Family Challenge Day 2

Well day one of swimming was almost a bust.  My hubby works at the local university so Mini and I suited up to hit the pool.  Got over there, swiped my ID (dressed in my suit with mini in her water wings), and cross over to the big closed sign on the pool.  Um, what?!?  No mention of this on the website, nothing on the door, the girl at the desk didn't mention it as we water winged our way into the building.  But alas, there will be no swimming in the dark, empty pool.  not only is it closed, its closed for the next MONTH!  The tears start up as Mini is devastated by this news.  I walk back to Susie Oblivious at the desk and was like, "so, I guess no swimming."  She looks up from her magazine and responds, "oh, us that why she is wearing those.  yeah,. sorry.  Pool is closed.  There is a paper somewhere."  Then she shuffles through the stack of print outs on her counter until she finds something about the pool closure.  Great.  Tears still coming from Mini.

Think!  Ok, so I call the city rec to see if they have open swim now.  Hallelujah they do, so we get back in the car and drive to the city rec.  Once we arrive and walk in, Mini remembers our scout trip here.  The girls learned about healthy eating and fitness and got to do some exercises.  She seems happy to be here and asks why we don't come more.  Well, we don't have memberships anymore.  This answer seems SUPER lame though, especially now with our Family Challenge.  What to do?  Easy, renew!  So I renew the family membership and we are off to the pool.

The water actually feels glorious.  We have opted for the actual rec and not the outdoor pool too so we have the pool pretty much to ourselves.  Mini doesn't really know how to swim (yet) so this is a 2 fold victory.  We get some kick boards and set to it.  Before I now it, we have been floating and paddling around for an hour!  We still have to hit the grocery store though so I pull a very reluctant and unhappy girl out of the water with a promise to return the next day.

Now, I don't know of it was the swimming, the hike she took with dad and dog earlier...or just natural inclination but she loaded our cart with fresh fruit and veggies.  I LOVED it!

Today at work I get a text, "when will you be home?"  Someone wanted the family to swim together.  So i finish up my day and head home and this is what I am greeted with

In her suit ready to go back to the pool.  I have to say here in all honesty, the hubs was already in his suit too.  :)

I hurry upstairs to get my suit on to and we head off.  For day 2 since there were 2 grown ups in the pool, we were ab;e to take turns doing laps while the other played with Mini.  Another fine hour of swimming in for the day, and later this evening we are heading out on a family hike!  Look out world, here we come.

If it were up to Mini, we would be swimming everyday.  And while I do like love the full body, non-impact work outs we get in the pool...I need a little variety in my workouts.  We girls may try and squeeze in a short bike ride before the hike.  We are just on fire.  Hopefully we are going just as strong in 40 more days!

Time keeps on marchhing

Wow...I can't believe I haven't taken the time to sit and write anything since February.  Shame on me,  right?!?!  It has been a crazy few months of ups and downs and emotions and...wow is all I can really say.

First and foremost, my hubby's  back.    We are (finally) successfully two weeks post-op  today.  The difference is amazing.  He was in pain for so  long, and it was heart breaking to watch.  The idea that no matter what  I did,  nothing could make him feel better.  This road was a long one, but amazingly brought us so much closer together.  I would never  wish what he went through on anyone, especially for the length of time that  he was suffering, but honestly...the new appreciation we both have for each other  is beyond  words.

I have always known that he was the driving force behind me, behind being better, stronger, more present in our relationship...but I didn't realize how much it affected me until the past few months.  In my exhaustion of running the kids everywhere...not an exaggeration, it reached the point where being in the car  too long,  or standing/sitting in certain places was unbearable for him so I became the primary chauffeur and errand  runner.   When physical  things needed done around the house, I was the one taking on the majority of the work.  When I would feel defeated or exhausted or at my wits end, I would get a text from him reminding me how much he loved me and how much he appreciated everything I was doing.

He pushed the kids to be more independent to allow time for me to take care of me too.  Squeeze in workouts,  help out with chores, anything and everything.  Now that he is on the mend, the  family mindset has been changed  for  the better.  My 5 year old asked me when we were going for a run the other day.  What?!?!  Amazing!  My thirteen year  old asked to go through and use my workout tapes.  What?!?!  Once we get the okay from the doc, the plan is to renew the whole family 's  membership plan for the rec center and get into a  habit of exercise everyday...for ALL OF US!  I love it!

I have had so many moments over the past few  months where I was so moved by something, or so worried that I thought, I should write about this...but  then when I would sit down to start...fear would take over  my heart.  My biggest  fear being what if something goes wrong.  As the supportive and loving spouse you focus on the positive.  You reassure your husband that things will be great, the light is at the end of the tunnel (not THAT light fear factor), we will take control of  our lives again!  But everywhere I turned there was bad.  Sat to watch Grey's  the week before and two healthy, strong police officer die end  of brain dead from throwing clots in surgery.  Not what I needed to hear right then, people asking a bout the surgery and the look  of fear when they found out how extensive it was going to be...great,  thanks peeps!

Our surgeon is amazing!  He was reassuring, calm and present, it made  me feel better just talking with him before hand.  The kiddos sat with me so patiently in the OR waiting room, along with my parents and my MIL.  Such good girls.  They have really been shining stars through  this  whole thing.


And today,  2 weeks post op, my honey is driving the girls to school.  He cleaned up the garage some yesterday, helped  do  yard work,   walked the Botanical Gardens.  We are  all working on building our endurance again, and we are  doing it as a team!  All  four of us actively  engaged.  We have had moments  like this, but  they have always been fleeting...I think we are finally all on the same page.  We are all focused on the right things.   My 5 year old even wants her own fitbit.  HA  I think we may invest in the kidfit...any thoughts or experiences out there with that.

Today, I am taking a deep breath and being thankful.  I  am thankful for my family,  my health and my blessings. How are you starting over  today?

Wait...there was a wagon?!?!?

 

 

Wow...its been almost a full month since my last post, and I have to admit some of my time away was WONDERFUL, some not so wonderful, and some hard but worthwhile.  With all that being said I have SO much too catch you up on. 

 

First was vacation.  We  have never taken a vacation that wasn't fraught with stress and running around.  We do trips like Disney, Busch Gardens, Washington DC...places  that are  amazing and fun but require a lot of planning and walking and doing.  Now my mini me is a beach junkie.  Not sure where she got it from, but thank God she did.  It's as if she knew in her  little heart and soul what mommy and daddy needed all these years.  She asked us if we could do a beach vacation this year, and after our  one day of ocean time last summer, we  were ready to give it a  try.  Oh. Em. Gee.  The  hubs and I have always, I mean ALWAYS, said we  aren't beach people.  We aren't  interested in a beach vacation, what do  you do  when it rains, how do you not get bored...?!?!  Let me say, I am more than happy to say I was dead wrong about that! 

 

even the big girl smiled

We decided  to  go to Charleston, SC.  My hubby grew up spending lots of time there as he had family that  lived there for a long time.  We hadn't been in almost 12 years, so  it was time.  It gave us the best of both sides (just in case).   We had a selection of beaches to  choose from, plus it has the historical and beautiful city of Charleston to enjoy.  For the first time ever on vacation, I relaxed.  I mean, sleep through the night into the morning, roll out of bed  for a coffee and get  dressed  in my bathing suit to go straight to  the beach and lay back down relaxed.  It was amazing, no that's not even a strong enough word, it  was magical.  How had we been so against this for so many years.  We played in the sand,  swam in the ocean, laid on the beach and got  tan.  Mini me was SO happy.  My big girl, sat with kindle in hand enjoying time in her beach  chair under the sun umbrella, and the hubs and I  smiled  and breathed in the sweet salty air.

 



serenity

loving the beach with my girls

my sweetie and me

the beach junkie :)

 

We drove up to Ocean Isle, NC on our last day to see friends at the house they rented for the week.  It was nice to see another beach, but it's just not "our  beach" (which is now the only way my hubby refers to Isle of  Palm).  :)  I just can not even truly put into words how restful, needed, and just perfect it all was.

 

At the end of an awesome week, my hubby got a message though that his father had lost his battle to cancer.  It  was NOT the news we were expecting or obviously wanted to hear, and my hubby didn't want to take away from the  girls fun so we didn't really discuss it until after we were home.  There is still a lot to process from that,  but all in due time.

 

We came out of all of that into the start of a new school year.  My big girl started 8th grade, old hat at this whole school situation. 

lil sis  had to get in on the 1st day fun

 

And then yesterday was the day I had been dreading, excited for, sad, happy...all sorts of  emotions.  My mini me started kindergarten.  I am excited for  her, I really am, but I can't believe she is already at that age.  It goes SO fast.

hambone

this face <3

my baby and me

 

 

Forgive me for being so absent, but as you can see the past few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster for  us.  With all this, I can honestly say I have not only fallen off the wagon with my eating and exercising, but I basically forgot there even was a wagon. 

 

To be fair, our rule is when on vacation,  we vacation!  We don't worry about what we are  eating, we don't worry about working out.  It's one week a year to  just kick it with the kiddos and that is EXACTLY what we did this year.  It's just with everything else that has happened and we  have had to prepare for, it got put on a back burner.  But have no fear, I sent out a search party...found the wagon, and am climbing back on one leg at a  time. 

 

Do you through the rules away on vacation?

Live Laugh Love

I feel amazing today!  I mean, seriously, AH-MAY-ZING!!   I have mentioned before how the hubs and I started up with The Biggest Loser workouts.  They are great!  There is something about watching actual people (not trainers and the elite super fit) doing the same workouts as you and seeing them struggle along with you that inspires you to try harder.  When I do something like P90X or Insanity, as awesome as the workouts are, I always feel inferior to the peeps in the videos.  I know I shouldn't but when you are struggling to get through...it's hard to see them do it with ease.  You know what I'm saying. 

Anyways, last night we decided to try The Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout, and I have to admit, I said I hated it.  My arms and legs were feeling like jell-o about halfway through, I had to stop for water breaks, I was feeling like a bum.  It was great!  By the end though, I felt good.  Was I sore?  Yes.  Was I tired?  Yes.  Was I sweaty nasty mess?  Heck yeah!  But my heart was pumping and I KNEW I had gotten in a great workout.  Afterwards I drained  a glass of water, took a shower, read and tucked in my mini and by the time that was all done and I snuggled up on the couch with the hubs for our nightly Netflix fix of Breaking Bad (my newest obsession) I was so sore I didn't know how I was going to make it to work today.

Fast forward to this morning.  I.  FEEL.  GREAT!  I can't believe it.  Sore?  Yes, but also so energized and strong.  I feel ALIVE!  There have been lots of pages that I follow through bloglovin and Facebook talking about a word for the year...and that is mine.  Without a doubt!  ALIVE!  I am going to live, laugh and love my way through 2014.  I am going to try and carry that positive note with me everywhere.  No doubting, no excuses.  I even agreed to my first 5K (something I've been wanting to don for a long time).  ALIVE!!!

What is your word?