scrap lumber cut to size) and I should be good to go. I figure that I can stand up for a least a couple of hours each day (maybe more if I decide I like it). I’ll keep you posted.
I love it! Sounds like a creative and perfect solutoin!
I have to comment on the flamingo leg thing…growing up at home my mom did this all the time!! She would do it in the bathroom when she did her hair and always does it and still does when she is cooking! I have tried it, but its just not that comfortable. Maybe you guys were flamingo’s or some type of bird in your past life!
Hahah – maybe so! I’ve tried forcing myself to stop and I can’t!
Okay, well now I want a standing desk. When I remember that I shouldn’t sit so much, I move from a chair or the couch to the kitchen counter. But, for some reason my Mister doesn’t love it when I leave my laptop on the kitchen counter…
Someday when I have my own house again and a place to put it, I’m getting one.
And the skirt is very nice. Maybe I need to break out my sewing machine and try it (I really want to make one out of a t-shirt with the shirred band at the top. I’ve never used elastic thread before, but it looks so cute and comfortable!
I’ve never used elastic thread either but Katie’s skirt fits me so well I want to try it! If you do, let me know how it goes.
I loved this post. For some reason it just made me smile!
And this comment made me smile:) I miss you.
Okay, I also love that you mentioned “gym hair”. I run everyday but don’t wash my hair everyday. Kinda like knowing I am not the only one running around with “gym/workout” hair!
Oh I only wash mine every 3-4 days! I find a little sweat helps it style better!
I love your hand painted bowl! So adorable!
I find the more I exercise, the harder it is to sit, so maybe that’s why you can’t sit? Unfortunately I have a desk job and am required to sit most of the day. Boo!
“I find the more I exercise, the harder it is to sit, ” I’d never thought of it this way but I think you’re right!! I’m too antsy to sit still for long
OH, and you weren’t kidding about the metal chicken story. I was laughing out loud at my desk and had tears in my eyes. It’s a good thing my co-workers are all at lunch or they would think I’m insane.
Oh my gosh, Beyonce the metal chicken. I love that post so much. Imagine my delight at discovering a big metal chicken for sale at a little boutique down the street from my house. Alas, at $325 it’s not quite the bargain the Bloggess found so it will be staying in the store.
I’m a lawyer, which means I sit ALL. DAY. LONG. I hate it. I’ve lobbied my boss to get me a Walkstation (http://details-worktools.com/products/walkstation/), but so far he hasn’t given in. I try to get out for a lunch walk most days, but those are the days when I can actually take the time to have a non-working lunch. I try to work out 4-5 times a week, but feel that my constant sitting probably has a lot to do with my long-lasting weight loss plateau.
I found a giant metal peacock at Target for $60 and I almost bought it!!
I love standing while working, but it has the tendency to decrease my attention span dramatically. I just want to be moving around doing things if I’m standing up. I’m not sure if it’s something I just have to wait out (the urge to move will go away eventually) or if it’s something that’s going to be linked to standing work stations permanently for me.
I’ve toyed with putting one like that in my kitchen – I always use my laptop for recipes and such and one of these days I will wreck it. Currently my table it a laptop dock station thanks to grad school but once i”m done, taht will be a thing of the past…and I must say – extra cool points for the things you need in a bowl on top. You are way more organized than me 🙂
TOTALLY cute…and now i’m thinking about attacking my bed tonight in order to have an outfit for tomorrow…of course, the moment I do this, I’ll have to buy new bedding…which I’ll want to attack again…viscious cycle…
Oh, and I sent that link to about 100 people a few weeks ago. I love that it has gone viral now. have you seen her update about finding a different giant metal chicken in a thrift store and asking the owner about it? Apparently he said that he’d been getting tons of calls for giant metal chickens!! She’s created her own empire!
Well, with my bad feet, even if I wanted, I could not do the standing thing all day. My feet no longer allow that. My Hoka shoes help but all day would push them too far.
As for skirts & sewing – can’t sew & my feet being so bad, Hoka or tennis shoes are my only options these days…
I must say though that that you look beautiful in those pics!
I’m a teacher and tend to stand all different ways throughout the day. It doesn’t matter that my kids think I’m crazy.
The Metal Chicken Story… I laughed so hard, I had tears running down my face and couldn’t read anymore until I calmed down. That was a great story and I completely substituted those to for me and my sister as I read it. Fantastical!
I stand every day at work (I work from home so I only look odd to my dogs) and have for 10+ years. I just modified my existing desk adding a riser to hold a wireless keyboard and a double riser to hold my screen. It has helped my posture, carpel tunnel and my butt. I do have a chair and desk space to sit when I want – usually on conference calls. Funny, I tend to not stand on both feet either. I find that I stand with one of my legs bent up on my chair. On the rare occasions that I go into the office and must sit all day, I am miserable!
I actually stand at my work desk all the time!
I’m lucky to have a desk with a moveable keyboard tray–
it’s NICE to have a break from the sittingsittingsitting.
And…I totally stand like that, too.
Weirdo Flamingo Legs.
Okay…I’ve finally caught up on your blog. Not sure how I missed this post. It’s adorable and what a fun idea!!!
Also to comment on another post I read but didn’t comment…I like it when you include lots of photos. I prefer photo heavy posts. 🙂