I am a big giant grump! Especially in the morning. When I wake up, I want to get something to eat, drink a cup of coffee and be left alone! I've always been grumpy in the morning. I don't know how to change this. I want to be the kind of person that wakes up refreshed, energized and ready to tackle the day.
I miss the days of sleeping in, waking up on my own, laying in bed until I feel like getting up.
HELLO? You have kids now! In case you haven't noticed, they are three and four! They need constant attention. They wake up early. They wake up with lots of energy and lots of questions!
Grab that cup of coffee and force a smile! I read an article years ago that said if you force a smile, you actually trigger "feel good" hormones in your body, helping to turn your mood around. So here it goes! Wearing a smile as I type, deciding to be happy rather than grumpy!
After that cup of coffee, I'll drink some water, take a multivitamin and get moving!
Lots to do today! We are celebrating my youngest's birthday!
I feel better already! I think I feel a "real" smile coming on! Maybe it's the coffee!
We Can Do This!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Organize for a Moment
Part of my transformation is to get organized. Too many areas in my house "Get on my last nerve!". Overstuffed closets, jumbled junk drawers, makeup mayhem....It's time to tackle these areas one at a time.
My fridge was very empty; awaiting a fill up from the grocery store. What better time to give it a clean out then when it's mostly empty? In my haste to get it done, I dragged everything out and then thought....Oh, I should have got a "before "picture. So you will have to trust me on this one. My fridge is cleaned out! Everything is within it's expiration date! I even moved the fridge and cleaned the floor underneath.
How do you store your onions? I usually put them in one of the crisper drawers in the fridge...Is there a better way? How do you keep the flakes of the onion skin mess under control?
I also tackled the silverware drawer. Here is the before picture! I know your diggin' the orange, circa 1970 silverware tray!
I used to have a child proof latch on this drawer because I kept the paring knives in there....look at that gray one pointing the wrong way! Lacerated finger waiting to happen. The boys are able to get their own silverware now, so it was time for a change.
I bought some silverware bins at Wal-Mart for around $2.40 a piece. Now it looks so much better and is much safer for little fingers!
Small Changes! Big Rewards!
Join me in getting organized one little step at a time.
We Can Do This!
My fridge was very empty; awaiting a fill up from the grocery store. What better time to give it a clean out then when it's mostly empty? In my haste to get it done, I dragged everything out and then thought....Oh, I should have got a "before "picture. So you will have to trust me on this one. My fridge is cleaned out! Everything is within it's expiration date! I even moved the fridge and cleaned the floor underneath.
How do you store your onions? I usually put them in one of the crisper drawers in the fridge...Is there a better way? How do you keep the flakes of the onion skin mess under control?
I also tackled the silverware drawer. Here is the before picture! I know your diggin' the orange, circa 1970 silverware tray!
I used to have a child proof latch on this drawer because I kept the paring knives in there....look at that gray one pointing the wrong way! Lacerated finger waiting to happen. The boys are able to get their own silverware now, so it was time for a change.
I bought some silverware bins at Wal-Mart for around $2.40 a piece. Now it looks so much better and is much safer for little fingers!
Small Changes! Big Rewards!
Join me in getting organized one little step at a time.
We Can Do This!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pulling Weeds
This evening I was pulling weeds in my flower beds. Weeds grow in our beautiful flower gardens whether we like it or not. They are unattractive and compete with plants for water and nutrients. But with some consistency they can be managed. It just takes a little time and some motivation, and a willingness to get your hands dirty.
Where am I going with this?
I guess I am trying to relate beautiful flowers to our own beautiful bodies. That's right! Beautiful! Each of us is a beautiful flower growing in the garden of life. Flowers come in all shapes, sizes and colors yet they are ALL God's beautiful creations. WE are ALL God's beautiful creations. Some of us are fully bloomed and weed free! Some of us need a bit more fertilizer and need the weeds to be pulled. But every single one of us is beautiful and has the potential to fully bloom!
My blooming gets stunted because I allow too many weeds to stay in my garden. I dwell on the negative things in my life, the weeds. Things like: The customer that yelled at me or not always feeling like I have the most patience with my kids, comparing myself to others and not being at my ideal fitness level or weight. It's time to pull the weeds.
Stop letting these unattractive thoughts and ideals compete with my well being and happiness.
Allow myself to bloom fully!
Everyone knows that weeds grow back. We need to be consistent in pulling out the weeds. If we do nothing, the weeds consume the flowers and the flowers start to wither.
Allow yourself to bloom into the beautiful flower you were meant to be!
Let's drink more water, feed our bodies well and keep the weeds at bay.
We Can Do This!
Where am I going with this?
I guess I am trying to relate beautiful flowers to our own beautiful bodies. That's right! Beautiful! Each of us is a beautiful flower growing in the garden of life. Flowers come in all shapes, sizes and colors yet they are ALL God's beautiful creations. WE are ALL God's beautiful creations. Some of us are fully bloomed and weed free! Some of us need a bit more fertilizer and need the weeds to be pulled. But every single one of us is beautiful and has the potential to fully bloom!
My blooming gets stunted because I allow too many weeds to stay in my garden. I dwell on the negative things in my life, the weeds. Things like: The customer that yelled at me or not always feeling like I have the most patience with my kids, comparing myself to others and not being at my ideal fitness level or weight. It's time to pull the weeds.
Stop letting these unattractive thoughts and ideals compete with my well being and happiness.
Allow myself to bloom fully!
Everyone knows that weeds grow back. We need to be consistent in pulling out the weeds. If we do nothing, the weeds consume the flowers and the flowers start to wither.
Allow yourself to bloom into the beautiful flower you were meant to be!
Let's drink more water, feed our bodies well and keep the weeds at bay.
We Can Do This!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Stress Sucks!
How does stress affect you? Do you eat everything in sight? Do you loose your appetite? Do you just sit down and cry? Or do you thrive on stress.... grit your teeth and bear it?
I don't handle stress very well. It gets the best of me. It makes me want to throw up my hands and surrender.
When I feel completely stressed I picture myself running away down a deserted road. Running as fast as I can, heart pounding so hard I think it will jump out of my chest, until I'm so exhausted I no longer have the ability to feel any emotion. Lord knows at my current level of physical fitness I would be able to run approximately 500 feet before I fell to the ground gasping for air. My body is telling me that it needs a physical outlet! It needs to be out of breath and sweat! It's telling me to build endurance. It is telling me "This is the way to handle the stress!" EXERCISE!
It seems that the only reasonable time for me to workout will be in the early morning before my kids wake up. They are usually up and ready to rock and roll by 7:30 am or earlier. This means I will need to be up by 6:00 am to eat something and head downstairs to workout. UGH! I hate getting up in the morning.
Dozens of times before I have set my alarm with good intentions to get up and exercise.
It always has the same outcome:
Clock radio blares in my ear, my hand slams the snooze button and in 2.3 seconds I'm back asleep for nine more glorious minutes. Repeat this cycle several more times until my kids wake up or I have only 23 minutes left to shower, dress, eat and leave for work. Then I scold myself inside my head for being weak and unmotivated. Well guess what? I'm going to give it another try. My body needs this! I need this!
I'll let you know how it goes.....
When do you exercise?
We Can Do This!
UPDATE:
I said I would let you know how it went....phhhh.
My youngest woke up at 4:20 am because his diaper leaked. I got him changed and back to bed. I laid in bed wide awake...having a conversation with myself in my head "You should just get up and exercise now since you can't fall back asleep." "It is only 4:40 am. You'll be able to get a little more sleep before your alarm goes off."
So I laid there until 5:10 am. That must be when I fell asleep because I woke up at 5:15 am when my youngest crawled in my bed. He snuggled right in. 'Sigh'. Now it's either lay here with him OR he will be up and ready for the day. I turned off my alarm.
I will figure something out. I can do this!
I don't handle stress very well. It gets the best of me. It makes me want to throw up my hands and surrender.
When I feel completely stressed I picture myself running away down a deserted road. Running as fast as I can, heart pounding so hard I think it will jump out of my chest, until I'm so exhausted I no longer have the ability to feel any emotion. Lord knows at my current level of physical fitness I would be able to run approximately 500 feet before I fell to the ground gasping for air. My body is telling me that it needs a physical outlet! It needs to be out of breath and sweat! It's telling me to build endurance. It is telling me "This is the way to handle the stress!" EXERCISE!
It seems that the only reasonable time for me to workout will be in the early morning before my kids wake up. They are usually up and ready to rock and roll by 7:30 am or earlier. This means I will need to be up by 6:00 am to eat something and head downstairs to workout. UGH! I hate getting up in the morning.
Dozens of times before I have set my alarm with good intentions to get up and exercise.
It always has the same outcome:
Clock radio blares in my ear, my hand slams the snooze button and in 2.3 seconds I'm back asleep for nine more glorious minutes. Repeat this cycle several more times until my kids wake up or I have only 23 minutes left to shower, dress, eat and leave for work. Then I scold myself inside my head for being weak and unmotivated. Well guess what? I'm going to give it another try. My body needs this! I need this!
I'll let you know how it goes.....
When do you exercise?
We Can Do This!
UPDATE:
I said I would let you know how it went....phhhh.
My youngest woke up at 4:20 am because his diaper leaked. I got him changed and back to bed. I laid in bed wide awake...having a conversation with myself in my head "You should just get up and exercise now since you can't fall back asleep." "It is only 4:40 am. You'll be able to get a little more sleep before your alarm goes off."
So I laid there until 5:10 am. That must be when I fell asleep because I woke up at 5:15 am when my youngest crawled in my bed. He snuggled right in. 'Sigh'. Now it's either lay here with him OR he will be up and ready for the day. I turned off my alarm.
I will figure something out. I can do this!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Staring 40 In The Face!
In 8 months and some odd days I will celebrate my 40th birthday. It's now or never people! It's time to motivate and move. That's right! Exercise! I am setting my 8 month goal today.
I know that I will not be able to meet my weight loss goal without exercise... unless I want to walk around feeling like a hollow log desperate for a full belly.
My goal is to loose 23 pounds in 8 months. That will bring me to 140. This weight puts me right where I need to be for a healthy BMI.
The exercise bike has been pulled out and space cleared to revive my old workout videos (yes still on VHS). I will take it slow. I will consider any amount of exercise a triumph! I will not scold myself if I can't make it to the end--or even to the middle of a 30 minute workout!
Have you set any goals? Care to share?
WE CAN DO THIS!
I know that I will not be able to meet my weight loss goal without exercise... unless I want to walk around feeling like a hollow log desperate for a full belly.
My goal is to loose 23 pounds in 8 months. That will bring me to 140. This weight puts me right where I need to be for a healthy BMI.
The exercise bike has been pulled out and space cleared to revive my old workout videos (yes still on VHS). I will take it slow. I will consider any amount of exercise a triumph! I will not scold myself if I can't make it to the end--or even to the middle of a 30 minute workout!
Have you set any goals? Care to share?
WE CAN DO THIS!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
That's It! No More Cookies!
Self Control is something that I stuggle with when it comes to food. Especially yummy dessert types of food. Chocolate, Cookies, and Brownies...OH MY!
I know better than to buy any of these at the grocery store. If I were to buy a bag of Oreos, my kids would get one serving and I would eat the rest until they were gone. And all the while in my head I say "Well, I HAVE to eat the whole bag now! Get them out of the house and start fresh tomorrow!" So far that plan HAS NOT worked out very well.
I'm bordering on the idea of just saying NO to cookies and other goodies forever. Oh the horror! I almost feel like I'm addicted to these types of foods when they are within my reach. I just can't let them sit in the cupboard. I HAVE to eat them.
It sounds crazy, I know....
For now I will say NO to buying anymore of these sweets--not even the 100 calorie packs of cookies (because you know I will eat all six packs until they are gone). I will allow myself to have a treat while at a birthday party or other special occasion. I need to find a better food choice to satisy my sweet cravings 'cause carrots sticks ain't cuttin' it!
I hate drinking water! LOL....this is so funny to me! I really hate it. I'm actually smiling from ear to ear right now.
The very thing that I am working to drink more of .. I hate!
Ugh!
It's boring and has no social meaning. You never say to your best friend "Hey, let's meet for a cup of water".
Not doing so well on this avenue but rather than put the car in park and get out, I will shift into drive and get moving.
I can do this!
We Can Do This!
I know better than to buy any of these at the grocery store. If I were to buy a bag of Oreos, my kids would get one serving and I would eat the rest until they were gone. And all the while in my head I say "Well, I HAVE to eat the whole bag now! Get them out of the house and start fresh tomorrow!" So far that plan HAS NOT worked out very well.
I'm bordering on the idea of just saying NO to cookies and other goodies forever. Oh the horror! I almost feel like I'm addicted to these types of foods when they are within my reach. I just can't let them sit in the cupboard. I HAVE to eat them.
It sounds crazy, I know....
For now I will say NO to buying anymore of these sweets--not even the 100 calorie packs of cookies (because you know I will eat all six packs until they are gone). I will allow myself to have a treat while at a birthday party or other special occasion. I need to find a better food choice to satisy my sweet cravings 'cause carrots sticks ain't cuttin' it!
I hate drinking water! LOL....this is so funny to me! I really hate it. I'm actually smiling from ear to ear right now.
The very thing that I am working to drink more of .. I hate!
Ugh!
It's boring and has no social meaning. You never say to your best friend "Hey, let's meet for a cup of water".
Not doing so well on this avenue but rather than put the car in park and get out, I will shift into drive and get moving.
I can do this!
We Can Do This!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Back From A Vacation!
Webster defines the word "vacation" as: A period of rest from work!
HA! Anyone who has kids knows there is NO SUCH THING AS A VACATION!
Now, if we are talking in simple terms as "work" being your place of employment only.....well then, I guess I had a period of rest from "work".........a vacation.
But if we are talking about "work" being described as toil and labor....I definitely DID NOT have a vacation. Don't get me wrong, we did have some lovely family time! But, it was exhausting. I am glad to be home!
Did I manage to drink a lot of water while on vacation? Umm, does the ice in "iced coffee" count?
And the veg thing? Don't some public schools claim french fries as a veggie?
I honestly tried to eat some green beans when we went to a local family restaurant, but they came drowned in butter (note to self, make sure you ask the waiter if they come soaked in butter before you order). I took a few bites, but left the majority in the dish. By the way, if you ever come across "Ham Balls" on the menu, Steer Clear!
Basically I didn't fare so well on our vacation.
Now that we are home, I'm ready to dive back in.
MORE WATER, MORE VEG minus the saturated fat!
What is your best advice for eating on vacation?
We Can Do This!
HA! Anyone who has kids knows there is NO SUCH THING AS A VACATION!
Now, if we are talking in simple terms as "work" being your place of employment only.....well then, I guess I had a period of rest from "work".........a vacation.
But if we are talking about "work" being described as toil and labor....I definitely DID NOT have a vacation. Don't get me wrong, we did have some lovely family time! But, it was exhausting. I am glad to be home!
Did I manage to drink a lot of water while on vacation? Umm, does the ice in "iced coffee" count?
And the veg thing? Don't some public schools claim french fries as a veggie?
I honestly tried to eat some green beans when we went to a local family restaurant, but they came drowned in butter (note to self, make sure you ask the waiter if they come soaked in butter before you order). I took a few bites, but left the majority in the dish. By the way, if you ever come across "Ham Balls" on the menu, Steer Clear!
Basically I didn't fare so well on our vacation.
Now that we are home, I'm ready to dive back in.
MORE WATER, MORE VEG minus the saturated fat!
What is your best advice for eating on vacation?
We Can Do This!
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