Progress

As we enter into a new week, we reflect on the last week to see what we accomplished and what we need to improve upon.  I will say that the snow definitely helped me because it gave me a little more time to work out during the day, which I am proud to say happened 4 times last week!  (Woohoo!) but I was actually able to work it into my schedule at work one day too, which was a since of accomplishment.  I am slowly remembering why I used to work out 4 days a week before I was married.  It is a wonderful stress reliever.  And believe me when I say I have a lot of stress right now.  But I am realizing that just by being able to "sweat it out" a little, I already feel like I am in a better frame of mind.  I feel good.  And I even treated myself to some new workout gear over the weekend.  A few things happened this week that reminded me, though, that I still have a lot of work to do with letting things go.  I am still getting my feathers ruffled by what people say or what they do.  One thing that I have to remember:  If I am going though a lot, then I am sure other people are experiencing issues that are stressful to them.  I have to remember that the world does not stop if I have a bad day.  Other people are entitled to bad days too, right? So, things to remember for the week ahead....keep working exercise into the schedule and take the time to ask someone how they are doing.  It can mean so much to that someone.  Happy Week, everyone!

Baby Steps

This title is loaded with meaning...I am making strides to a better, more organized, more calm me in 2014.  I was able to work out (okay, maybe it was just once, but I did it!), the Cozi Family Calendar worked wonders for our meal planning this week (take out during the week is going to be a thing of the past).  So I am making baby steps towards my goals.  But I'm also realizing that baby steps is the reason I am not getting as much done.  I'm not saying I don't have the time, but when I do, I am so tired that I am ready for dreamland.  I came to the realization with everything we have going on that I need to modify my goals.  I still want to let go of the things that are holding me back.  But I also need to not worry so much everyday about meeting these goals and just relish in being in the moment and cherish being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend.  With that said, I'm still going to work out today and try on those jeans I've been waiting 4 years to get back into....I'll let you know next week how close I am (or how far, depending on how you want to look at it).  Enjoy the week y'all and let your family know you love them!

Week One...FAIL!

Does anyone else go into the first week of a new year all revved up and ready to go?  I was so motivated to get to the gym, start eating right, etc.  Since this is the year of letting go, I was going to start with the physical stuff (easy first) and work towards the hard stuff....well, that didn't quite happen.  Hubby got an SOS call (literally) on Saturday night, a plea to please drive a boat down to Key West and it had to be there by the end of the week.  A stressful meeting was scheduled for Monday, and awaiting news pretty much took up the rest of my energy. Needless to say, my kids were fed, my husband made it there and back, and the news was good, but I was a little less patient with co-workers, kids, and the lady in the cafeteria.  So to everyone out there that came in contact with me between Monday and Thursday - a big "I'm sorry!" So, I am having a "do over" week.  I am going to practice patience (breathe in, breathe out) and get to the gym three days this week.  And I have already planned my menu for the week (love Cozi!!) to avoid take-out (tip:  take out does nothing for the waist line or bank account - not helping let go of two of my items).  How did everyone else do this week?  Did everyone stick to their resolutions?  I would love to hear your success (and failures).  Hopefully, this coming week will be just what I need to jump start my year!!

New Year, New Me....Maybe

So, 2013 brought lots of changes for me and my family.  Probably the biggest, and the one that is the catalyst for all of the other changes is we welcomed our baby girl in April.  And after adjusting to life with three kids, she is a perfect fit for our family.  She is beautiful, laid back, and definitely a welcome addition.  One thing that didn't change for me is the ability to let things go....wow, this is a loaded phrase, right?  There are so many things that I hold onto - material things (i.e. the baby's coming home outfit, notes from my best friend in high school), emotional things (will I ever let it go that my husband was mean to me on April 17, 2008 at exactly 8:02 pm?), and, of course, the extra pounds that for four years I liked to call my battle scars - it proved that I was a Mom!!

Making resolutions is so cliché, but I always get excited at the new year, and the prospects that it can bring.  The anticipation of what's to come.  So, this year I have goals.  I want to be able to let go of some of the things that I have been holding onto too tightly for the past however many years.  I want to get and stay healthy, and I want to teach my family healthy living habits.  I also want to write my blog more regular.  These are my goals.  What are yours?

Too much

The past two days while reading the news, I can't help but feel that we take things way too serious nowadays and we as Americans can't just take things for what they are and let some things go.  First, it was the principal that threatened the valedictorian with his future because the student didn't use the speech that was edited for him by school officials and, here is the kicker, he mentioned God and Jesus in the speech. Having read the speech, I personally didn't think that the mention of God and Jesus was appropriate for the commencement speech, but I certainly didn't think it was worth taking the student's appointment to the Naval Academy away.  And the beauty of living in this country is that everyone can have their own opinion. 

Today, I read the news and see that there as in issue now with the Zesty Italian commercial.  Again, everyone has their own opinion and I personally find the ad quite amusing.  But I can see where some people wouldn't like it, but, yet again, is it worth making a stink about it?

I feel like too many times we focus on the frivolous and we have lost our sense of humor.  We have also lost our ability  to be tolerant of others and their beliefs.  Let's stop taking everything so seriously, focus on the issues that are truly important, and let other people express themselves too!  Be tolerant of others and let things go!

Welcome Summer, Welcome Baby, Welcome Change

It's hard to adjust to change.  Just when I think that I have the hang of things, I get what I want and welcome another member in my family.  In April, we welcomed our baby girl and, after six weeks and many sleepless nights, we still haven't gotten the hang of things.  I don't remember my first crying so much or not sleeping as much, but this little one seems to always want to know what's going on.  As hard as I work on getting her to sleep for longer periods during the night, she seems to sleep less and less.  Maybe it's because she senses that this will be my last baby and she knows that I need to spend as much time enjoying it as possible.  And in my quest to make things "perfect," I won't take the time to cherish it unless forced to (hence the many sleepless nights).

Change is everywhere.  Just the other day, my husband and I were talking about how, now that I am no longer "with child," we need to take more time for us....which is a big change because for the past four years, I have dedicated myself to my family and sort of lost myself in (and to) that.  I don't regret my decisions, but I realize that there is time for just me and my husband to.

I am also determined to make a change to myself, both physically and emotionally.  For my own happiness (and hopefully my husband's) I need to get myself back into shape.  Not just losing the baby weight, but losing the weight I gained before my son was born almost 4 years ago and getting healthy again.  My goal is to get to where I was when I got married (fingers crossed).  Emotionally I need to change too.  My patience has certainly been tested while I have been home on leave.  I realize that I do need to take more time to enjoy the little things and not worry so much about the laundry or the groceries.  I need to feel good about myself again and really find where I belong outside of being a mom and a wife.

I dedicate this summer to change and I hope that you will follow me as I embark on this journey.  There will be some highs and there will be some lows, but it won't be boring.  It's time to embrace change!!!

Maybe I Read Too Much Into Things...

Okay, I will admit, I was always the child that questioned EVERYTHING?  If my mom told me to do something, I asked why?  If my teacher told me something as fact, I asked, "how do you know that?"  And, as long as you could give me a plausible answer to back up what you said, I was fine with it.  I guess I have carried that trait into my grown-up personal life (I know I carried into my grown up professional life, though I try to ask it internally more).  Maybe I think too much, or maybe I don't think enough, but I have to say, something that I read last night really bugged me....and maybe I am reading too much into it, you decide.

As everyone knows, I am pregnant for the second time. And, as most of you know, I quit breastfeeding with my first after four days.  I know, I held on for as long as I cold, I don't like to be known as a quitter.  But, looking back on my decision, I know I gave up too quickly, and I know I put too much pressure on myself.  However, I decided it was in the best interest of my child and myself to switch to formula feeding (and yes, there is something to be said for feeding your child and sipping a glass of red wine at the same time...)

I have made the decision to try again, though.  I feel that I owe it to myself and my baby to try, and we'll decide together what's best.  So, this time, I am actually trying to educate myself on techniques and other things that I probably should have known the first time around.  I am the type of person that I am fearful of the unknown - if I have the "know how" then I feel more prepared and a little less overwhelmed. 

A friend of mine gave me a book to read so I started last night.  And it really is a good book in terms of the facts about correct positioning, how to store your milk, how soon after delivery to do you start, etc, etc, etc....however (and now to the point of this blog) I was a little offended by the insults the author made to women that did decide to formula feed, to the women that gave up on breastfeeding, to the women's "support" that didn't give the proper support when a woman was thinking about quitting, and to the woman who made the decision and the "harm" she has caused her child.  Now, with that said, I can say, "I am a formula fed baby that, aside from some genetic issues with my tonsils and adenoids, I rarely ever got sick, I finished in the top 11 of my graduating class (out of almost 400) and graduated college in 3 1/2 years....so I don't think that breastfeeding would have made much difference.  I can also say that my son, exclusively formula fed except for his first 4 days, has had 1 ear infection (can you hear me knocking on wood?), been sick maybe twice, and, if I do say so myself, is very smart for his three years.  When he was 6 months old, his doctor told me that he was very advanced in his social skills.

Now, I do know that, scientifically, there are benefits to breastfeeding, I am not debating that.  What I am debating is the idea that mothers who choose not to breastfeed are somehow "bad" mothers, the way this author was insinuating.  There is enough pressure on every mother out there today, do we really need more?  Do we really need to question our decisions, and then have someone tell us that we are wrong?  While a part of me wishes that I had educated myself more with my first, I think the decision that I made actually made me a better mother, because, after I made the decision (through frantic phone calls and lots of tears), I relaxed for the first time and held my baby with all of my love while he ate formula - and he was happy.  So, to all of you mothers out there, do what is best for you.  Do not listen to the insults or the judgements.  And all of you other people out there, think twice before passing judgement on someone else.  You haven't walked in their shoes.