A Work in Progress

Well, I know that this picture is not great but as it was pitch black outside, and there is no electricity in the room yet, it remains "as is"  for today's writing inspiration.  This is the second half of our, still unnamed, but what I think we will continue to call, back porch.  We had a deck with composite material included when we built our house.  Two summers, 50 cans of DEET, and 1,000,000,000 mosquito bites later, we screened in that area, and added a larger outdoor deck to it.  Well, looked nice, but was not functional.  We never sat outside, due to the continuing bug situation, and the heat.  We were always huddled into the screened porch.  We decided sometime in 2009, that we would screen in that area as well, and begin preparation for an inground pool as well.  I came up with the brillant idea of adding a fireplace to the newly screened area.  This has been installed today, and you can finally start to get the feel for what the finished product will be like.  We are pleased with the quality of work thus far, and although we are anxious to have this completed,  know that it will take time in order to be done properly and to all of our specifications. 
With the new year still fresh in our midst, I have again recommitted to putting myself first on my list of things to do.  I am forever inspiring and motivating people to do this for themselves, and as the saying goes, it is time for me to practice what I preach!  I have been down this road before, although luckily, the load I now bear is much less than in years past.   I am one of those people that will always have to remember that weight maintenance is an ongoing thing.  I fell into the "I am skinny now!"  trap a few years ago, and due to my ignorance, have put 30 lbs back on!    In 2004, I successfully lost 88 lbs through hard work, dedication, and most importantly putting myself first.  It may seem terrible for a wife and a mother to do this, but I will tell you one absolute truth - when I take this time for myself I am a better wife and a better mother.  I have more patience, I am stronger and it helps me focus on all of the other things that I need to get done in a day.
We all know that anything really worthwhile takes time and hard work.  We know that when things are done right, instead of the "quick fix" , the path to get there is long.  When you know what your desired outcome is, and once you make that decision to go on that path, you should not stop until you get there.  So today, even though I taught a cycle class this morning, I made the time to run 4 miles.  I felt great, and could have gone much further, but had to get back for the bus.  (see I AM a good mom!)  It also was 35 degrees, and since tomorrow I teach 2 classes back to back, I did not want to push it.  But let me tell you, that I have my focus back.  It feels wonderful.  2010 is MY year, so look out people!

And speaking of looking out, beware of the dvds on the floor in the kids' hallway....day 3!

Choose Your Attitude

This has been my theme today, choosing your attitude. I have been making a conscious effort lately to be as positivc as I can be. There is a quote that I keep on my computer at the YMCA that says, "you can't be unhappy if you are singing or smiling". I love that expression, and truly try to live it out. You can not always control the situation that you find yourself in, but you can choose how you react to it.

Today, being Wednesday, is another early morning for me. I teach a 5:30 Spin class, so have my alarm clock set for 4:40. For those that know me, to say that I love to sleep is an understatement! I am a true night owl, and usually if I am seeing any type of 4am, I am on my way to bed, and not the other way around. But, nevertheless, this is my fate to date, so one must do what one must do. Much to my surprise, I awoke at 4:08am. It is unbelievably rare for me to wake up without a booming alarm anytime before 9am. I looked at the clock in disbelief. My normal reaction would be annoyance of being robbed those extra winks, and I would toss and turn, grumbling and moaning until that booming siren began, and my official wake up time arrived.

When I first stared at the clock, it took a few seconds to register the time, and I noted that I felt fairly well rested. Instead of cursing Mr Sandman for skimping on me, I thought to myself, "Wow, I still have time for a 32 minute nap! How great is it, to get to take a nap right after a night of sleep?!" I kid you not, I honestly fell right back to sleep, peaceful and happy, and when that loud siren, that I need as an alarm, made itself known at 4:40, I felt ready for a great day.

I brought this positive attitude with me and taught, what I perceived to be, a great class. I continued my day bouncing back and forth between mommy at school, wife at home, Group Ex Coordinator at work, and so on. No matter what hat I wore today, I tried to choose the positive attitude. At times this was harder than others. At times I had to separate myself and find another focus until I could be positive. After settling the after dinner activity, I began to ponder my day, and my picture for this blog. My house has suffered from the result of the back to school routine, and it seemed that everywhere I turned there was some level of mess and chaos. Please let me be positive, I thought. I then entered my hallway to turn on the porch light. As I did, I was greeted by the warm light of the Christmas tree that we still have up in the foyer. I noted how pretty the tree looks, and how from a certain vantage point, if you stand in the foyer, my home looks peaceful and pretty. I found my positive spin, and took a picture to capture the moment. I then remembered that today is Little Christmas. In all the years that I have been married, (10) I have never had my tree up this late. I took the picture of the tree and smiled. I am trying to keep that smile going as I walk past the laundry, zhu zhu pets, wii remotes, and clutter. I am smiling now as I realize how lucky I am to have it. If you need me, I'll be in the foyer......