Week 23-I wanna quit the gym!

Probably the funniest "Friends" episodes ever was when Ross and Chandler attmept to quit the gym... seriously, that's some funny stuff!
Now, you're probably saying "Uhhh... how are you going to work on this if you aren't going to the gym anymore?" Well, I have a secret and it's called Just Dance!
Yep.. that's right.. the video game is my new work out, along with weekly walking in my "moon shoes" aka Shape-ups and visits from Ms Jillian Micheals. I thought long and hard about it... and it just made sense to save the money and be creative. And I am seeing results too!! So, you can have your gym and their fancy machines... I will "jungle boogie" my booty off!!

Week 22-The Boys Club

I like to be involved... I like to know what is going on... I want to do it all... but, I can't and I have accepted that. I mentioned before that I have acknowledged that The Hubby is capable at raising his own kids... he's responsible and trustworthy. :) And I love watching the boys play "boy like" with their Daddy in the backyard... being tackled and flipped like only a father can do.. and in a way that makes a mother cringe and look away... but you hear the laughter and see them running back for more and you KNOW it's the way that they bond.

My boys snuggle with me and whisper secrets in my ear. They hug me and give me kisses. We enjoying coloring, doing art and dancing...

I'm ok if I'm "left out" of the Boys Club...I know that I have a special membership to a secret society that no one else has.

Week 21-Waiting to Exhale

It was a 1995 blockbuster... my first R rated movie in the theater.. the one with Whitney Houston and the fabulous soundtrack. A story about four friend that are "holding their breath" until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man.

Lost??

I'm not "holding my breath" waiting for the right man... I found him, married him and love him dearly everyday! No, I think I have been "holding my breath" in hopes that I would feel "comfortable" in my role as a mother... and I finally had to exhale and realize that I will never be a perfect mom, but a "fun, learn as I go, laughing" mom. And I'm ok with that! I have stopped comparing myself to other mothers... I have stopped trying to be something that I am not. I want me children to remember ME... and not a version of me that i wanted them to see. I'm happy in my "mommy skin"... it's stretched a bit, maybe a little lose in some spots... but it's me... and it reminds me of the beautiful gifts that God have given me to take care of. If I make any changes in my life, it is for THEM and no one else!!

Week 20- Letting Go...

This has been a hard week for me...

My little baby, my firstborn is graduating PreK... BIG CHANGE... in a few months he will be in kindergarten and soon I will be sending him off to college... I know that it's not THAT close, but June 2023 is only a blink away!

And we received some not some great news on the house that we put an offer in on back in March...it's not bad news, or terrible news... but just "not what we wanted to hear" type of news. The sellers have decided to declare bankruptcy and are filing Chapter 7... BUT... (the sliver lining) they are excluding the house and so we can still buy it... but we just have to wait a little longer while the red tape and lawyers are all sorted out. We knew going into this, that a short sale" is anything but...but the process is becoming longer and the date of our possible closing and moving in is getting pushed further and further back. Which is making me scared in terms of getting my Big PreK Graduate registered for kindergarten in the school that we chose and then found a house in that district... that we're not able to buy (yet)... which led me to this..

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Yeah... that's what I thought too! :) But it wasn't hard to go... I just did it... I laid it back down and said to Him, 'You have the right path for our family and I WILL NOT doubt what you will do for us... I will trust in You and in Your decisions for our family..." And can I tell you, it was the easiest thing I have done. I'm not stressed about it... when people ask me about the house situation or LG's school... I smile and say "It's being taken care of."

Because I know that it is...

Week 19- Cleaning My Plate

I have a problem... I bite off more than I can chew. I'm not talking about food again, but more about my "time diet." I take on tasks, agree to host or chair things or just think that I am supermom/wife/woman... and suddenly, I look at my plate and its so full that I'm not sure where to begin. I try to take "bites" of each thing, one at a time... giving each job a little bit of my time and trying to work around the plate. It goes well for a while... but then someone brings out another delicious dish that I just can't say "no" to... and I put it smack in the middle of my plate! And BAM... I'm already stuffed, but my plate is still full and I have to clean it (like my momma taught me!) So, by the time I'm done, I'm uncomfortable and think to myself "I don't know why I ate all that...I didn't even want all that food and it wasn't even that good."
Sooooo... my change is simple. JUST SAY NO! I have to learn to say "No Thank You" and not take on 101 million tasks. I need to pick a few that I KNOW I can make the time to finish and still enjoy each and every one. This is going to be a difficult change for me, but one that will probably make the most impact on my life. I'm still going to "clean my plate" but just not take too many portions!

Week 18- The Hubby IS Capable

All mothers have it... MOTHER'S GUILT...I'm not sure where it comes from, but the second your first born is set into your arms, you mentally grow 5 more arms and feel that NO ONE can do "your job". You completely ignore that "other person" standing the the delivery room... as if HE had nothing to do with the birth and so then the upbringing of this little person falls singly into your lap... as well as the care of your home/the clothes you wear/the food your eat/etc...

I have talked about the conscience decision that I will make sure to make some ME time... I have talked about this before here and here...but this time around my thought is this:

The house/family/world will NOT fall apart of I let someone else (i.e. The Hubby) take care of things. He is capable of taking care of the kids... He is able to cook dinner... He can wash clothes AND fold them too! If I step out of the house, it will NOT catch on fire.

I had this thought the other night when I went on a 30 minute walk.. alone. I left the house, with the dishes needing to be washed and the boys needing bathes. As I walked, I thought about what I would walk back into... I mentally unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it again, wiped the counters down, fixed the coffee of the next morning, got the boys in the tub...etc...

BUT... I walked into the house and everything was done... PLUS, LC was in bed and LG and The Hubby were working on worksheets at the CLEAN kitchen counter. Was I surprised... YES.. should I have been? NO... My husband is capable of taking care of HIS children and HIS house! Once I let that thought seep in, I could feel a weight lifting off my shoulders.

Of course, I have ALWAYS known he was capable, but I had to accept that it was...and then the change was made!

Week 17- The Scale

Who in the world likes the scale?! I want to meet ONE person to tells me that the LOVE their scale and the information that it provides them... then I want to smack them with said scale!

BUT... the scale can be our frenemy and we can use it to our advantage. It can help us gauge how much damage that milkshake, chocolate cake AND sleeve of Oreos does to our backside...and it can help us celebrate when we do not give into temptation. But, we cannot go at it alone. It's a tough fight, and we need the right weapons and warriors on our side... which is why I decided that the team that I needed in my corner was Weight Watchers.

I have joined WW before... back in college, they helped be loss 25 pounds in a summer and after LG was born, they helped me to get ready for my 10 years high school reunion. After LC was born, I think from chasing a preschooler and taking care of a new born, as well as my daily life.. I was able to reach my pre-baby #2 weight... but it was not my "goal weight" For the past six months, I have hovered around the same weight.. going up or down 1-3 pounds. So, with my half birthday (yes, I celebreate my half birthday!) I thought that if I loss a pound a week, I will reach my goal by my birthday!! What a great gift that will be!!

So, I am on my way... week one is down and I'm down 1.6 pounds... and this week, I LOVED the change I saw!