The Mom in the Short Pants

So it's been a long time since I've blogged. Like 4 years to be exact. I'm not sure that anyone has missed the thoughts in my head, but I felt like the internet wasn't the same without my spin on the world.

For my first post back I thought I would describe a situation that explains my life in one story.

First I'll catch you up on me.  I'm a stay at home mom, with an almost 16 year old daughter, a 13 year old daughter, and a 10 year old son.  Our lives revolve around travel sports and social lives, and I TRY to maintain an exercise schedule that keeps me out of a motor assisted scooter like the characters in Wall-E for a while.

Last weekend was the beginning of our 5th grade football season.  Our first game of the jamboree was at 11:05, so of course he boys had to be there at 9:30.  Because we have two parents in our home, I decided that my husband could handle the 9:30 arrival, and I could take one kid with me, hit the gym for a 9-10 am class, and have plenty of time to shower at the gym and get there before the first game started.

The night before the games we got an email that the road to the park was to be closed at 11. Duly noted. I would need to leave the gym by 10:30 to arrive before the road closure. Because I am a super organized (read here, tend to run late) mom, I packed my bag for the gym that night, set my alarm for 8:00, and went to bed.

When the alarm went off I was very startled. I couldn't remember why I set it until my 13 year old came in and told me she was ready to head out. Right, gym.  Grab my bag to change, remembered to grab a towel for the shower (learned that lesson before), and headed out.

The class that morning was ROUGH. With a humidity level of about 200%, I soaked through my clothes, and had to take a few minutes to cool off before I could actually get into the shower. If it doesn't gross you out, take a look at the sweat angel I left on the floor while I was catching my breath.

Finally when I had cooled to the point that sweat rivers weren't running down my legs, I grabbed my bag and headed for the shower.  10:10... I had 20 minutes to shower and leave and keep my schedule in tact.

I shower, use my towel THAT I REMEMBERED TO BRING, and head into the main bathroom to do hair and makeup.  I was still a little hot, so I wore my towel while fixing my hair and prepping my face.  10:20, right on schedule.

I waited until the last possible moment to get my clothes on. Between my post workout "glow", the humidity in the bathroom (that has showers, yet NO exhaust fans), I was struggling to cool off.  10:23, I could wait no longer, and I grab my clothes to get dressed.   Got my underthings on, my super cute spiritwear tank on, and find myself digging through the bag to find the matching, somewhat conservative, shorts I had picked out.  Digging, and digging...shorts no where to be found.  As I'm freaking out, I stick my head out of the bathroom and call my 13 year old over. "Can you go to the car and grab my shorts? They must have fallen out in the car."

When she came back empty handed I had to think fast. 10:25. Need to get to game. Can't miss my kid's first game of the season. Road closes at 11. What to do???

The best solution I could come up with was to find some shorts quickly on the way. Lucky for me, there's a Dollar General about a mile away.   Certainly they would have shorts there?!?

Now I'm in a hurry. I wrapped my towel around me poolside style, and walked past the 10am class at the gym, and out the door.  I was told later my friend's husband had said "was she wearing a towel?"  On to Dollar General we went.

Lucky for me I had my laid back middle child with me, who not only wasn't phased by this, but humored me by taking a picture before I walked into the fashion Mecca that is Dollar General.

Right now I know what you are thinking, and I should have thought it before this became my plan for the day.  Contrary to my beliefs, Dollar General did NOT, in fact, have a huge clothing department.  In fact, they only had half an aisle of leftover, clearanced, summer clothes, in no particular order.  My dear middle child and I started rifling through the rack as quickly as we could.  Meanwhile, an older gentleman, overhearing my cries of disappointment in the selection, came around the corner.

"Can I help you find something?" 
 "Um, no."
"Well, what are you looking for?"
Me, glancing down at my towel-skirt, "You don't want to know."
Confused, he finally let us be.

After about 3 highly intense minutes of searching, child and I narrowed the possibilities down to a pair of black, plastic-type shorts, a white cotton pair of shorts (labeled large) and a pair of leopard print 3xl track shorts.  The black seemed to be the most normal (if you could believe it), but had no size label.  So what do I do?  Slip them on under my towel.  At the very moment my child exclaims "MOM THEY WILL THINK YOU ARE STEALING THEM!" I realize, they should be labelled "not-my-size" and proceed to try and slide them off while also holding my towel skirt up to cover the underwear that I managed to remember.  Now its 10:28, so I decide the "large" white shorts will have to do, grab them and go to the register to pay my $3.36 (with tax) for my new pair of shorts.  

Running out the door at 10:30 on the dot, I pull up the shorts in the parking lot and hope the "large" shorts won't be too big.  Um, wow, they aren't.  In fact, not only are they not too big, I have to turn around and ask my child if they are long enough to cover my underwear.  She says "They are fine" and we are on our merry way.

We managed to make the game by 10:58, and my shorts troubles are somewhat pushed to the back of my mind.  I find my son and let him know I'm there, and take a picture with him.  During the games occasionally I tug down my shirt to cover as much as I can of my white shorts, and randomly tell people that these weren't the shorts I planned to wear.  We have a good time at the game, and as we get to the car I need to complete my 5 year tradition of posting a picture of my son and I on Jamboree day.  It is then that I can fully appreciate and see the shorts I have been wearing around all day.  Wow.  These shorts are more (really less) than I could have imagined.

Thank goodness I am at an age that I just don't care as much what people think anymore.  I'm relieved to have not missed a moment of my son's games.  I'm relieved my middle child is go-with-the-flow and helped me instead of being horrified and complaining.  I'm relieved Dollar General had SOMETHING that kept me from actually wearing a towel to the field.  Most of all, I'm relieved that I grabbed the nude colored underwear to wear that day ;)

And if anyone is in dire need of a JUNIORS large white cotton pair of shorts, let me know.  I have a feeling I won't be wearing them again.

The half- marathon of life

Last night I took my kids to a Halloween party.  After staying out late the night before, getting up at 5:00 to run a half-marathon and spending the afternoon at kid's activities, I really didn't want to go.  But knowing that the kids wanted to, I showered, put on my new race t-shirt, and went to the party.

Upon arriving, there was a dad there with a Boston Marathon race shirt on.  While I could never do that race in my wildest dreams, he took my tshirt as a sign that we had something in common and started a conversation with me.

"How was the race this morning?" "It was good." "How was your time?" "As expected." "Did you meet all of the goals you made for the race?"  "Um, I finished it........"  End of conversation.

However, as I sat in the cold watching the kids on their hay ride I started thinking about that question.....had I actually set goals for this race?  And had I met them?

The first half I did was 2 years ago, on Thanksgiving with my sister.  The goal there was only one thing- finish alive. And we did.

Last year I ran the Silver Comet Half with my dad, my brother in law, and my friend Faith.  The goal then?  To improve on my time from the year before.  And I did.  I took 10 minutes off my time from the Thanksgiving race the year  before.

This year, I really had no intention of running another half.  That is, until my friend Lisa asked me if I would.

Lisa and I go way back.  All the way back to the days of running stadiums at Death Valley in Clemson (which goes to show all of you who think I have just recently become fanatical about exercise, I was even a little nuts back in the day, running stadiums in a place that seats over 80,000.)  All the way back to Thursday nights at the Esso Club, and road trips to away football games.

Lisa and I almost 19 years ago to the day

Lisa and I are the kind of friends that can not talk for 6 months, meet up, and then pick up right where we left off. We also have very similar goals and personalities, and when she told me this summer about her plan to get control of her health and fitness I was all over what I could do to help. I felt a personal connection with her goal, as this was something I I had made my personal mission just this spring.

While we both were getting ready for the same race, there really wasn't any way for us to train together.  She works and trains at night, I have to train while the kids are in school.  We both have very hectic kid's activities, and kept in touch with each other about training.

I trained with my friend Jenny (which I could go into a lot more, but let's just say this....two hours on the trail with Jenny is WAY more therapeutic than any therapy session, and I LOVE HER DEARLY.  I actually am going to keep on taking long runs with her, because I don't even notice the running when I am spending time chatting about how "normal" we both really are ;)

Anyway, I digress. Back to race day.

We got started out on the race and it was beautiful.  Nice cool 55 degrees, leaves changing color, slight breeze.....awesome day for a run.  Lisa and I started out at a nice conversation pace, and spent the first 5 miles or so catching up on the kids.  At some point a man actually came up behind us and said "I am so impressed that you guys can keep up a conversation like this- I can barely breathe!" Our response? "We can chat through anything ;)"

The next 5 miles or so got a little harder.  We talked about things a little more serious, personal goals, where we both were in our lives and in our identities as moms, wives, and women, and how turning that magical age (you know the one) left us more introspective, more willing to take chances, and more satisfied in decisions we were making.  Again, just another reinforcement that we are truly kindred spirits.....

After mile 10, things got harder.  My knee, which hadn't hurt in a year and a half, started aching.  Lisa started thinking that she needed to slow down or walk.  We were there for each other to talk through the doubts, and encourage each other.  We talked about how running is such a mental battle, and leaned on each other to get through.

When I run, I get to a point where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  My stride gets longer, pace gets faster, and all I can do is see the finish line in my head. I hit that when I saw mile 11. At that point Lisa was ready to walk, and I just was not going to let that happen.  I talked her through the next two miles, knowing that if the roles were reversed, she would do the same thing for me.  You see, there have been times in my life when she has encouraged me in things I didn't feel confident in.  She is always there to point out the positive that I don't see, so the least I could do was do the same for her.  We kept going, and finished about 13 minutes ahead of the goal she had set for herself. 

 

 

So going back to the original question, had I made all of the goals I had set for myself?  The way I see it, a half marathon is kind of a metaphor for reaching all of your goals.  When you set a goal, it seems easy to begin.  You go into it gung ho, and give it 110%.   After a while, the shiny newness wears off, and the monotony and hard work has to kick in.  This is when things get harder to continue, and it is really helpful if you have good friends and family to lean on.  Then, the closer you get to your goals, the harder you have to work to get there.  Who hasn't seen how hard it is to lose the last 5 pounds?  To win someone over with a second or third interview?  To not give in to your kid because "everyone else is doing it?"  The easy thing to do here is quit or give in, thinking almost is good enough. Pushing through is much harder, but can be encouraged by good friends and family who "have your back" much as Lisa and I had each other for our race.

So yes.....I made my goal.  I spent a good 2 hours on the trail with a great friend.....I got to give back to her as she always gives to me....and the mental victory was ours to share.  And together we will continue on this half marathon of life.

Taking another look at the bucket list.......

 

 

 

         Wow.....so I got called out on Facebook. One of my dear friends, who shall remain nameless (but you can just look at my wall to see who) mentioned that she hadn't seen my bucket list in a while! So, here we go. Some updates.



        Things that have happened since my last update.....2, 16, 17, 21, 28....... some of them bear some explanation. While I think I will go into more detail on most of them in the (near) future, I thought I might take a moment and go into what I learned about myself from the things I HAVEN'T done yet.



     Interestingly enough, some of the things I haven't done would be really easy to do. When I look at the list I wonder how over a year has gone by and I have NOT checked some of these things off my list. I mean, they made it on the list for a reason...what is it that is holding me back?



       Example: Paying for someone behind me in the toll line? Strange but true...everytime I go through and think about doing it I think to myself, "But what if I don't have 50 cents to get back home?" Silly.
       Am I afraid that some gang of metrosexuals are going to hold me hostage and not let me get out of the 285 barrier that keeps all of us in the suburbs safe?
      Not sure why I haven't given in, but I am making a committment RIGHT NOW to myself and my keyboard- the very next time I go through the toll plaza I am going to do it. Someone hold me to this. I will make a point to put $1.50 in the car when I am done here, so that I know I won't be held hostage ITP.



       Two more examples that I think are related : Contributing to my IRA and interviewing my parents about their youth. What do those two things have in common? When I started to think about it, they are both signifigant in a way. Both of these items make me face the facts that like it or not, I am getting old.
       I REMEMBER my parent's 40th birthdays (in fact, probably better than I remember mine or my husband's, but I digress...) If I were to hear them tell me stories of the "good old days" it would serve as a reminder that no matter how young they once were, everyone ages, people leave your lives, and children grow up and move away.
      That being said, I am planning on sucking it up, facing the facts, and getting the stories. Then, once I have faced the facts that I will in fact get old one day, I will put some money away for it. I mean, I can't get old if there is no money put away, right???



       Most of the other items I just need to find the right opportunity for. I will walk with my eyes open looking for them. Hopefully they will make for some good memories and some good stories. I have to make them happen, because everyone knows, I hate a quitter.



       And again, look for some other new posts soon.....I am sure everyone is dying to hear about all my new addictions that were spurred from some of these things on this list.

 

 

 

 

1. Feed the homeless

2. See Ruby Falls and Rock City

3. Climb Stone Mountain

4. Do Clemson tri with friends (Steph???)turned into the Warrior Dash, buyt tons of fun with Steph anyway!

5. Wear a bikini in public the YMCA made this one easy ;)

6. After a negative experience with someone, find the positive in them and let them know what it is.

7. Make a pillowcase for the Cancer center (http://www.conkerrcancer.org/)

8. Get a mammogram (EVERY.DAMN.YEAR.)

9. Apply for Survivor

10.Zumba with Darby

11. Go on a group bike ride

12. Get back to Lifetime at WW

13. Start a blog

14. Compete in a race with the goal of placing, not just finishing. Holly Springs Memorial 5k

15. Get my hair straightened.

16. Buy an expensive (over $100) pair of jeans

17. Wear these jeans with high heels

18. Go horseback riding with Mary

19. Take the kids to a drive in

20. Visit at least 1 new city

21. Take the kids to a Clemson soccer game

22. Contribute to my IRA

23. Take my girls to the “Take your daughter to Clemson” weekend

24. Make it to the bus stop one day without raising my voice EVEN ONE TIME.

25. Pay the toll for the car behind me.

26. Build a house with Habitat. This one got a little ammended due to Habitat plans, but we enjoyed the experience anyway. We ended up rehabing a youth shelter instead.

27. Learn to knit- left handed

28. Eat a meal made up completely of food I have grown and/or caught. I had a meal of tomatoes and zuchinni, but I guess it counts!

29. Show up as mystery reader in costume (stolen idea from a FB friend)

30. Get a physical. (And not just the “girly” stuff)

31. Have lunch with an old friend and catch up (Thx Chelle!)

32. Take a clay class with Kelly

33. Make a list of 10 people I know in my life that have inspired me getting there...

34. Wear pajama jeans to the mall (which means I have to get some!)

35. List 10 times I was WAY wrong

36. Support someone in something I don’t believe in, just because I love them

37. Mardi Gras (why haven’t I thought of this before???)

38. Run down “The Hill”

39. Zip line in Georgia a great time with the lovely Linda Collins

40. Interview my parents about their youth, and capture it.

Thoughts from an (Anti)Trophy Wife

Trophy:  token of victory; a cup, shield, plaque, medal, or other award given in acknowledgment of a victory, success, or some other achievement, especially in a sporting contest

First of all, if you came here expecting a narrative on saline implants and old men robbing the cradle, you aren't going to find it. The latest thing keeping me up at night doesn't have anything to do with these, but rather with the unrealistic expectations that most people these days are giving their kids.


Who among us hasn't received one of these emails recently? "Because little Johnny and his friends worked SO hard we are going to ask each of you parents to send in $10 so that we can buy a trophies for them, even thought their team hasn't won a game all season.  I mean really, they tried SO hard."


What????  At what point did someone sit down and say to themselves, "Hmmm.  We keep score here. The league gives trophies to the winners, but I really don't want our team to be left out.  I wonder if I can find out where they got them and order my own?  I mean, really, the kids tried really hard."  It certainly wasn't like this when we were kids.

When we were kids a championship team won a trophy. A lot of times it was one trophy for the whole team to share, to be placed in a trophy case somewhere. On it was written the title earned by the team.  It certainly was not given to everyone just for participating, and the parents sure weren't expected to pay for it.


Does this sound like the "participation" trophies that all of the parents are buying their kids these days?  And now, when we are starting our kids in sports at 3 years old, they have the possibility of collecting a shelf full of trophies before they ever start elementary school?  What is that teaching them? I will tell you what I think.


We are teaching them trophies don't actually mean anything. We are teaching them that success doesn't matter- even if you lose every game you get the same thing as the team that wins.  You are teaching them that life is fair and even, when if fact it is not. And the biggest thing you are teaching them....


You have no faith that they can actually win one.


These trophies are ordered before the season is over.  Before the winners are chosen.  Before the tournaments are played.  You are telling them, you probably won't win, so I am making sure that you won't be disappointed.


Perfect example:  Last year my son (who was FOUR at the time) played on a baseball team that had a good, but not perfect season.  The coach and his wife made a decision not to order trophies, but rather play the tournament as if they were going to win it. At every game they used the trophies as a way to motivate the boys into trying their hardest. Guess what- we have a 1st Place trophy from that tournament.  The boys worked hard, played hard, and won the trophies. 

Two interesting things came out of this tournament (okay, there is one more thing that came out of that tournament, but I will save that for the day that I feel the need to share my thoughts on what "competitive" really means, because truly, I am embarrassed to even mention the way grown men acted at a 5/6 baseball game):

1. The team that came in second place had already ordered their trophies.  Even though the league gave them the 2nd place medals that they worked hard to win, they were dwarfed by the enormous "participation" trophies that the parents bought.  A little part of me wondered if they would have been more motivated by the table of 1st place trophies if they hadn't had the larger box already waiting for them in their dugout.

2. I realized I would NEVER understand how some people think. During the tournament, our team mom sent out an email saying,"Because we are in the championship game, we can table the idea of ordering trophies.  We will either get a 1st place trophy or a 2nd place medal at the conclusion of the game." If you can believe it, one of the moms responded that "a medal is not good enough for my son- if we lose can I still go buy trophies for everyone?"  Really? Not good enough for your Kindergartner, or not good enough for you??? I can bet that kid will never have to work for anything in his life.

Don't get me wrong. I know not everyone will win.  I do believe in rewarding a good effort.  I believe that the same coach that we won the trophies with had a super solution.  At the end of the season (and two of my kids have now been coached by him in 3 different sports) he hands out "Superlative" awards to all of the kids.  It is a laminated certificate spelling out what that child did well that season.  And you know what?  Both of my son's certificates from that coach are hanging on his wall, and most of his "participation" trophies are somewhere in the closet or under his bed (except for the soccer one that didn't even make it home from the party without getting broken). It means something to my son that his coach thinks he is reliable. It means much more to me that he noticed something about my kid. It is a reminder to him what he contributed to the team, rather than that he was just a player on it.

And I get the argument.  The kids LOVE the trophies.  You are right. They do.  And they will love them even more if they have actually earned them.

Accounting and Zumba

It was brought to my attention the other day that I have been neglecting my blog....and more specifically that I have a confession to make on my blog....so, here goes.

The other day at Spin Class a Zumba song came on, and I spontaneously broke into the Zumba moves for it.  Yes, you heard me right, I KNEW the Zumba moves. This takes me back to one of the items that originally showed up on my bucket list, taking a Zumba class.

I was very resistant to the thought- those of you who have known me a while know that while I have played many sports in my day, dance has never, ever been on my radar (except for a brief stint in the late 1990's when we frequented Cowboys a lot, and even then it was more the alcohol talking to me.)  I can shoot a basket, kick a soccer ball, run a mile, swim a lap, do anything that has the same repetitive motion in it.  Dance changes moves frequently and drastically, and to be honest, scares the crap out of me.

So, as a tribute to my bucket list, I attended a Zumba class with Darby.  At first I was worried about what I looked like, until I realized the bigger issue would be avoiding running into others.  I couldn't keep up with the class, and felt a little (okay, a lot) foolish when I got done.  Not long after that my gym closed, and I didn't ever have to worry about showing my face in that Zumba class again.

Flash forward several months later, and we began our "The Biggest Loser" program at our school.  Again, for those who know me well, you know I am competitive, and I can't stand to lose.  I got some friends on a team with me, and talked one of them into coming with me to my new gym.  While I wanted to take her to Kickboxing, she wanted to try Zumba.  She was a team member, so to help my team win I decided if it took me going to Zumba with her to get her to the gym, I could do it. 

We suffered through the back row, and giggled every time we almost ran into each other.  The energy in the room was contagious and we found ourselves having a good time.  We survived the class, and lived to tell about it.

As my days got more hectic, I found the Zumba class was the one class that consistantly fit into my schedule.  Then I realized something- the more I went, the more I picked up, and the less dumb I felt at the end of the class.  I got to where I went 3 days in a row and it hit me.  Zumba is just like accounting.

When I was at Clemson I took beginning accounting my sophmore year.  Ninety minutes twice a week.  Six weeks in I dropped it.  The next semester I tried it again.  Although I went to class and paid attention, I just couldn't get it.  After I dropped it the second time I decided I had to either take it somewhere else, or change my major.

 During the summer I found a 4 week class at Kennesaw which met every day, and I signed up for it. What I found was that if I went to the class daily, did my homework, and was able to ask questions daily, the accounting stuck.  I finished the 4 week class and actually ended up with a B in it.  Something about the daily repetition made it finally stick.

Back to the Zumba......now that I have been going on a consistant basis I actually "get" most of the moves. Now I won't say they look pretty when I am doing them, but it has been a while since I have run into someone else during the class.  The music is great, the people in there are fun, and the instructor I LOVE.

So if anyone in the area wants to try Zumba, let me know and I will go with you.  And thank goodness my hubby is a CPA and I never have to look at accounting again.

An obstacle to fitness...the cookie moms

New Year brings the time of the year when everyone (myself included) turns to eating right and exercising.  In my quest to stay eternally young, I usually take January to shed the holiday weight, and start training for this year's races.  One of my biggest nemesis is always my inevitable sweet tooth.  I always joke that I exercise so that I could eat, and if I didn't exercise so much I would weigh 400 lbs.

January is the month when you can open up the newspaper and diet foods, exercise equiptment, and vitamins are all on sale.  I know I am not the only one looking to get back on track.  You can see it all around you.  That is why I was so surprised to get on Facebook the other morning and see moms all over selling , IN JANUARY, Girl Scout Cookies!

What genius in the Girl Scout world decided that most people would want to purchase cookies right as New Year's Resolutions are being made?  Can't we have a break between the gluttony of the holidays and when we are expected to support our local troops by purchasing overpriced sweets? Crazy.

So, I go to the Girl Scout website to see if there is any explanation.  What I found instead, made me start thinking.  I opened up the page about "Why sell Girl Scout cookies?" and read about all of the wonderful life skills selling cookies gives our girls.  These were very realistic, very approriate skills that girls need to have to enter the business world today.  Goal setting.  Decision making.  Money management. People skills.  As a business major myself, I completely understand how these skill can help the girls later on in life.  After reading these, I feel good about purchasing the cookies from them, even thought I can get similar cookies for half the amount at the local grocery store. 

Fast forward a few hours, and I open up my computer to find several emails from friends asking if I will purchase cookies from their daughters.  Hmm.  Is this part of teaching skills to the girls?  I see Facebook posts telling people to contact the MOMS if they would like to buy cookies.  Again, is this going to help the kids how to reach their goals?

I am confused.  Are the girls supposed to be selling the cookies, or are the moms?  When I was younger I WAS a Girl Scout.  I went door to door asking my neighbors to buy my cookies.  Then it would be SO frustrating when someone in our troop would win bigger prizes because their dad took the form in to work, and sold more there.  It didn't really reinforce the idea that you should be setting goals and working hard to achieve them.  Instead, it made me think that my dad should work in a bigger office.  If he could sell more boxes in a day there, why should I bother with the neighbors?

With the technology available today, it is way too easy for parents to ask for the kids.  I understand "safety issues", which is why the Girl Scout websites has a whole parent PDF about how to support your daughter in her sales.  No where on there do they suggest that you sell for her, use your social media to take orders, or carry the order form for her to work. 

Instead they suggest that you provide transportation for her to take orders and deliver.  They suggest that you help her network or take her to your office, but they specifically state that she should do the ASKING.  I do believe that their program will help the girls develop skills, but only if you let them. 

So, I digress.  The hurdle to me reaching my fitness goals this year are the Girl Scout cookies.   How am I going to handle it?  Easy.  Just how I have done it for years.  If a Girl Scout (not her mom, dad, grandma, or Facebook page) asks me to buy cookies I absolutely will.  All other requests are met with a resounding "No thank you."  This is what we have done for the last 10 years at my house, and if you can believe it, there are years that go by where we don't buy a single box.  This way, I am supporting the girls who are working hard.  I am helping develop the skills the way that the Girl Scout program intended it to work.  And in my own little way, I am helping develop women leaders for the future.

Ahh...A New Year

2012.  How the heck did this happen????  Doesn't it seem like just yesterday we were all freaking out that the computer programmers had "forgotten" to write code for the computers to switch from 1999 to 2000s and the power would go off, the banks would lose all their money, and the world was going to end??  Time goes by in the blink of an eye...

New Year for me always makes me look back at the year past, and look at things I would like to do differently moving forward.  I wouldn't call them "resolutions" per say, but rather, lifestyle changes I would like to make. If I call it a resolution I feel like there is a greater chance of failure, while if I am making changes, I just might not have made them fully yet.

2011 was a pretty intense year for me.  Without going into too much detail, the hospitalization of one of my kids, and two funerals for friends my age made me look at life from a different perspective.  Things that you think matter vs things that really don't.  In 2012 I want to spend more time doing things that MATTER. 

What does that mean?  Right now it means I have piles of laundry on my bed, because it matters to me more that I am going to take my kids roller skating, instead of folding laundry.  No one ever looked back at their life and said "I really wish that I had spent more time folding laundry."  The clothes are clean, and that will have to be good enough for now.

It means that I will drive myself CRAZY on the weekends getting my kids to their sporting events, because they enjoy playing team sports. They are doing things that are building life skills for later.  I will put up with "daddy ball" and unearned trophies, because my kids love to play.  I may even fork over another $20 for bobblehead trophies that will be broken within minutes of receiving them, just to avoid starting the conversation with the other parents about how this sets unrealistic expectations for life.

 It means that I will deal with annoying parents who criticize my every move, so that the kids at school will get better opportunities and experiences.  Most of the parents at our school are fabulous, so I can just focus on them, and push the wack jobs to the spam folder.


It means that YET AGAIN I will make the decision to eat healthier, and exercise more.  This is the "resolution" that never changes. No matter what, I want to make sure that I am around for years to come for the kids, and that they pick up healthy habits for life from me. (Of course, they could always pick up the habit of eating like crap from Christmas to New Years because they know come January the crispers fill up with veggies and the pantry is devoid of items without expiration dates.)

And I will continue to focus on my bucket list that I didn't finish last year.  Why should 40 be the end of it?  You know what they say......Life BEGINS at 40!!!