My Life Lately...

Things are going very well for me... not perfect but pretty good. So I thought I would update on some of it.

Fit and Healthy...
I am really focused on getting myself healthier. Yes, this means losing weight but it's so much more than that. In fact, the scale is moving rather slowly right now although from 5/1 to 5/31 I dropped 4 pounds... not bad. And I lost 4.5 inches that month... well, actually more because I didn't exercise very much at the beginning of the month and acutally increased in my waist but then lost it again. The biggest losses came in my bust and my thighs - woo hoo! Most of you know that I am really involved with Sparkpeople and I have been busy trying to read the articles and just learn from others what works and what doesn't. There are some fanatics on there however, but that is not me. I enjoy food way too much... I am not ready to become a vegitarian nor do all my shopping at Whole Foods. And there is no way I am giving up my Starbucks visits! But I am trying to make cut backs where I can. I use low fat or no fat wherever I can... my milk is skim, my cottage cheese is 1%. I switched to Splenda for sweetening my teas, grapefruits, etc. I use sugar-free wherever I can... my latest SF purchase was syrup for my nutri-grain waffles... K1 asked if sugar free syrup was even possible. But honestly... it's not that bad. So I am still traveling this road...fighting all the time to succeed at it. J comments on my body changes all the time.... how my tummy is becoming less (used to be right out there under the bust, not anymore. The kids comment on it ("Mom, I think you did your stair workout long enough." - this was at the 40 minute mark.) I can feel the difference in my clothes. So I know the changes are happening... I just need to learn to be patient and not give up if the scale stops moving. I am learning that there is more to focus on than just weight.

The New Job...
The job is going well. I am slowly picking up more knowledge on the health insurance business but there is so much to learn. Somedays I feel rather stupid. "Didn't she just tell me that?" However, Cheryl who sits next to me and is lucky enough to answer most of my questions, is really wonderful and patient. I don't know if I would be if the roles were reversed. I really need to learn to trust myself more. But all my life I have hated dealing with our health insurance and have always left it to J... now the jokes on me, as I have to learn it all anyway. But I will say this... damn... you smokers out there... I thought smoking was expensive just with the purchase of cigarettes... now when I work up quotes for smokers vs non-smokers... whoo-ee, I think I would quit just to save the money. Ouch! I never knew that the difference in insurance was that much.

Also with the new job comes the use of the fitness room in our lower level. Technically, I do not get a lunch but I have been going in 1/2 hour earlier in order to take a lunch with some of the ladies from the office. For the most part I do the stationary bike for 15-20 minutes and once in awhile I will jump on the elliptical. But it feels good to get some physical activity during the day. That was one of my worries with switching from a very physical job to a desk job but if I keep going down to the health room, I shouldn't have any problem.

The Kids...
School is almost done for the year... June 12th. I can't wait... thinking that it has to be better than what it's like right now. But then there's that problem of thinking the grass is always greener. Right now, however, I am getting up at 5:15 to get K2 up and going, then K1 gets up at 5:45. They leave at 6:40 and then K3 gets up. I have been trying to do exercises during that time but I swear... my oldest two need more help in the a.m. than the youngest one. K1 is the worst... he has things in the a.m. that he HAS to do (shower, brush teeth and acne control). He will not leave the house unless those 3 things are done. IF that means skipping breakfast or not making a lunch, so be it... he doesn't care. I can't stand seeing him go to school with no breakfast so I usually end up making him something (usually a smoothie or oatmeal). K2 isn't quite as bad but there are certain things for breakfast that she doesn't like making and will usually call on me to help. The littlest, K3, completely gets her clothes out, showers, makes her lunch and usually her own breakfast. I try to help her where I can, usually because I feel so damn guilty. But this is also the time when I get the most exercise in... because there are less interruptions.

Although, one day last week, I was driving K3 to school (I had to be at work earlier) and she said to me, "I am really glad you took this job." I was a little surprised because I didn't think that much had changed for her... she is still doing most of her prep work on her own. But she said that I was awake now in the morning, I never slept on the couch and I was happier in the a.m. too. It made me feel great that she was happy with all of this.

Anyway, I am hoping that with school done next week that the kids will sleep in and let me have my peaceful mornings. I still plan to wake up earlier (just not 5a.m. early) and try to get my exercise in. The kids don't know it yet but they will have a list of jobs to do during the week while I am at work. That's going to go over well... *snickers* But right now, I am exhausted by 10 p.m. and usually in bed not much later. We will see if that changes once school is done.

Reading...
Yes, I know I haven't done a Reading Update for April nor May. I did read in April... maybe I will post the titles. But honestly, in May I barely read. I had two books going, The Sunday List of Dreams (which was actually not bad still haven't finished it) but I kept losing it (one time for 2 weeks!) and The Grapes of Wrath. I picked Grapes because it was a recommendation from a Classics Book Club that I joined at SP. I have not read many (ANY?) classic books and thought this would give me an opportunity to try some. However, that one was just not working for me. I am not sure though if it was the book itself or if I was just so tired by the end of the day that I couldn't concentrate on the deep topic. I finally gave up on it last week. I missed reading! I had to find some books that I could just read for enjoyment. I have two going right now... a YA book called A Certain Slant of Light... a ghost story. And Dates from Hell, an anthology of paranormal romance stories. The last is definitely a mindless, easy, fun read. It moves fast and is perfect for my bedtime reading. The other one I am sticking to during the day when I am more awake (and quite honestly when thinking about ghosts won't freak the hell outta me!).

My Family...
I received a call on my answering machine form my sister telling me how much my phone call meant to my mom ("Who is this?" - Remember that one?). I told her I doubted it and told her about the phone call. She didn't know that's what my mom had said to me. So what my mom is saying to me and telling my sister... who knows... I will try to call my mom once a month. But that's about the best I can promise... I just find it hard dealing with her negativity.

But on a positve note... I have my sister back in my life. Well, not physically anyway seeing as how she now lives in NC. BUT we have talked on the phone 3X since Mother's Day ... and I think that might be 3X more than we talked all last year. She sounds good... she sounds stronger than I have heard her sound in maybe a decade. She isn't preachy to me but suggests or encourages. Not sure if she is still sure that she is right about everything when it comes to her health, we haven't broached that subject. BUT it feels so good to talk to her now... I am hoping that this is something that will continue.

So that's about it... my life lately. I wil try to do better about posting. It just seems like there is never enough hours in the day!