The Average Day For This Mommy....

Because recently, inquiring minds want to know: "Julie, how do you get so much done in a day?" I figured I would FINALLY update my blog with a nice 'rundown' (as 'they' say) of what exactly my day is like. This will be done in the form of an itinerary.  So, if you're reading this and you're thinking, "Ugh! That sounds so boring!" Then, you should probably stop reading riggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhht abouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut........NOW!

Okay, so now that I have lost all the readers who would find this entry to be unnecessarily boring, I can continue on.

My Day.................

5am- WAKE UP
**For the next two hours, there are several things I may choose to do. It might be some kind of housework that needs to be done or caught up on, but rather recently, what I do in this time frame is school work. I begin reading chapters or taking notes, taking quizzes, writing papers, etc.  I find that this early hour time frame is the best for me and getting school work done because the house is almost completely silent and I can truly focus all of my attention on the task(s) at hand. **During this time period I also ingest several cups of coffee, water, and eat my breakfast**

7am-8am- KIDS
**On a normal day, the boys will get up around 7am.  On a good day, they will sleep in til 8am. This is when I stop the school work (or whatever it is I was doing before they woke up) and I focus on them.  Making them breakfast, changing diapers, helping them make beds, getting them dressed and ready for the day, etc.

9am - SCHOOL AND GYM
**I normally get my biggest boy to school no later than 8:50am each day.  From there, me and my youngest head straight to the gym for my first workout of the day. Here, I get 90minutes of "child-free time" which - as any mother will tell you - is very VALUABLE time.  I also use this time to just not think. After doing school work or cleaning or chasing after the kids to get them out the door, this 90minute window is really just what I need to kind of de-stress, first thing in the morning. Now, school is almost out but I still fully intend on hitting the gym with both my boys in the morning every day this summer (except on my rest days of course).

10:30-11am HEAD HOME
**I usually finish up at the gym by about 10:30, sometimes 10:45.  On a day that I'm running behind, I'll be done by 11am or shortly thereafter.  This is when Jonah and I head home.  I take a very very VERY quick shower, and Jonah usually sits on the bathroom floor pulling everything out of the sink cabinets to entertain himself.  Of course, this means I just have to clean up the mess when I'm done in the shower, but hey, if it keeps him occupied while I'm getting clean, then I'm okay with that.

12pm - PICK UP
**This is when I get to the school and pick up Jeremiah (the big boy).  Of course, Jonah (the baby) tags along for this as well.  I usually get to the school around 11:45-11:50am and we wait in the classroom (Jonah plays with toys and I follow behind him, picking up his little disasters).

12:30 - LUNCH
**By this time Jonah is taking his afternoon nap. I lay him down as soon as we get in the door from school.  Jonah is a big eater, so I don't bother to feed him an actual lunch, as he has been eating and snacking the entire morning as it is. Jeremiah usually prefers just a sandwich, chips/crackers, juice box and some fruit snacks for lunch.  This is also when I eat my lunch and relax for 30-45 minutes.  (Relaxing = watching Youtube videos, commenting, responding to comments, scrolling Facebook, online shopping, etc).

1:00-3:00pm - QUIET TIME
**In my house, I have created "Quiet Time".  Jeremiah understand that this is a time when Mommy is working on school work and is not to be bothered unless he really, really, REALLY needs something. (He's almost 5, so that means he still bothers me about every 20minutes or so. But its not too bad). During this time, he is allowed to watch shows on his tablet, play games (educational games) on his tablet, or take a nap, or play with his toys in the play room.  He normally likes to combine all of the aforementioned choices into one. (Not joking, at all.) I use this 2 hour block of quiet time to my advantage. I do whatever I need to get done. Recently, that means schoolwork.  But it could be folding laundry, cleaning my room, cleaning out the car, doing the dishes, etc.

3pm - DINNER PREP
**The husband usually is home around 3:30pm, so I usually wait until he gets home and then I start on dinner, depending on what it is. If its a meal that takes some time to cook, I start it now. If its a quick and easy meal, I may put it off and continue to get things done while the baby is still napping.  Jonah usually gets up from his nap anywhere from 3-4pm. (Yes, I am aware that this is a rather long nap...but hey, I have been blessed with some great nappers. Jeremiah napped like that too!)

4pm-5pm -  DINNER
**This is usually the time when we eat dinner. Anywhere from 4pm to 5pm.  We eat dinner early because the Husband is usually pretty hungry when he gets home and doesn't like to wait too long for his meal. The baby is also awake by now and is running around causing chaos.  Jeremiah is now done with his shows and is playing with his brother until dinner is ready.  Most nights (I would say about 5 out of 7) we eat dinner as a family at the dinner table. This is important to me, but I will admit that some nights it just doesn't happen.

5pm-6pm - CLEANUP
**Everyone is usually done eating by about 5:30 or so. On a bad night, maybe around 6pm.  I then clean up the dinner dishes and get the kitchen and dining room back in order.

6:30pm or 7pm - GYM TIME!
** This is the time I like to do my 2nd workout for the day.  I normally take both boys with me.  Some nights I might just feel like going for a run in our neighborhood, and I'll do that instead. It depends.  Again, this is a 90minute period that I get to myself. Kid Free = VALUABLE.

8pm to 8:30pm - BATHS AND BED!
**We are normally back from the gym by no later than 8:30pm.  The kids get their baths, pick up any toy messes they have, and are in bed by 9pm.

9pm - 10pm - FREE TIME!
** This is when I do whatever the hell I want. It might be watching a favorite show of mine. Or maybe finishing up more school work. I might even just hang out with the Husband and chat, catch up on the days events, etc.  I just do whatever I want.  I try to make it to bed no later than 10:30pm, as I get up again at 5am to start it all over again.

THAT is my day in a nutshell.
Here are a few things to remember:

1. Start your day out with a plan. - I am inherently, a Planner. I love to plan EVERYTHING! I find that if I have a plan of what I want to get done in a day and, more importantly, HOW I'm going to get it done, my day goes a lot better.

2. ITS OKAY if the plan doesn't work out. - I will admit to being more than annoyed when the plan for my day just goes to shit. The kids are being bad, the tire on my car blew, I locked myself out of the car.....I mean, there are so many things that can, and DO, happen that throw our days off. Thats okay. Take a breath. Deal with it. This too shall pass. Go with the flow and MAKE.IT.WORK!

3. Cleaning- I am a HUGE clean freak and neat freak. I love order opposed to chaos. I know it may seem like I never clean, given the itinerary above, but what you have to understand is this: I am cleaning on (almost) a constant basis. I am following my little 18month old boy around a lot, picking up after him, teaching him to clean up his own messes, etc. The trick is to start off with a clean house, then keeping it that way isn't too hard. When the laundry basket is full, run the load NOW. Get it done NOW. Putting things off til later just causes things to pile up. Get things done as they come. Also, I usually set aside one day a week (normally a Saturday) where I do all of my "Deep Cleaning". I scrub base boards, dust, clean out drawers, cabinets, closets, etc.  I try and get it done during the baby's nap time on Saturday afternoons when we're stuck in the house anyways.

4. Always remember: There are 24 USEFUL hours in a day. LESS THAN HALF of them are spent sleeping.  Use EVERY MINUTE to your advantage. < This is my own ORIGINAL motto. You can borrow it if you like.

5. There is another quote I love, "If you want to be successful, you gotta be willing to give up sleep. You gotta be willing to work off of 2-3 hours of sleep.  Somedays, you may have to stay up three days in a row, because if you are asleep you may miss the opportunity to be successful!" - Michael D.
This is something I agree with.  Maybe not literally, but in the underlying message.  Basically this quotes begs the question: How bad do you really want it? Julie, do you REALLY want to get your degree? Yes? Then get up at 5am, get your schoolwork done, get good grades, put in the work. Julie, do you REALLY want to have successful and well rounded children? Yes? Then spend time with them, teach them, love them, encourage them, put in the work. Julie, do you REALLY want to be healthy and lose weight? Yes? Then MAKE THE TIME to work out TWICE a day. PUT. IN. THE. WORK. Simply put. You will never get anywhere, if you continue to make excuses. I learned this quite a while ago and I try to remind myself of it on a daily basis.

You're PISSING ME OFF!!!!!!

Yes, I have been in a pretty foul mood most days.  I have not been able to put my finger on why....until now.

So...everyone knows that in the beginning of the year (January 1st, to be exact) there is always a rush of new memberships at gyms across America. I have known this for years.  So many people make it a yearly resolution to get in shape, lose weight, make exercise apart of their daily routine...you get the idea.  So they all rush out the door on January 1st with a fiery vengeance, and head to the fitness facility of their choice.

Now, I happen to go to a local YMCA that is (literally) 3 miles from my house. My kids love the men and women who work the kids area both during the day and at night.  They LOVE the kids area in general (it has a large area with what they call "the tunnels", its basically like a big McDonald's PlayPlace if you can imagine it).  There are tons of toys and activities planned for them. And they have a great time when we go.

HOWEVER............................

Since January 1st reared its ugly head....it has been nearly IMPOSSIBLE for me to enjoy my gym time. And THIS, my friends, is what has put me in such a foul mood for weeks now. I didn't realize it until yesterday, but it really is why I get pissed off in the beginning of my day.  See, my routine has been as follows:

- Get up, have some coffee, and generally relax until its time to wake up the boys.
- Get the boys up and out of bed.
- Prepare breakfast and sit with them while they watch some morning cartoons and eat.
- Get boys dressed and ready to go.
- Drive Jeremiah to school and drop him off.
- Come back home with Jonah, continue trying to coax him to eat breakfast.
- Get dressed and head to the gym.

So, you can basically say that the first thing I really do with MY day is go to the gym. As many of you know, I have long since regarded the gym as "Me Time".  Its 90 minutes where I don't have to look after the boys. I'm not really worried about them. I can just listen to music, sweat and think about nothing. But, because I only have 90 minutes worth of child-free time, I go in to the gym with a plan.  I plan out each day's workout(s) ahead of time. I know what machines I'm going to use and at what time.  Now, to be clear, I have ZERO PROBLEMS with having to wait a bit here or there for a machine to open up. I do not have any grandiose ideas that all machines should be open for me as I enter the facility. That's just silly.  But what I DO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH is when people are inconsiderate of others.

Just today, for example, I was using these stepping stair things (not sure of the proper term for them, but you'll find them in a 'Step Class').  I took great care at setting them up at the right height, grabbed some hand weights and started my leg routine. I'm half-way through and standing off to the side of said stepping stairs doing weighted lunges, when a guy walks up, LOOKS AT ME, looks at the steps, then.....PROCEEDS TO TAKE THEM APART!!!!!

UMMMMMMMMM............WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU F*CKING MORON?!?!?!?!?!?!

No. I didn't say that.  I was actually more polite than I probably would have been when I was younger, but I did correct the dude by telling him I was still using them and that I would be done in a few minutes. I mean....COME ON PEOPLE.

Here is my tip for many of you out there who may not be very regular gym goers.  Find a friend, or even someone you don't know that well, that you know goes to the gym religiously.  Ask them to sit with you for a few minutes and give you some tips on GYM ETIQUETTE.  Trust me, it will be the best few minutes you've spent in a long time.

In general, be CONSIDERATE of others.  If you see someone working out next to something and you're not sure if they're using it or not, ASK THEM! *Listen, we may have very intense, almost angry expressions on our faces, but that's merely from concentration and focus. Most of us will not mind a simple question if it means you're following proper gym rules*

So I said all this to say, I've changed my routine.  I now go to the gym EARLIER so that I am not surrounded by so many aimless, inconsiderate, morons. I just can't handle it. And I hate feeling so angry first thing in the morning. Hopefully by this summer, some of these people will stop going. I know that sounds bad....but...the people that I'm referring to are the people who don't take it seriously in the first place.

Annoyed...

First off, its been a few days since I've updated and this is simply because of illness.  My youngest son was sick for the better part of a week and then I got sick, AGAIN! Ugh. But I am feeling MUCH better now and getting back to my regular workouts and all is right again. So, on to today's topic.

I am feeling a bit annoyed.  In fact, I've felt annoyed by this particular thing for the past couple days but wanted to take some time to really sort out of my feelings before I blogged about it.

A few days ago, while surfing through my Facebook Newsfeed, I came across this gem:



Now, for the most part, I really get a kick out of these little card things that people create and share on the Internet.  But this one? It rubbed me the wrong way. And then I read the comments on it. Someone said, 'this is why I do not wear yoga pants in public. You shouldn't do that unless your ass is perfect'. THAT annoyed me even more. Why? Because......I AM AN AVID YOGA PANT WEARER.  I wear them to bed, I wear them around the house, I wear them to go grocery shopping, I wear them on family nights out, I will probably request to be dressed in them when I am BURIED!

Why does this annoy me so much? Because, who are YOU to convict a person's ass? Guess what? To me, my ass IS perfect, because its the one God gave me. Because its the ass my husband fell in love with, because its the ass that I've always received compliments on (from the opposite sex of course). I'm not about to condemn ANYONE for wearing their yoga pants with pride. They are comfortable, they are forgiving, and black is slimming!

Another point is this, some women who wear Yoga Pants may do so simply because regular jeans or other pants are not comfortable and/or they do not fit well in them. And who are YOU to judge? Maybe they're working on losing a few pounds, maybe they're deeply insecure about their appearance, and the LAST THING that person needs is your judgment.

Now, I know, we are a judgmental society in general.  Seriously! I catch myself making small judgments about others (in my head) on a daily basis.....but I always stop myself and think, 'ya know? what if that were me? I sure wouldn't like it if others were thinking that or saying that about me!'.  The Golden Rule people. Learn it. Live it. Love it. I teach it to my oldest child and will be teaching it to my youngest just as soon as he can grasp the concept.  Stop judging others, ESPECIALLY based on their choice of clothing. Get a life.

That is all.

Spinning; A History.....

Have I mentioned my love affair with Spinning yet? No? Allow me to enlighten you all.

It all started in New Jersey.  I used to live there.  In fact, my first son (Jeremiah) was actually born in New Jersey.  Although I really didn't care too much for Jersey in general, it will always hold a special place in my heart because of the great things I accomplished while I lived there.  I had my first child, I finished my Associates Degree, AND I lost over 90lbs.

Many of you have been following me (and this blog) since I first started to focus on health, fitness and weight loss after I had Jeremiah.  As such, many of you know that I was big into running and gym life in general.  Although, I'm not sure I have talked at length about my Spinning obsession.  Like I said, it all began in New Jersey.  I switched to a very nice, big gym called Tilton Fitness ( I was previously attending a facility called 'Island Gym' where I was pretty much reduced to tears of shame by a trainer on the day I first signed up, so I was very happy to find a bigger, MUCH better gym where the people were much nicer).  Anyway, my husband's co-worker's wife realized that we both attended this same gym and asked if I had ever tried Spin before. Now, at this time, I had walked past the Spin classroom many times while a class was in session and I will admit, my first thought was, "Wow. Those people are NUTS!" After receiving this invitation to try a Spin class with a friendly face, someone I knew, I thought... 'okay, what the heck? Why not give it a shot?' So I went.

At first, my butt hurt REALLY bad.  I like to call this "Spinner's Butt".  Its because your booty is not particularly used to the seat of the bike (and it may not be very muscular) and after the class is over, you kind of feel like you're bruised in the crotch/butt area.  Kind of like someone was just punching you repeatedly down there.  BUT, what I loved was the atmosphere in that room.  AND I really liked the instructor.  I remember when the class first started, she was so peppy and upbeat and all, "Yeah! Lets get ready to work!" and I remember thinking, 'is this lady on crack?!!!?!?!?!' But she was really great! I think she kind of specialized in teaching beginners and man, she was good at getting you hooked.  After that first class, I became addicted.

I started attending Spin classes three days a week.  I remember the schedule was Mondays and Wednesdays at noon (sometimes I would come back in the evenings for a night class too), and then on Fridays I came to the evening class after dinner.  I continued to attend Spin classes on a regular basis like that for well over a year.  I even watched a couple regular Spin Class attendees become certified and then THEY taught classes, and that was really cool to see. I even continued to spin there at Tilton Fitness up until I was about 4 months pregnant with Jonah!(My second beautiful boy) Then we moved, so I was no longer able to continue, but if we hadn't moved, I would still be there to this day, spinning my legs to my heart's content.

So I tell you all of this history so that you can understand where this 'New Life Goal' of mine is coming from.  I have decided that once I get within 20lbs of my goal weight, I will start the process of becoming a certified Spin Instructor.  Another aspect of that goal is to get hired as an instructor somewhere.  I don't care if its just teaching one class a week, thats good enough for me.

I think its so important to have goals in life.  Whether they're fitness related or not, it doesn't matter.  I believe we become better people when we're working towards something we are really passionate about or interested in.  If we all just lived our lives without ever creating and reaching goals, wouldn't that be a pretty boring life? Why not challenge yourself? Why not prove to yourself (as well as others) that you CAN do whatever you put your mind to? I know it sounds totally cliche, but, in the words of ShayCarl (Google him if you don't know who that is) "The secrets to life are hidden behind the word, 'cliche'. "

Until next time, kiddos. ;)

Happy Happy Monday!!!!

Am I the only one who LOVES Mondays? Maybe its because I no longer work in an office setting (for the time being, but those days will be back...and that right soon), but I LOVE the fact that Mondays signify a new week which is also a new chance to get things right! What could be better? Technically, every new day is another chance to get things right, however I try to start Mondays off with the same belief system.

So, above you will note a pretty cool quote (no, I did not intend on making that last bit rhyme).  I came across this image/quote this morning whilst "Google-ing" some inspirational images.  This one is just awesome.  Its almost the same idea as the definition of insanity.  I believe the definition of 'insanity' is: 'doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results' (of course, that's me paraphrasing).  And to me, that is exactly what the above quote is getting at.  If we continue to do the same things we have always done (i.e., eat unhealthy, not working out, sitting around, remaining stagnant, being unhappy, etc) then we will continue to get what we've always gotten (i.e. unhappiness, obesity, anger, depression, etc).

I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a classmate in High School. Yes, I said HIGH SCHOOL. Today, I can't even remember this girl's name, but her face is forever burned in my brain because of the wisdom she dropped on me one day.  She was a Russian girl who I helped a lot in English and History classes, as she had a hard time grasping the concepts and the language differences.  She was cute! I would not call her chubby, but she told me that in her family and in her culture, she was considered "the chubby one".  This totally blew my mind because she was pretty much beautiful to me, and I was a good 4 inches taller and about 100lbs heavier than her (in high school remember, yes, I was a big girl back then too).  Anyway, she was reading a magazine one day in class when we had down time and she asked me to explain a phrase to her that she didn't quite understand (it was something about exercise or dieting).  This is how the conversation went:

Me- "Are you doing this diet/exercise stuff?"
Her- " No, I'm kind of doing my own thing, but I decided to change myself"
Me- "Change yourself?"
Her- "Yes.  I am unhappy with my appearance and I want to change it. So I am."
Me- *while giggling a little* "Oh, its just the easy, huh?"
Her- *genuinely confused by my laughter* "Yes, it is! If you don't like something about yourself, you don't have to just accept it.  You can change it.  If you want to change, then do it. Its that simple."

Mind Blown. Yep. I was pretty much speechless after she said that.  It was at the end of our Senior year and I was at an all time high weight (for my age then, I've since surpassed that after having my babies), and I was unhappy with my appearance and lack of physical health/fitness in general. Her words hit home with me and that summer, I started to 'change me' as she put it. Before I started college that next fall, I had lost almost 50lbs and never felt better.

Its funny how this story and those words of wisdom from her are coming back to me now.  Its the first thing I thought of when I read that quote this morning. Funny how that works, isn't it?  I feel great that this is the mindset I now have.  Its not so much about changing who I am as a person on the inside - because that person is pretty frickin' awesome and I love her to pieces - its more about changing my outward appearance to reflect that awesome person inside.  There's nothing wrong with that.

So, if you haven't already started on your resolutions/goals for the New Year, do it now! What better day to start than on a Monday? Every day is a chance to do things right, better, work harder, get more results. Remember that, and keep on going.

Until next time kiddos! ;)

REASONS

REASONS WHY I DID NOT WANT TO WORK OUT TODAY:

- I'm tired.

- I think I should take another day of rest after being sick.....just to be safe. (This is also known as "playing the sick card").

- Its getting late and I won't have enough time to get a "full" workout in before having to pick up J from school. 

- The husband even thinks I should just stay home and chill on the couch. 

- My coffee tastes so good, my slippers are so nice and warm and it is freaking COLD outside.

- I want to just play on the computer and not do anything. 

- Did I mention, I'm tired.....?

- I went to bed late and didn't get enough sleep. 

- I feel slightly nauseous, (again..."playing the sick card"...)

REASONS WHY I WENT TO THE GYM ANYWAYS:

Because my goals are worth more than my EXCUSES. 

Am I an Extremist???

ex·trem·ist  (k-strmst)

n.

One who advocates or resorts to measures beyond the norm, especially in politics.

 

Hmmmm...... well I'm sure I'm not a political extremist, but the rest of the definition definitely suits me. See, a lot of people think I take things too far, do too much, or become too hard core with certain things, but I'm starting to believe that it might not be such a bad thing!

 

For those of you that may not know me very well, I have a very harsh personality.  Now, if you were to meet me for a few minutes, you obviously would not think this were true, but that is simply because I am well aware of social graces and I conduct myself very well when meeting and befriending new people. I guess what I mean is, I have been told that I am very relatable and approachable, but nothing could be further from the truth when you get to know the real me. I'm opinionated.....VERY opinionated. When I'm around friends (and I use the term friends in its proper definition.  PEOPLE, someone you met once, twice, or even THREE TIMES, and you may have spoken with for a few minutes each time....they are NOT your friend. Just because you 'friend' someone on Facebook, does not mean you are actually friends.  Please keep this in mind for future reference.)  Again, when I'm around my actual friends, I tend to let my mouth fly off and speak what I believe to be true, and share my opinions without caution, and defend those opinions as well. On another note, I am fiercely loyal and will rip the head off of anyone who will try to speak ill of my loved ones. So, like I said, its a bit of a harsh personality.

 

In regards to my fitness, I think I'm a bit of an extremist there as well.  Merely going to the gym once a day is not nearly enough for me.  This is not to say that those of you who do go once a day are wrong.  I am simply saying that its not enough for ME to only go once. It has to be 2-a-days, and if for some reason I end up only going once in a day, I get angry at myself because I know the reason I was unable to go in a second time was bogus.  I am a big calorie counter, I'm not obsessive with it, but I am an avid tracker of things that I eat and I guess this can be considered a bit extreme as well.

 

In my home life, again, Extremism.  I am a clean freak. Well, as much as you can be with 2 small children running around.  My husband makes fun of me sometimes and claims I have 'OCD' (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) because I have certain nightly routines that I do.  I'm sorry, but I will NOT go to bed with my house a mess. And no, I can't sleep if the pillows on the couch are not arranged in the right way. And yes, it IS important to have no dishes in the sink and the coffee prepped and ready to go for the morning before I lay my head down for the night. Yeah......Extremism.

 

But here's my question: Is being an Extremist a bad thing?

 

In my opinion, I don't think so.  Being an Extremist has brought me a lot of success in my life.  I think many of us that are categorized as 'Go-Getters' are probably within this category of Extremists.  But since when is it a bad thing to get off your a** and WORK for what it is that you want? The way I see it, my Extremism has enabled me to have the best, real friends a person could as for, a very nice and clean home, and personal goals that I actually MEET! So, if being an Extremist has helped me to get to where I am, and living the life that I do, then how can it be bad? I don't think it is. 

 

Since this is primarily a fitness/weight loss blog, I suppose I should relate this topic more towards that spectrum.  So, here's what I'm getting at.  Maybe we all could benefit from a bit of Extremism in our lives.  Don't half a** your workout! Be an Extremist.  Go hard!  Do your workout like you initially intended.  Balls to the wall.  Let the sweat POUR off your face.  Work the machines. NEVER SURRENDERRRRRRR!!!!!!!! <-----I may have gotten a little carried away there.......