2011

2011 is going to be a great year - a year of growth for me and for my family (no I am NOT pregnant).  Here are my resolutions for 2011.  Hoping to just be a better, well-rounded human this  year.

1. Get on a workout schedule.  I'm not going to make any crazy demands on myself like working out daily.  I know that won't happen.  But if I can get in a few days a week - super!  Anything is better than the nothing that I'm doing now.  Time to tone up and be healthy again.

2. Eat healthier.  Now that the holiday treats are gone, I want to concentrate on eating better - for myself and for my family.  Less late-night ice cream binges.  More fresh fruit and veggies.  More smoothies with the kids.

3. Scrapbook more.  I'm behind. VERY behind.  I have Bella's 1st year scrapbooked, and that's about it.  I have the tools.  I have the books.  I have the paper.  No excuses on this one - If I set aside 1-2 evenings a week, I could pump out quite a few pages.

4. Less TV time.  We, as a family are... addicted.  It's a problem.  We need to spend more time playing, and more time outside when the weather is better.  I have way too many shows DVR'd.  It's not good that my 4 year old can use the remote herself and find her shows.  Not good.

5. More art projects with the kids.  I used to be good at this when it was just me and Bella.  We'd get out the paints often.  Then I had Delaney... then Luke.  I feel like now it's harder to manage.  However, the kids LOVE to be creative, and I don't want to squelch that.  So, buck up, Mom - time go break out the messy projects again!  This should help with the non-TV-related time, too.

6. Eat out less.  We actually did pretty well with this during the summer and fall of 2010, so I know we can do it. 

7. Go to bed earlier.  I've finally come to terms with the fact that no matter what time I go to bed, my kids are always up early.  So it behooves me (and everyone else) to go to bed at a decent time so I'm a pleasant person in the morning.

That's it!  Here's to a healthy 2011!

Hustle and Bustle!!

Dear Shannon,

   Can you turn back your "Countdown to Christmas" snowman in your front yard a week or so?  It's telling me I only have a few short days until Christmas!  That just can't possibly be true.

Sincerely,

Your Friendly (but Frazzled) Neighbor

There is SO much still to be done.  And we don't have until Christmas to do it.  We're celebrating with my side of the fam on Thursday.  I need to wrap presents, pick up a couple of more things, and make (yes I said "make") two more gifts, along with a list of other "little" things that must get done in time including cooking for the big day.  It all adds up, and I'm running out of time!  I suppose I should stop blogging and just do it, but procrastination is kinda my thing.  Wouldn't want to change who I am!

Mommy Brain

I realize it's been a month since my last post - yikes!  This is almost entirely due to MOMMY BRAIN. 

It's real.  Look it up. 

Because of Mommy Brain, I have been unable to sustain a thought long enough for it to appear on my blog.  I do have thoughts - thoughts worth sharing. By the time I'm near a computer, however, the thought is forever lost in... Mommy Brain.

Please pray for my blight.

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for many things in my life: my kids, my husband, my home, my job, my friends, my health and my family's health... the list goes on.  I am truly blessed.

This year, I get to host the Thanksgiving feast for my side of the family. 9 adults and 8 kids, I might add. I'm not great at coordinating a big meal, so I'm grateful that I have family members who pitch in and bring dishes of their own.  We are opting out of the big turkey meal because of timing.  Instead, we are having a Thanksgiving breakfast followed by pork loin chili and sandwiches for lunch.  I know - weird, huh?  Although we may be going a little non-traditional this year, some of the usual suspects will be present: Jerry is making a sweet potato dish that is yum-my and Jana is making her famous Heath bar pie.  And just to make the whole event more festive, we have some pumpkin spice creamer for the coffee.

And mimosas.  We'll have mimosas.

All right - I suppose I should get back to cleaning the house.  Up today?  Washing the china, mopping the kitchen floor, and cleaning the bathrooms.  Joy! (where's the sarcasm font when you need it?)

Body Image

Thanks for the responses on my blog yesterday, here and on Facebook.  You know the worst part about that comment I received?  I have now looked at my forearms in the mirror in the past week more times than I have ever looked at them.  Why did I let that get to me at all?  It's my forearms, for goodness sake. 

As parents, we all have this responsibility to our children to love our own bodies.  We can work on being healthy, of course, and talk about exercising and eating right for our health.  But what we CANNOT do is OBSESS over it, and especially not obsess over our weight, body shape, imperfections, etc.  They hear that, and they file it away.  Even when they are 2 years old, they are developing an idea of what is right and who they are.  They want to be just like us, and if we stand on the scale, and curse that extra donut right before we go workout for an hour - well, that sends the wrong message.  Those are the moments that lead kids on a dangerous path toward eating disorders and a poor self image. 

Let's remember to focus on letting our kids hear us say, "Wow, I feel really energized after that bike ride!" or "This meal is going to make me strong."  Let's focus on the positive, and stop stepping on the scale with our kids in the room.  Better yet - throw it out the window.  Wait... not sure I can do that.  Maybe I can hide it in the closet.  OK, well I clearly still have some demons to get rid of myself. 

With 3 kids who still think the world of their Mommy (the oldest is only 4), I'm going to work on not talking about what I dislike about myself at all.  Instead, when I feel like saying something that will tear myself down, I'm just going to tell them that I love them.  That'll shut me up!

I'm 32 and a Half!

I used to say that I would NEVER be one of those women who was ashamed of her age.  I'm still not, but I'm starting to see why some women are. 

I have always had a fairly healthy body image.  Granted, I have had those feelings time to time when I've been unhappy with a particular body part. When I was in high school, it was my nose.  In college, it was my upper arms.  When I was pregnant, it was my ankles (or rather, LACK of ankles).  After I had my kids, it was my tummy and my chest (but that's a small price to pay).  Overall, nothing terrible.  I either work to correct the problem, or just live with it and understand that it's just a part of who I am.

Last week, however, someone guessed my age.  He wasn't off by much.  He guessed I was 34, and I'm actually 32.  I wasn't offended by that comment at all.  I was taken aback when he decided to explain WHY he thought I was in my mid thirties.  He said my forearms gave me away.  My FOREARMS?  He said my skin didn't sag like if I was in my 40s, but it's just... there.  WHAT?!  At first I was just a little offended that he would even suggest such a thing about my body.  But there's this little part in my brain that made me feel self-conscious about it.  Here I was going around day by day and not even realizing that I have OLD FOREARMS.  Yikes!

Well, I do know that this guy may be a little crazy, because I think my forearms are just fine, but that comment will be filed away in my brain next to the comment from a lady at Kay's Jewelry over 15 years ago who shouted at me "Wow! Your ears are TINY!"

By the way, I think my ears are FABULOUS!

It's Expo Weekend!

I haven't been posting much lately because my work schedule has been busy, and in the evenings, I've been working really hard to get Bellaney Babycakes ready for public release!  I have two booth events this weekend, one next weekend, and possibly another the week after that.  So, that's been my concentration.  So much to do, so little time - as always.  I'll blog about Halloween after I'm over the craziness that is this weekend. :)