Lack of Motivation

Everyone knows how important exercise is.  It should be a part of everyone's daily regimen, without fail.  And exercise can be anything from running to swimming to tossing the ball around in the yard with some friends or your kids.

Along with eating right, exercise can have the most amazing benefits.  Studies have proven people sleep better; have better brain function; more stamina; increased sex-drive; overall better attitude; and  even an inclination to eat a more healthy diet.  Overall, exercise works wonders for people.

So why don't we do it?

I don't know about anyone else, but I go through spurts of lacking motivation (like the last 2 months).  But I also go through spurts of watch-out-Imma-kick-some-ass motivation (like the 3 months prior to that).  Right now, I'm actually thinking to myself, "Damn, I was ripped for those 3 months!"  So why did I stop?

I suppose I could go into all kinds of excuses about how we just moved into a new house, and my two older kids are in school, and I'm still home with my youngest.  And since my husband isn't here full-time yet, I'm basically a single mother while he's gone.  I have lunches to make, dinners to make, food shopping, dentist appointments, doctor appointments, blah blah, blah.

But now that all of that has been [mostly] taken care of, what are my excuses now?  Millions of people, parents or not, manage to find the time in their day to exercise.  But, wait, oh!  I have to make curtains for the dining room.  Oh!  And my youngest starts her one-hour-fifteen-minute preschool class this week.  Gotta prepare for that.

Are those really excuses?

A broken foot?  Excuse.  Some other physical injury?  Excuse.  Making curtains for the dining room?  Not so much.

So what's the hold up?  I know how great I was feeling when I was working out every day.  I'm not lazy.  At the very least I've been walking about a mile every morning with my youngest.  I even bought these amazing PowerBlock weights when we moved here.  And I've used them once.  Once.

Nike, Greek Goddess of Victory

Nike is the Greek Goddess of Victory?  Nike.  The most popular brand of athletic footwear, with the most popular tagline: Just Do It.  She was the goddess of strength, speed and victory.  She flew around battlefields and rewarded all those who fought with praise and honor!  She is the ideal  representation of athletes.

So I'm going to Just Do It.  I'm going to leave the excuses behind.  And it's going to feel great.

Parent Fail of the Century

I don't know what made me think of this story, but I thought it'd be fun[ny] to share... no judging allowed.

Shortly after my youngest turned 1, the kids and I were getting ready to leave the house.  I'm a stay-at-home-mom, and hubs was at work.  We typically spent our mornings at the YMCA, where the kids played in Child Watch and I worked out.

The kids were dressed and ready, so I took my turn and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get dressed.  When I went to check on them, I discovered that my youngest had gotten into the empty baby food jars I had stored on our baker's rack in the kitchen.  To my dismay, I discovered that one of the glass jars had broken and landed right where she was sitting.  So, with my toothbrush in my mouth, I picked her up and brought her into the living room with her brother and sister.  I checked to make sure she hadn't gotten cut or hurt (she hadn't), and finished my morning routine in my bedroom (we lived in a 1-story home, so I was just a few feet from each room).

When I came back into the living to corral the stinkers into their shoes, my littlest stinker had something in her mouth.  And she was chewing voraciously.  Any guesses as to what it was?  Hmmm?

It was glass.  My one-year-old daughter was chewing on glass.  Yep.  You read it here, folks.  My daughter was chewing on glass while she was unattended by me.

She's three now, so I'm guessing any residual effects would have reared their ugly heads by now.

*PHEW*

No glass in there this time!

Our Situation

My husband and I are originally from the northeast.  We had been living in Texas for almost 15 years.  Since we started having kids, we decided we'd prefer to live "closer to home."  In other words, we wanted to be closer to family.  We never really developed a taste for Texas.  Many wonderful things took place while we were there; it was just never home to us.

During the summer of 2014, my husband had an opportunity: the contract under which his company was working was about to end, thus ending his company altogether.  He was able to self-nominate to be laid off, and thus, get a big severance that could hold us over until he found a new job.  My sister offered her Maryland home to us until our family could get on our feet.  I was working on getting myself some part-time work in her area.  Everything was going according plan...

...Until we arrived in Maryland.  My husband received word that another company picked up the contract, and was absorbing not only his former company, but him as well.  His former company never informed him that his self-nomination had not been accepted.  At this point, if he were to quit, he would get no severance, and he wouldn't even be able to collect unemployment. 

There we were... the kids and me in Maryland, living with my sister and her family, and my husband back in Texas, living with his brother.  We couldn't just up and move back because at that point, my oldest had just started his first year of elementary school, and we had already paid for a year of pre-school for my daughter.  Plus, it's expensive to move!

My husband currently lives with his brother, sister-in-law, and niece.  It has been nothing short of a nightmare for him.  Me, on the other hand... well, I've been living as a single mom.  We have been working hard to figure out a way to make this work.  My John has been busting his ass, trying to find work in our area.  Being apart has been one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.  I adore my husband... we miss each other so much.

This has been our situation for the last 15 months.  Fortunately, the kids and I moved over the summer and are in a place of our own now.

Why not just go back to Texas, you ask?  Well.  Many reasons.  Ultimately we just don't want to be there.  We've missed so many family events in the last 15 years because we'd been so far away.  We just don't want to go through that again.  Also, we spent a fortune on our move last summer, then another fortune moving ourselves into our current place.  It would be make no sense, financially, to go back.  On top of that, John was able to make a few contacts that he seems to think will come through soon.  In addition to all that, we really love the area we live in now.  The kids love their new school!  Of the 500 school districts in Pennsylvania, our school is ranked number five.  NUMBER FIVE!  And that's really the bottom line, now that we have a first grader and a kindergartner.  Besides, it's Fall.  Our kids never really experienced Fall.  It's definitely my new favorite season.

It's sucky.  And hard.  But we're going to make it.  He's going to be here before we know it.  And that day will be the [fourth] best day of our lives [obviously, our wedding and the birth of our three babies will outrank most anything else :) ].

                                  

Summer Salad

Over the summer -- during my transitional residence phase (I'll get into that later) -- while I was staying with my parents, my mom introduced me to the Lansdowne Farmer's Market.  We went every Saturday, and happened upon some lovely items, from produce to sweet treats.  One of the booths is a local restaurant (I think -- the vendors are listed on the site, but I can't remember which one!), and they have this amazing quinoa salad.

I know, I know.  Quinoa, you ask?  Gross.  Boring.  Dull.  NEXT!  Give it a chance, though!  I love quinoa.  It's high in protein, better than most grains (although it's actually a seed), and is high in iron and fiber.  And when you throw in some cucumbers, spinach, corn, and onions, well, you might as well just have a healthy lunch party!  So I will attempt to entice you with my version of their recipe.  It's very simple, very light, and simply delicious.

Venditti Quinoa Summer Salad:

• 1 cup quinoa (any kind), uncooked
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup corn, sliced right off the cob, or frozen
• 2 cups uncooked spinach (about 2 handfuls)
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 3-5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add quinoa.  Turn down the heat to a simmer leave be until liquid has been cooked out, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add spinach to warm quinoa and combine.  Let the pot sit with the spinach in it, and allow to wilt, about 5-7 minutes; allow to cool for at least 30 - 40 minutes.
4. For the dressing, in a small bowl, add the garlic to the red wine vinegar.  Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until combined.  Start out with the smallest amount of olive oil as possible, and add more as needed.
5. When the quinoa is cool, add the red onion, cucumber, and corn, and mix well.  Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Enjoy!

I Like to Write

I've tried blogging in the past, and it never seemed to take flight like I always imagined it would.  This time, however, I have no expectations.  I just want to write.  I LIKE to write.  I want to write about my family: my amazing husband, whom I adore, and my 3 perfect little stinker bugs.  I want to write about living a life currently as a single mom who is married and trying to be Supermom, all while being Superwife to a husband who lives 1600 miles away.  I want to write about getting my fitness-mode back on track after moving into a new home and getting my kids into a new school, all in their father's absence.  I want to write about my love for my family (besides immediate): my parents, my 3 incredible sisters, and their families.  I want to write about food.  Who doesn't love food?  I want to share recipes.  I want to share creativity.  I want to share my ideas for school lunches. I want to share funny stories about my life, my kids' lives.  I want to talk about girlie stuff, parenting issues, sex, pregnancy, vacations.  All simply because I want to write.

No expectations.  

Just me and my writing.  And whomever wants to come along for the journey.

I'll keep it light.  And funny.  And fun.

This is me.

Let's have some fun... 

Silly faces in silly places