That's how I felt tonight at the funeral home. The mom of one of the kids' friends passed away, and tonight was the visitation. After we walked through the line and spoke with the dad, he asked us to go visit with the girl.
As the kids played, I tried to sit back and just let them "be" ... They were playing a game of Uno when I heard an adult we didn't know ask the girl "...Are these friends of yours?" and the little girl says "They're my BEST friends." I can't tell you what it meant for me to hear this grieving, heartbroken little girl include all 3 of my kids as her best friends. And all 3 of them had their hearts broken and swell with love for this family tonight, too.
What a wonderful woman their momma was. She was thoughtful, giving, kind, wise, she could cook(and tried to encourage me, lol), she was crafty, she was pretty darn brilliant, and she had patience... lots of patience <3 I'm so glad she's not in pain or suffering any more, but the selfish side of me is sad that she's not around to just drop a line or set up a playdate. She raised some awesome kids, and they lost her way, way too soon.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret.. as gung-ho as I've been to get back on the "21" wagon, I failed today. I did not get 10 minutes of heart-rate-elevating exercise in. It's ok, because I'll start over at "Day 1" tomorrow. You might ask why I'm not going to do it right now, and I'd say it's because I don't want to wake myself up before bed... Maybe that's why, or maybe it's because I'm just a little down. Either way, there's no punishment- I'm building a habit, and I'm well aware stuff happens. I'll be back at it tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Personal Best and a New "21" for the 21st
What a great way to start out the week! I went for a run this morning, and I decided to run the whole "5k+" distance. I managed to do my personal best (PB), and I couldn't be more happy! I am really motivated to make sure I can keep up with DD8 at her Girls On The Run 5k in November.
Now that I've told you my exciting news for the day, I want to invite you to start something else that's exciting for you! I noticed that today is the 21st of October. The 21st reminds me that I need to begin a new "21" Challenge! I would love for readers to take this opportunity to challenge themselves to pick one BABY STEP toward Superwoman Status!
When I say baby step, I mean, teeny. tiny. baby. I am talking about this: If you are thinking about incorporating fitness into your life, start by making this commitment: "I will touch my toes when I put my feet on the ground in the morning!." This simple, tiny little thing helps shift your brain. just a little. tiny. bit.
The idea for "21" came from my trainer, Ian. He, too, advises taking very small steps to help yourself succeed.
DO NOT say, "Oh, yes, I'll do that! I'm giving up sweets!" arrgh! That's such a slippery slope, don't you think?? How about "I'm going to eat one piece of fruit before noon every day." Are you supposed to have more than that? Yep. But, if you're not getting a piece of fruit now, isn't one piece before noon better than zero pieces all day?
I hope you can see where I'm going with this "21" challenge! I LOVE them.
Oh, before I share my challenge with you, I want to hand down one more rule: If you mess up- I mean, if you mess up at all- you start over at Day #1. I'm really not a total meanie. The reason is not for punishment. The reason is because you are committing to 21 consecutive days of meeting your challenge. These are habits to change your life for the better, right? There's no hurry- if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right! :)
After the challenge- after you have completed 21 consecutive days in a row, the expectation is that you will want to incorporate this habit into your life at least 80% of the time. We all make mistakes or have an "off" day- shoot for changes that will become second nature, and things that you will want to continue to do daily (at least 80% of the time!)
If you're curious about my own "21"Challenge, here it is for everyone to see:
The Slacker (that's me!) will do a minimum of 10 minutes of exercise each and every day. I try to "work out" in some way at least 3 times per week, but I'm guilty of being pretty sloth-like on the other days. I want to build a habit of having exercise in my daily life- not a "workout", but some kind of something that will elevate my heart rate for just a few minutes!
Here's how I reward myself (oh, you KNOW I have to have instant gratification!):
I put a shiny star or smiley face on the wall calendar after my challenge is met each day! Simple, sweet, and oh-so-satisfying!
Then, once I complete my "21", I will offer myself a bigger reward. This time, I believe it will be a new sports bra and workout pants!
Please, leave your own "21" Challenge, comments, ideas, concerns, and questions in the comments section :) I can't wait to work with you!
Now that I've told you my exciting news for the day, I want to invite you to start something else that's exciting for you! I noticed that today is the 21st of October. The 21st reminds me that I need to begin a new "21" Challenge! I would love for readers to take this opportunity to challenge themselves to pick one BABY STEP toward Superwoman Status!
When I say baby step, I mean, teeny. tiny. baby. I am talking about this: If you are thinking about incorporating fitness into your life, start by making this commitment: "I will touch my toes when I put my feet on the ground in the morning!." This simple, tiny little thing helps shift your brain. just a little. tiny. bit.
The idea for "21" came from my trainer, Ian. He, too, advises taking very small steps to help yourself succeed.
DO NOT say, "Oh, yes, I'll do that! I'm giving up sweets!" arrgh! That's such a slippery slope, don't you think?? How about "I'm going to eat one piece of fruit before noon every day." Are you supposed to have more than that? Yep. But, if you're not getting a piece of fruit now, isn't one piece before noon better than zero pieces all day?
I hope you can see where I'm going with this "21" challenge! I LOVE them.
Oh, before I share my challenge with you, I want to hand down one more rule: If you mess up- I mean, if you mess up at all- you start over at Day #1. I'm really not a total meanie. The reason is not for punishment. The reason is because you are committing to 21 consecutive days of meeting your challenge. These are habits to change your life for the better, right? There's no hurry- if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right! :)
After the challenge- after you have completed 21 consecutive days in a row, the expectation is that you will want to incorporate this habit into your life at least 80% of the time. We all make mistakes or have an "off" day- shoot for changes that will become second nature, and things that you will want to continue to do daily (at least 80% of the time!)
If you're curious about my own "21"Challenge, here it is for everyone to see:
The Slacker (that's me!) will do a minimum of 10 minutes of exercise each and every day. I try to "work out" in some way at least 3 times per week, but I'm guilty of being pretty sloth-like on the other days. I want to build a habit of having exercise in my daily life- not a "workout", but some kind of something that will elevate my heart rate for just a few minutes!
Here's how I reward myself (oh, you KNOW I have to have instant gratification!):
I put a shiny star or smiley face on the wall calendar after my challenge is met each day! Simple, sweet, and oh-so-satisfying!
Then, once I complete my "21", I will offer myself a bigger reward. This time, I believe it will be a new sports bra and workout pants!
Please, leave your own "21" Challenge, comments, ideas, concerns, and questions in the comments section :) I can't wait to work with you!
- Today's exercise is done! I ran today. One shiny sticker is on the calendar :)
Friday, October 18, 2013
The "300" Mark
I have to admit, I keep watching my "pageviews". I don't think it's an accurate measure of who actually reads my blog, but it's exciting that people are hitting on the page. Is that even a term? I am learning so much about the blogosphere, but I'm pretty clueless. I know, you couldn't tell, right? haha. It's ok to have a laugh at my expense, I do it all the time!
I am almost at "300" pageviews! This is so exciting to me, because when I restarted (again. for like the third time.) a few days ago, I think I was on something like 66. I'm so excited that people have actually clicked to check out this page! If you are one of those folks, I thank you- and I welcome you to my blog and a little slice of my life!
Let's recap yesterday. I wanted to do TWO HOURS of housework with the kiddies. That, my friends, did not happen. Sometimes I am waaaay too ambitious. I forget I'm not Superwoman yet, and my kids' superpowers are not intuiting how I want them to do housework.
I sketched out a chart (just a rough sheet slapped on the wall- this is huge for me! I would usually get so lost in the detail that we would never even see a complete chart!). I put their names in columns, each column with numbers 1-12 (120 minutes divided into 10 minute "sets").
We made it through #4. We even took a rest break after #3... At that point, mommy had a little meltdown. Imagine this: my kids were not doing things the way I thought they should do them.
Then, something amazing happened. I read a blog that gave me a smack-down and pointed right in my face. Nony is a great writer. She's funny and smart and quick-witted... and sometimes, I think she has a video camera in my house. for REAL. You can read the post I'm talking about here: "Smarter" I don't like getting mad, yet I choose that reaction way too often. It makes me sad, but it makes me want to improve my Slacker status even more, which is a good thing!
So here's to sending the kids outside to play today and plugging away at a few 10-minute sets on my own. Enjoy the rest of your Friday! I know I'm going to :)
I am almost at "300" pageviews! This is so exciting to me, because when I restarted (again. for like the third time.) a few days ago, I think I was on something like 66. I'm so excited that people have actually clicked to check out this page! If you are one of those folks, I thank you- and I welcome you to my blog and a little slice of my life!
Let's recap yesterday. I wanted to do TWO HOURS of housework with the kiddies. That, my friends, did not happen. Sometimes I am waaaay too ambitious. I forget I'm not Superwoman yet, and my kids' superpowers are not intuiting how I want them to do housework.
I sketched out a chart (just a rough sheet slapped on the wall- this is huge for me! I would usually get so lost in the detail that we would never even see a complete chart!). I put their names in columns, each column with numbers 1-12 (120 minutes divided into 10 minute "sets").
We made it through #4. We even took a rest break after #3... At that point, mommy had a little meltdown. Imagine this: my kids were not doing things the way I thought they should do them.
Then, something amazing happened. I read a blog that gave me a smack-down and pointed right in my face. Nony is a great writer. She's funny and smart and quick-witted... and sometimes, I think she has a video camera in my house. for REAL. You can read the post I'm talking about here: "Smarter" I don't like getting mad, yet I choose that reaction way too often. It makes me sad, but it makes me want to improve my Slacker status even more, which is a good thing!
So here's to sending the kids outside to play today and plugging away at a few 10-minute sets on my own. Enjoy the rest of your Friday! I know I'm going to :)
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Wednesday was Play-Day
We went a-playing yesterday! We had a fun time at the indoor playground and the old-timey ice cream parlor. I have really enjoyed being able to go and do a few relatively inexpensive things with the kids during our new and improved, extended Fall Break.
On another note, the menu failed again yesterday.. like, as in, DID NOT DO. It's frustrating, and I shouldn't have started with something that depends on DH to "want" it (the kids won't eat it, so it's silly to make it if he wo..blahblahexcuseblah) But today is a new day! I'm going to make some crockpot something-or-other chicken!
Today is also a cleaning day. Today we must clean for TWO HOURS. All of us. I'm going to get out the timer and require 10 minutes at a time! Oh yes, it's a game!! Now, answer this: is the game for my Inner Brat Peggy, or is it "for the kids"?? Yah, totally for the kids, right? *cough*
I'll let you know the hows and how-it-went after we're done! I'd love to hear your thoughts, links and ideas for cleaning with kids!
Today is also a cleaning day. Today we must clean for TWO HOURS. All of us. I'm going to get out the timer and require 10 minutes at a time! Oh yes, it's a game!! Now, answer this: is the game for my Inner Brat Peggy, or is it "for the kids"?? Yah, totally for the kids, right? *cough*
I'll let you know the hows and how-it-went after we're done! I'd love to hear your thoughts, links and ideas for cleaning with kids!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Follow up on Menu Planning!
I just wanted to add a quick note and "proof" that I have done something toward "menu planning". Yep, it's not at all what I had envisioned.. but it's something for the next 2 days' dinner!
Ok, I confess. The "brats" were leftover from tonight's plan. DH wasn't feeling the greatest, so I skipped them and gave the kiddies hot dogs.
I DID, however, make jalapeno poppers tonight! I had too many of these:
I used this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/baked-jalapeno-poppers-recipe/index.html to make these oven baked poppers (I know, they're not pretty... but yummm!)
Ok, I confess. The "brats" were leftover from tonight's plan. DH wasn't feeling the greatest, so I skipped them and gave the kiddies hot dogs.
I DID, however, make jalapeno poppers tonight! I had too many of these:
I used this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/baked-jalapeno-poppers-recipe/index.html to make these oven baked poppers (I know, they're not pretty... but yummm!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)