Friday, September 27, 2013

I may not be Superwoman...


...but I am One Tough Cookie.

If we are friends on Facebook, then many of you may have heard about my unfortunate run-in with my mortality last weekend.

That's a bit dramatic, I know. But saying it like that is much better than the truth.

Which is that I am kind of an idiot and my body said, to quote my trainer, "Slow your roll."

And that it did when I injured my back in Zumba last Saturday morning.

It took me a few days to put the pieces together as to why exactly I hurt myself doing something I've done a million times before.

But that's just it. I've done it a million times before. And many days in a row. And without rest.

To recap: Friday, I ran 9 miles on the treadmill. (The weather was iffy. And I got excited thinking about watching TWO episodes of Melrose Place that afternoon so I didn't mind.) That night, I found myself in a random push up/plank contest with my parents and Chad. And then Saturday morning I went to Zumba. A lot of exercise with not a lot of rest in between. So, something happened when I twisted, I felt a strain, and thus found myself at the doctor Monday with a slight bulging disc and on 10-14 days of restriction.

So, I've had a lot of time to think. You know, being laid out on ice on my back and all.

I started my thinking and processing with looking back at my activity level the past 5 weeks. It was quite shocking actually. Since August 19, I had only one day that I did not work out. One. There have been many weeks this summer where I worked out 7 days a week. And at the very least, 5-6 days. But honestly, I didn't even realize it. I would weight train two days a week and Zumba two days a week. And then run 2-3 days a week. Different stuff all the time, but pretty high impact stuff. And stuff I truly enjoy doing, so it didn't seem like "work." Or exercise.

But, even with exercise, there is definite truth of "too much of a good thing."

A week ago, I would have swore up and down that I wasn't "obsessed" with fitness. I had goals to reach, I reached them, and now, by God, I have to maintain them. I was just working hard. No biggie. I mean, I was eating well. And even sometimes eating not so well, so you couldn't accuse me of having any sort of diet complex.

But, y'all, looking back, I had an exercise complex. I was obsessed. And if I am being honest with myself, I still am obsessed. Because right now I am having withdrawals. I was depressed all weekend being inside when I would have loved to have been running outside. Or even just playing outside with the kids. I've gone longer bouts than this without Zumba (vacations, holidays, etc) but just the fact that I am not ALLOWED to go to class while it goes on without me makes me sad. And angry. And then depressed again.

But I'm here to say that I am so grateful that I appear to be on the mend. I walked two times this week (with doctor's blessing) but otherwise, I am taking this very slow. I am right on track to be back in the saddle next week slowly easing back into activities. I know things could have gone very different. And based on all the (much appreciated) personal stories on Facebook shared with me, I know I am very lucky.

And I'm not stupid anymore. I know this was a wake up call. I needed to slow down. I needed to rest. And I needed to get myself back on track.....not fitness-wise, but priority-wise.

God sent me a message this week.

I need to shift my priorities. I need to take time for myself, yes. But I can't use exercise as an excuse to eat cake. Or Sweet Frogs fro-yo. Every day.

I need to have balance. A good diet, a moderate exercise routine, time with my family, and time with Him. I need to refocus in general. Not only do I always squeeze in exercise, but I am always moving, in general. I can't sit down at home...there's always dishes to wash, laundry to fold, closets to clean, light bulbs to replace. But this week, I laid on the couch. I had conversation with my husband. I helped Brooklyn with her homework. And I snuggled Jake.

I ate responsibly since I didn't have the "crutch" of exercise. I drank 64 ounces of water everyday. I tried to look positively at my situation. And I didn't try to be Superwoman.

As of last week, I had reached a lot of my fitness goals (which I'll talk more about in a future post), but obviously I still have a lot to learn.

But I am a willing student and listener.

Because this was the wake up call I needed.

I'm just glad I picked up the phone.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Doesn't every 3 year old know Zac Brown Band songs?

Just a little country music to kick off your Sunday morning...

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Oh, Summer! We are in denial...

Last weekend, we spent some time soaking up the sunshine...



...and sadly closed up Pappy's Paradise for the year. What an awesome summer it's been having unlimited pool access!!



Goodbye, tan! It's been nice!


But then again, I guess there is one of us who is ready for cooler weather...
 

Friday, September 20, 2013

And Speaking of Surprises...

We were just full of surprises last week!

Last Saturday, my sister in law, Molly, planned a surprise 30th birthday party for Chad's brother, Drew.

It was a great afternoon/evening with beautiful weather, delicious hot dogs, and a yummy cake!

Happy birthday, (Uncle) Drew! We love you!



Oh, and what's a party with family without a little Aunt Jaclyn snuggling time.
I LOVE these moments so much....and it's just enough of a baby fix for me. :-)

Love this gorgeous baby girl SO MUCH.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Mama planned a surprise...


...and a surprise it was!

Last Thursday, Brooklyn attended her first "rock concert." She has been a fan of Taylor Swift since this summer so it was a great first concert for her.

Despite recovering from Strep Throat.




Misty also surprised Allie, so we had two excited girls that night.

Along with about 13,500 other very excited little girls.

The noise level was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

We came prepared with ear muffs for Brooklyn to help muffle the noise...but it really was needed more for the ear bleeding shrieks and screams.

Taylor's got some fans, y'all.








But she put on a great show, and I was glad that Brooklyn and I got to do this together. She (Brooklyn, not Taylor) started getting really tired about 9:30pm so we headed out early, and I did NOT mind leaving the coliseum with no traffic and making it home and in bed by 10pm. :-)

After all, it was a school night.

Monday, September 16, 2013

What's Hap"pin"ing...

As the weather gets cooler, I tend to get more inclined to cook and less inclined to order in. Which is obviously better for the wallet and the waistline....

Here are some of the Pinterest successes I've had this month:

 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Last Saturday...


Once again, trailing behind, but definitely catching up.

Last Saturday was a GORGEOUS day, so we enjoyed much time outside. Love this playground near our house!



I was having some deja vu moments so I went back into Shutterfly and found these pics from February 2011. Crazy how time flies...

Love these awesome end of summer days! Wish it could be in the 70's and 80's year round!

 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, September 13, 2013

It was a Labor Day weekend wedding!


Sunday, September 1, my God-brother/fake cousin/brother from another mother/across the street neighbor, Sean, married his sweetheart, Krystin.

It was nice to get dressed up for a change...

Brooklyn, of course, was all poses at home...
And taught me a few things...


Jake refused to take a pic...then promptly fell asleep in the car. Guess he was crabby because he was tired.

The weather, quite honestly, was gross. Rainy, drizzly, thunderstorms, but it cleared up for about 30 minutes so they could have their ceremony outside.




It was a nice night, though, and we stayed "fairly" dry.

And Brooklyn gave me ONE pic at the reception with Allie. :-)

Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Patterson! We love you!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

End of August fun


Just a few pics to wrap up August....since we are close to mid-September.

These two are pretty dang cute together...

Cruising with buddy, Cooper, at Ansley's birthday party...
Taking control of the wheel...

Loved Ansley's ginormous water slide!

Watching cars with Brooklyn...and getting pretty close to passing her by in size!

Pool time with God-brother Silas...

I do love Fall...I'm just not quite ready for it yet...I just love having a tan too much. :-)

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Season 2 Finale

Luckily, the kids are on the mend and I think the end is in sight.

Just to display for you the power of Tylenol.

Here is kids on Tylenol...
(Doing planks with me during my ab workout)

This is worn off Tylenol...

This is two kids in the doctor's office...happy as they can be, making me look like a crazy mommy, but thankful for the best pediatrician in the world who agrees that Jake was on the verge of strep and with Brooklyn already positive it was in everyone's best interest to start him on meds as well.

This is two spoiled kids in Target waiting for our second rounds of meds to be filled...with their beverages of choice.

This is amoxicillin organization- keeping track of now two kids, sixty doses, and 21 days of meds.

This is, in no better words, pretty exhausting.

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