Feeling Happier

About a month ago I signed up for a 60-day shred challenge with Tommy Europe (the trainer for shows like Bulging Brides and The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp). http://www.4weekstoanewyou.com/ 

It has been just what I needed.  

I was suffering from lack of motivation and couldn't seem to get my butt back on the wagon for more than a couple days at a time.  The feeling of helplessness and the fear that I'd never get myself back to a good place was not helping my eating issues.  

Now I'm happily down 7 lbs and some inches.  Plus,  my endurance is improving and I'm starting to see some muscle under the softness.  Hopefully soon my daughter won't be pinching my batwings anymore.

I've allowed myself a few treats here and there but have gotten back to it immediately.  If I make a mistake I don't toss it in and say, "well that's that I messed up I might as well do it good!"  

A saying comes to mind:
'If you drop your phone you don't say well that's it I might as well stomp on it and smash it to pieces."

There are some very obese people in my family and I know it's in my genes to get quite large.  And while I don't want to necessarily want to be on a diet my whole life I do realize some self control is a must. 

I've started saying to myself, "Would I let my kids have as much of this as they could eat or would I set a limit?" 

 If it's not something I would let my children eat a whole bunch of then why the heck am I eating it like I'm never going to see it again?

I feel like I'm rambling so I probably am.  The whole point I wanted to make is:  
I've put in some work this month.  
I've been sore as heck from my workouts but I don't regret one minute.  
I'm feeling so much more upbeat and more like my old self than I have in a very long time.
I don't want to be the fifty year old woman who needs a cane because she has gained too much weight and her joints are crying.
I don't want to be the fifty year old who needs to have hip replacement surgery, when I could have done some preventative self care to avoid such things.  (yes, I have an aunt who has had both hips replaced quite young).

Almost there

My daughter is seven and is almost done grade two.  I home school her and she "officially" has 8 days of school left as we are working our way through 9 modules of 18 days each.  I thought with the end being so near she'd be chomping on the bit to be finished and would want to do more so she was finished for the summer.
This, however, has not been the case.  I have been hearing more "I can't do it" or simply "I'm not doing it" complete with the mutinous expression than I have since the beginning of the school year.
I'm with her BUT I know that if she simply buckled down she could be done this week.  Then she could have her beloved summer holidays complete with swimming lessons, dance camp, and branding at Nana and Papas.
Why oh why do children have to be so difficult?? LOL right??  'Cause if I don't laugh I will surely cry.

Go to bed already!!

How is it that I am so tired and yet here I sit, yet again, contemplating what I should do?

I want to finish that episode of Hart to Hart (yes I'm addicted to 70-80s TV shows, Rockford Files, Remington Steele, Magnum PI).  I really should try and read a couple chapters of the library book I've had out for a week.  Oh crap, I haven't written in my journal yet.  The dogs need to go out.  On and on, I do this almost every night and then wonder why the heck I'm dragging my butt when my girls get up in the morning.

Do other moms do this?  Try to cram as much into their couple hours of me-time at night as they possibly can??

Getting Better

It's been about three and a half weeks since the pityriasis rosea showed up out of the blue. I have way more more sympathy for people with skin issues. This itching has been awful since it covered my entire front wrapping around my sides and going into my inner thighs. The rash is slowly fading now, though it is still a bit itchy, it is so much better than it was.
The best thing I've found for dealing with the symptoms of this have been: 30-40 minute tepid, colloidal oatmeal baths (grinding oatmeal to a powder and the putting it in a cheesecloth bag), Skinfix body repair paste (i found it at well.ca and bought the largest size) and sweet almond oil. I've been trying to avoid added scents and additives, going as natural as possible.

Going Natural

I've started down the path to using more natural cleaning products.

I was doubtful that baking soda would clean my disgusting oven.

I sprayed my oven with water and sprinkled a thick layer of soda throughout then wet the soda down with my water sprayer bottle.

I left it like that while I went to town to do errands. 

I really, really didn't want to deal with it when I got home but I took a plastic scraper and tentatively started scraping and much to my surprise the gunk just scraped up.  It was amazing.  I was so happy. 

I've put off cleaning the oven because I didn't want to use the harsh chemicals.  I've been burned twice with that stuff where a drip landed on my arm where my rubber gloves ended; it's nasty stuff.   I was a the point where I would've scrubbed for an hour just to avoid the oven cleaner.  The door needs a little more work, I was focused on the bottom since every time I baked something smoke would start up (a sure sign that it is waaay past time to have cleaned it).

Voila!  Clean oven-took less than ten minutes to scrape and wipe-and no harsh chemicals. 

Rough Start

Well, 2013 is off to a rough start.  Not so bad and I really shouldn't complain because there are others out there so much worse off than myself.  It's more of a small pity party lol
My uncle passed away quite suddenly and that is always a shock.
Then I ended up with a nasty rash called pitysiasis rosea.  The itchiness is driving me crazy.  I was up at 3 in the morning rubbing on lotion early this morning.  I've had it 2 weeks and, of course, I've been researching it online trying to find a way to get rid of it.  BUT there is so much conflicting information out there.  It's viral; it's fungal.  Take a tepid shower; take a hot shower.  You might have it two weeks or two months (or in some cases more than that).  They don't seem to know what causes it.
     It would be so much easier if I knew what to do with it. I've taken baths in: bakings soda, sea salt, powdered ginger, cider vinegar and colloidal oatmeal.  Not all at once, of course. 
     I tried some Aveeno lotion today that's supposed to be for rashes and dry skin and holy it started stinging.  It felt like I'd been dipped in menthol.  I read the ingredient list and lo and behold there is menthol in the Aveeno.  That seems odd to me. 
     So I'm on a mission to see what is going to work the best.  So far I'd have to say the colloidal oatmeal bath was one of the best.  The morning after I did that my rash was pink instead of the angry red it was after my pharmisist had said it was fungal and to use Selsun Blue shampoo on it (you rub the shampoo on and leave it for a few minutes, if you can stand it and shower it off).  After I did this it was bright red and my skin went rough and scaly.  After about the third day it was so tender I could hardly stand it.  To find out if you have the fungal variety you need to go to your doctor and get a sample taken so you know for sure.
     I'm trying to go more natural, no scents.  I've been using sweet almond oil and coconut oil.  It has also been suggested that I try colloidal silver.  So here we go...wish me luck.








































































































 

Everyday Life

I have a picture on my kitchen wall with the caption:

"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives."

True. 

The days seem to be speeding by with my having nothing to show for them.

It's easy to get down on yourself when you're a stay-at-home mom. 

A homemaker.

One of the professions that isn't considered a profession.  Raising children. 

A nearly thankless job sometimes.  You are on call 24/7.  Day and night.  Week in, week out.

I have to remind myself that the time I've had with my girls has gone remarkably fast already. 

When they are graduating high school and getting driver's licenses and getting married it's going to seem like a dream. 

Where did the time go?? 

My parents took them for an overnighter (my hubby was on a trip with the guys) this past weekend.  As I sat enjoying the silence and the ability to eat my meal without having to jump up and get things, it occurred to me that when they leave home I'm going to have so many days like that and the silence is going to be so lonely. 

I alternated between wanting to smile and wanting to cry the whole time they were gone.

Just remember your babies are only small for a short time and everything else can wait until
tomorrow.