Resolutions

It's New Year's Eve and everyone is making party plans or figuring out what their New Year's resolution is going to be. The truth is, you don't really need a New Year to make a new start or even a resolution. A fresh start can happen any time or any day you want it to. The resolution isn't agreeing with yourself to work out more, or quit smoking. It's to stop saying you will and just do it. It's not picking a new year or "next monday" it's now. Hell, it was yesterday.

Did you know it can take about 66 days to form a habit? So when your making those resolutions think about whether you can be consistent enough for it to stick.

So don't just make resolutions you know you won't keep. Make a plan to make a change. Don't even do that, just start, right this minute. Whether it's a change for your own life, or a plan to help someone change their life. Every ounce of motivation helps and sometimes all someone needs is a little push in the right direction and a lot of support.

My plan is to motivate and encourage not just friends and family, but people I don't even know yet.

Happy New Year!!!!

Figuring out the "Why"

After what happened yesterday on the Virginia Tech campus it really started to make me think about people and why they make the choices they do. It's fair to say everyone has been in situations where something was done to you and you couldn't figure out why that person would want to hurt you. Maybe you were the one doing the hurting.

Either way, I believe everyone is capable of doing things they wouldn't even dream of doing. Good and bad. There are so many environmental and emotional factors that drive certain kinds of people to do certain things. It's easy to place blame and point a finger but who are you to really judge anybody. Is your soul flawless of error and unkindness? I doubt it.

I have made so many horrible choices in my life, but do those things define who I truly am and make me a bad person. Of course not. There is a difference between being a truly bad person and just making bad decisions.

Being able to learn from those mistakes and move on is equally important. Taking a deeper look can sometimes clarify unanswered questions. There is a victim and a suspect, right? How do you know if at one point that suspect wasn't a victim themselves? People are a product of their environment and don't always have the knowledge or resources to make the right choices or become better people.

If you don't give people a second chance, or forgiveness, who will? If we aren't trying to change lives and inspire people to be better, what will our future look like?

Everyone feels bad for the family of the victim, but what about the family and mother and father of the suspect? I bet they are going through a similar pain. A disgusted kind of sorrow that their child is capable of something so terrible.

Everyone has a breaking point, and anyone is capable of being pushed over the edge. Some have more tolerance and control over their emotions than other's. Any series of events can lead to another series of events and so on. Things can always take a turn for the worse, even when we don't expect it.

Have faith and be supportive of everyone. You never know if your positive influence or choice to intervene could be potentially saving a life.

**Inspire someone, anyone, to be better**

Doing Good

Maybe it's that I'm getting older (not that 26 is old) or I'm realizing how fast life passes by and how quickly things can change. When I was younger, I foolishly believed things in my life would remain constant, never shifting far from my comfort zone.But life is always throwing me curve balls and changing at the blink of an eye.

I've had this unbelievable urge to pay it forward in a sense and go out of my way to do someone a favor or make a complete stranger smile. My husband and I were driving to the store yesterday and right in the middle of the road was a plastic bag and it's contents spilled all over the street. Not just papers or trash, but seven beer cans. I made Greg pull over so I could pick everything up and throw it away at the gas station down the road. A few of the cans donned some left over stale beer at the bottom and the smell was horrible. Touching it with my bare hands was even worse but in that moment, making sure someone didn't run over it and get a flat tire seemed more important to me.

My husband, by the way, thought I was crazy for walking in the middle of the road and picking up someone's trash. I read a story once, about a man walking along the beach, retrieving starfish that had washed up on shore and throwing them back into the ocean. When told he couldn't possible save enough to make a difference he picked up another starfish, threw it into the water and said, "I made a difference to that one."No matter how small a favor or kind act may seem, it's making a difference to someone.

You never know how big of a difference you're truly making. Whether it's as big as buying groceries for a family in need, befriending someone who needs you, or simply telling someone they look nice; it all makes a difference.

Here is my proposal for the weekend:
Do something completely selfless for someone random like . . .

1. If your getting coffee and there is someone waiting behind you, pay for their coffee too. :)

2. Baby-sit a friends kids so they can have some free time, and don't put a time limit on it

3. Have a friend that has been wanting something specific for a while. Buy it for them, wrap it, and leave it on their car or front porch without saying who it's from.

4. Volunteer at a nursing home, library, hospital, or animal shelter.

5. Make yourself available to friends, family, or anyone who may not ask or admit that they need help Offer, mean it, and follow through.

The above suggestions are just suggestions but sometimes the greatest gift is giving to others.

Thankful or Regretful Moms

It's that time of the year again when everyone is telling me to be thankful for what I have in life. I am very thankful and even consider myself incredibly lucky that I have a husband who works as hard as he does so I can be at home with my kids instead of having to drop them off at daycare. I have amazing in laws and very supportive parents.

I feel guilty when my mind wonders towards the what if's section. What if I focused on my career? What if I did go back to work after I had kids? What if? What if? I hate when people tell me not to focus on those things because I can't help it. I can imagine those what if's go both ways. I'm sure working mom's wish they were at home, and wonder how different their life would be if they stayed at hom. As a stay at home mom, I think about how my family would be financially if I worked full time. It's a sacrifice my husband and I both agreed on and were okay with.

My daughter is almost three and preschool age. Time for her to go to school and then time for me to do . . . what? Back to work? Go back to school? Have another baby? It's a whirlwind of what if's and impossible to determine the outcome of any of the choices.

Instead of focusing on the negatives of both sides, I came up with a list of things to be thankful for, for the working mom, and for the stay at home mom.

For The Working Mom

Be Thankful You . . .

1. Have a steady job
2. Have a reliable source of income
3. Possibly have benefits depending on your job
4. Can support your family by being a strong working mom
5. Can juggle work and family and rock doing it
6. Have a safe/fun place/person to look after your kids so you can work
7. Are brave enough to tackle the work force and be an amazing mother.

For The Stay At Home Mom

Be Thankful You . . .

1. Have the option to stay home and be with your kids
2. Get to experience the precious little moments day to day
3. Get to watch your child fall asleep
4. Are right there when they wake up
5. Are amazing enough to transform into a chef, nanny, imaginary friend, maid, and chauffeur at the drop of a hat
6. Are brave enough to give up your career to be a full time mom
7. Don't have to juggle work and family

While I sometimes miss have a job to go to everyday and being able to contribute to my family's income, I love knowing I don't have to get up, rush around, and worry about my kids all day. With Layla being a few months away from preschool, things will change. I may go back to work, or school. You can have the best of both worlds, just not at the same time.

Be thankful for the things you have in this moment and cherish every second of the life you have.

Two and Counting

I recently went to Disney World with my family. It was the VIP trip of a lifetime thanks to my Dad and Step-mom. We had a personal tour guide that enabled us to skip lines and have VIP seating during the incredible plays and shows. We ate dinner at fantastic restaurants that offered decadent desserts and yummy drinks.

As amazing as this all was, traveling and going on vacations with two kids in tow makes things much different compared to vacationing without them. Except, I can't even remember what it's like to not have a child holding my hand, complaining, or sitting on my lap while I eat.

The airplane ride for starters, while a success,(and by success I mean my almost three year old daughter didn't cry or try to get out of her seat during the two hour flight and my son happily listened to his iPod and read books) still takes a lot of energy and it's hard not to envy everyone else who is sleeping the entire time. We played games, colored, looked out the window, watched Elmo, sang songs, and by the time the plane landed I was already tired.

Day two was a full day in Magic Kingdom and while we rented a stroller, my daughter preferred the comfort of my arms more often then the stroller. Now, she weighs forty pounds and that forty pounds feel like one hundred after eight hours of carrying her around. But hey, I just considered it a really good cardio work-out and tried to pretend like I didn't want to fake an illness and lounge by the pool alone for the remainder of the day.

On the pool days, my sister slept in a lounge chair soaking up all the vitamin D her skin would ever dream of, while I helped Layla go up and down the water slide two hundred fucking times!!! Ahhh! Part of me misses those lazy days where nothing else mattered but myself but watching Layla's little face light up every time she slid down the water slide was priceless. And watching my son participate in poolside games meant more to me than sitting alone with a book.

It's rare if both kids are happy at the same time, yet they always manage to need me at the same time for different things. For some odd reason, not matter how content they are, as soon as I answer the phone or start going to the bathroom, I becomes the most sought out person in the house. There are days I have a mental countdown to their bedtime as I crave the quiet time to work on my book, or just sit without being climbed on.

I have great kids though. And my daughter was so incredibly well behaved on our Disney trip that I wanted to kiss her feet. When we got on the plane to go home and she balled up her favorite blanket, snuggled her Timon and went to sleep it was the perfect opportunity for me to rest. I couldn't stop staring at her though. Her beautiful curly blond hair was draped across her chubby face and her deep shallow breathing could hardly be heard over the loud roaring of the plane.

My son was constantly catching my gaze and smiling at me from his seat. It reiterated to me that it doesn't matter how tired my arms get from carrying them, or how annoyed I get when they keep calling me name. Even though I have watched Elmo's World more times than I care to remember, and have been peed on, pooped on, and puked on, I honestly wouldn't give it up for anything.

Want to hear the crazy part? I want more!

Love Times Three

I've never been a closed minded person. I've always thought that anything can happen and believed I should always give people a chance. This, however has gotten me into some uncomfortable situations in the past. Horrible dates, people getting the wrong impression.

But all in all, keeping that open mind has allowed me to have some incredible relationships and amazing friends. The people I have met and the things I have learned by simply listening with open ears to what someone had to say has allowed me to accept almost any belief.

Just when I thought I was the most accepting person in the world, I came across a book called Love Times Three. It's the story of a Polygamous marriage.

I know what your immediate thoughts are. Twelve year old brides in some excluded town that controls people based on fear and a warped brand of religion. Everyone has preconceived notions about things they are uninformed about or afraid of.

In relationships, you constantly hear about one or the other complaining about their spouse. "He wont do laundry." "She can't stand football."

Is it fair to expect everything we want in someone to only come from one person? By doing that, aren't we sucking the other person dry?

In marriages, sometimes, not all the time, but you see one or both spouses trying to change the other, or ask them to be or do things they wouldn't normally do. I get it. Compromise and sacrifice.

What if you could have more than just one person satisfying your needs? It's not just a sexual thing, for all you freaks thinking it's just an open way to cheat.

In this book, Joe has three wives. Three separate committed relationships where everyone in the family unit is working together, living in the same house raising their children.

What if your spouse isn't a great listener, or has a hard time being sensitive to your needs? Do you beg him to change or just blab to a close friend about it?

I am not saying I am all for this or even considering this as a lifestyle. I just thought it was interesting enough to blog about. The book is worth reading, and worth thinking about. It's supposed to be a free country so why shouldn't people be allowed to live the way that makes them happy? Or marry who they want to marry?

These are personal choices we should all be respectful of.

http://lovetimesthree.com/

Cohabitation and The To-Do List

There is one thing my husband and I have fought about since day one of living together, the dreaded household chores. Laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, and cooking. I don't know why men integrate the idea into their little brains that women will turn into these little cleaning fairies who flit around the house doing their dirty work.

My day cannot function without some kind of routine and organization. If my house is messy I get stressed. My home is my space, my retreat from the sometimes hateful world. If I enter my world of peace and am greeted by shoes and socks blocking the door, sinks full of dirty dishes, laundrey thrown on my bed to be folded I literally freak out.

Hmm . . . maybe I am the problem after all?

I just think men are oblivious to how any of it gets done at all and how important a clean space is.

I strip my kids beds once a week and wash their sheets and comforters and happened to be doing this on a day my hubby was home. He looks at me, confused, and said, "I didn't know you were supposed to wash all that."

Really? I bet you didn't know that every time you leave socks on the floor I toss them in the trash.

My idea of a clean house is so very far from my husband's idea of a clean house it's not even funny. Yes, as we have previously established, I am very OCD about . . . well, everything.

But here is the catch I struggle with: Greg works on average about sixty hours a week enabling me to basically be a stay at home mom and keep our lovies out of daycare. It's hard not to feel resentful when I have spent the whole day cleaning and he trots in with his shoes on no less, tosses his dishes in the sink and leaves crumbs all over the counter.

Do I even have the right to get mad after all his hard work?

If I don't know where he is in the house, all I have to do is follow his mess. A sock here, pair of shoes over there, cookie crumbs down the hall...

Do same sex relationships have these problems? If not, I am switching sides.

All joking aside, Greg and I have since worked out these little To-Do List issues( three years of whining about who is going to do what. At one point I actually stopped doing his laundry. It took him weeks to even notice.)

I will share a few tips on how to have a Happy Cohabitation.

1.Drop all expectations that your significant other will "just take care of it"

2. Don't toss shit on the floor. Laundry baskets, and dressers were made for a reason!

3. Emptying your razor shavings into the sink does not count as cleaning up after yourself

4. There is no such thing as a dust free house. Someone is dusting and if it aint you, it needs to be.

5. Cleaning can be fun! Make it a naughty weekend game. Dress up and "help" one another scrub the floor.

6. No matter how busy you are, it really takes like ten seconds to toss a few clothes into the washer or dryer.

7. Most importantly, couples who share chores have more sex! Really!

Happy cleaning.

Freak The Freak Out

Last night I had a pretty ridiculous emotional breakdown. It wasn't over anything specific. My daughter went to bed at 7:15 without so much as a whimper. My son and I watched a movie and he was asleep by nine. All in all a successful night.

I lit some candles, snuggled up on the couch and enjoyed the silence. I started thinking, a bit too much perhaps, about my life and where it was headed. Then I did the worst thing any person can do. I started comparing my life to other people my age and quickly began to feel like a failure.

Michele (my beautiful sister) has received countless promotions and is living it up in The Big Apple.

Chris (my brother) is just about a signature away from a record deal
You haven't finished college

You're wasting your time writing this book

Just a few of the thoughts that ran circles in my mind until it started spilling down my face for the following hour.

Sure, I am a great mother. I have overcome and accomplished so much in my life it would take a nine hundred page book and then some to cover it all. But I felt like there was still so much I wanted to accomplish and so little time to make it happen.

The worst thing I experienced last night was, feeling like I have worked my ass off for years, and still haven't reached my goal.

Yes, I am only twenty-five and still have so much of my life ahead of me, but for that hour last night, it dawned on me how fast time goes.

What road is best to travel? Maybe Robert Frost can help me figure that one out.

After a very emotional conversation with my brother, (he listened while I cried) he helped me realize how much I have to be thankful for and what I great job I am doing.

If it wasn't for my family, I don't know where my life would have drifted me. At the end of the day it doesn't matter if I ever get published, obtain a Master's degree, land a high paying job, or totally rule the world. ( I can dream a little, right?)

What matters is that I do things for me, and for my family. Success is not something defined by how much money you make, or how far you go in school or what school you graduate from. Success is an individual accomplishment that varies person to person.

I feel successful in my life right now. Nothing else really matters.

Seeing The Beauty

Maybe it is the aspiring writer within myself, feeling the constant need to adjust or fix everything, but I have re arranged my playroom for the seventh time this morning. One entire wall is brick and until this morning have yet to integrate it into the room. By simply placing an incredibly funky yet subtle mirror on the brick, it gave the room a whole new vibe.

When I look around I am constantly thinking of ways I can make something better. Always fidgeting, folding, adjusting, and moving picture frames, couches, blankets.

Maybe this means I have completely lost my mind and in forty or fifty years will be the nutty bag lady with way too many dogs who is always weeding a garden that doesn't have any weeds.

Or it is possible that I see the beauty in everything around me and the potential it holds deep within itself. My house for example as most of you know was purchased as a foreclosure. My husband and I have since been renovating every room in an attempt to unveil it's perfection.

I believe there comes a time that if you renovate too much or edit too much or pick someone apart too much, you begin to strip away someone or somethings true character while trying to turn it into something else.

If you have ever sanded a piece of wood, you know you have to "go with the grain". The same concept applies to life and novels and people. Sometimes the "flaws" aren't really flaws at all. It is something unique that we should try to see the beauty in by accepting it and working with it, not against it.

When Duty Calls

Today is the third annual Blacksburg Fork and Cork. I envisioned myself leisurely walking around sipping good wine and tasting delicious foods from various restaurants.

But, the only thing I will be doing today is getting my face painted and forcing myself to munch on a greasy slice of luke warm pizza that has been sitting in a box under the sun all afternoon at the school carnival. Then, I get to tote my already exhausted kids to my sons soccer game and attempt to keep Layla happy while simultaneously cheering on my son.

I have to do the mom thing today, instead of doing the, what I really want to do thing. I even came up with a possible solution, a compromise. I thought if I poured some wine into a water bottle I could pretend that I was actually walking around the Fork and Cork and not the carnival, but then driving around under the influence with kids in the car is just stupid, so that idea is out. My other solution was telling my son his soccer game was cancelled and taking the kids with me to the Fork and Cork...but that's just too cruel to even talk about any further.

Sometimes the boring kid stuff just has to come before the things we as moms would rather be doing. And despite the complaining, once we get to the carnival I know I will realize there isn't any other place I would rather be then with my kids, getting my face painted, carrying melted flavored ice as it drips down my arms causing everything to stick to my hands, and sipping a warm bottle of water, not a crisp glass of wine.

Punish the Deed, Not the Breed

My family and I recently adopted a Rottweiler mix and the reaction from some friends and family was, "Are you guys crazy. Those dogs are so dangerous!"

This is just one of many breeds that has been pinpointed for scrutinizing. The Rottweiler, among Pit bulls and others are a particular breed that is manipulated to become aggressive and dangerous, therefore singled out as being evil. If any dog is mistreated, chained up, not spayed or neutered, or not socialized properly they are at risk for being dangerous.

The Rottweiler is listed as the ninth smartest dog in the world. They are incredibly loyal and loving. Maggie, our Rottie, is only eight weeks old and already housebroken!

Not everybody is a responsible pet owner, and owning certain dog breeds requires the proper knowledge, time, and ability to socialize and train your pet. Not doing so results in an unbalanced, dangerous animal.

It isn't fair to blame a particular breed in general. The situation needs to be broken down to a case by case basis. What were the circumstances that these particular dogs attacked?

In a recent case last February, a Rottweiler attacked a five year old boy after the dog was left in the care of a drug addict and the parents of the little boy said, " I blame the owner more than the animal."

This particular Rottweiler obviously wasn't socialized properly and was running around a community garden scared and without supervision. Not having responsible owners resulted in a very unbalanced animal. The dog was destroyed after the attack, which is also unfair.

The drug addict that was supposed to be responsible for the dog was offered rehabilitation, and the dog was killed.

If a child isn't raised in a safe consistent environment, and that child goes to school in a bad mood, causing them to attack, or get into a fight with another student causing that child to need hospitalization and stitches, do we put the child that started the fight to sleep, deeming them "unbalanced and out of control?"

Dogs deserve rehabilitation too. They don't choose their owners or how they are raised. A child bites someone and we say, "oh, they don't know any better, it's just a phase."
A puppy, or dog bites someone, and we say, "oh my god, that dog is bad, just put him down."

How can we expect a dog to know better if they were never trained to know better?

Owning any dog breed is a risk, and there are never any guarantees, but taking every precaution and doing everything you can as a dog owner is the key to a happy balanced pet.Research a particular breed before commiting to ownership and make sure you know how to train your pet.

Most importantly, time for your pet in important too. Adopting a dog, then letting it roam around your yard by itself all day, or chaining it up isn't being a good pet owner.

Socialize your pet by bringing it with you on long walks, soccer games, dog parks, or out to lunch. Especially Rottweilers, who tend to be cautious of strangers. Know your breed before you buy. Keep and open mind, don't judge.

Check out this link! http://www.librarydogs.com/Missouri_Hero-Halo-Megan.html
http://www.librarydogs.com/

My Mood With Food

With two kids, an eighty pound dog, a new puppy, and a husband who works all the time, I am usually left to fend for myself at some of the most difficult times of the day. The dreaded homework hour, trying to keep my daughter and our new puppy busy during my son's soccer practice and the most difficult task...making dinner.

Grilling chicken stove-top while slowly sipping a glass of red wine is a nightly fantasy of mine. The reality check is me with my hair in a messy pony tail carrying a child in one arm, stirring with the other. My phone is usually ringing and at least once during dinner time, someone spills an entire glass of something all over themselves, the floor, and one of the dogs, who is anxiously waiting under the table where food is constantly falling.

Last night was one of those crazy nights. Sean's soccer game didn't end until after seven which means we weren't eating dinner until eight and after the indoor swimming pool my daughter made in the bathroom was cleaned up, I was ready for the night to be over.

My husband can usually tell what kind of a day it's been based on what we have had for dinner. If my response is, "We just had eggs and turkey bacon," he responds with, "Oh, no! What happened today?"

Now, if he comes home and I am sauteing mushrooms and onions beside mesquite chicken grilling, he knows it's safe to hug and kiss me hello.

I love the instant gratification that a naughty food choice gives me. The way an oreo tastes after it has been generously dunked in a frigid glass of milk. Buuut, since my weight loss/weight lifting journey began two years ago...I have to grab a handful of almonds and say, "Damn these almonds rock!" And mean it.

Kids love eating breakfast foods for dinner. My son told me I was the best mom in the whole world when I said, " Do you just want pancakes for dinner tonight?"

Worried about the veggies? Give them a glass of V8 splash and you are good to go.
Don't stress, no where on your grave will it say:THIS MOM DIDN"T MAKE GOURMET MEALS EVERY NIGHT!

Besides, it's only one night, right? Or two...okay okay maybe three depending on your week.

Spring Is Here

As you can tell, my blog has gotten a complete make-over. A new look and a fresh start is needed every once in a while to recharge yourself, or your surroundings. Have you ever rearranged some furniture or hung a new funky piece of art in your living room? Sometimes these small changes are a big deal. Life is so hectic and people are always in a hurry to get from point A to B but the most important place to actually be is your home.

With spring just around the corner, I know I feel that urge to declutter and maybe repaint the kids playroom, plant some flowers, and give myself a little jolt.

Between my daily trips to the gym, play class, soccer practice, karate, and swimming I am freaking exhausted. As a mom, it's super easy to give up and go to that drive thru for take-out or skip the am shower. Women are strong and amazing and I know we all have it in us to keep going. A few quick tips to keep yourself energized and looking fabulous. (Even when your lugging around a tote bag full of wet swim suits, or cheering on your little one at a soccer game.)

1. If you know your day is going to be a busy one, skip that sugar packed energy drink and take a multi-vitamin instead. Carry around healthy snacks like, almonds or walnuts, half a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with some fresh spinach, or red peppers and hummus. These all boost energy naturally and will leave you feeling fuller longer and not exceeding 200 calories.

2.Drink water. Getting dehydrated can leave you feeling pretty crappy. Plus, drinking plenty of water is fabulous for your skin.

3. Treat yourself to a small shopping trip, or a relaxing pedicure. Nothing like a new outfit to jump start a busy weekend. Strapped for cash? No biggie, stores like Charlotte Russe have amazing clearance racks and happy hour specials for even more savings.

4.Decluttering is always a breath of fresh air...once your done. Instead of throwing it away, give it away :) Once man's trash is another man's treasure. :)

5.Plant trees or flowers in your yard for some fun spring color. And, it's nice to look at when you pull in your driveway after a rough day. :)

6. Try something new, especially if you have some pent up frustrations or anger. Take up kick boxing or MMA. You'll burn a ton of calories and get to beat the crap out of a boxing bag.

So Caught Up

A very good friend of mine brought an amazing website to my attention last night. A couple got married in a cave in Ohio for one hundred dollars. Wearing mostly vintage, and using their surroundings as decor.

The simplicity behind this blew me away because weddings aren't about the couple getting married anymore, they are about how many people you can invite and what the centerpieces are going to look like. People get so preoccupied with "stuff", like the hottest shoes, or that great new Marc Jacobs bag.

Life should be more about the quality, not the quantity. The quality, meaning how you lived it and what you did for the people around you, not the quantity. It's not going to matter how many times you frequented that VIP club or how much you spent on a new top.

We are all so lost is the mindset that the more we spend the better it is, and the better we will feel. People loose sight of what is really important.

Let's say you are bringing a baby into the world, you go out and spend two thousand plus dollars on a new crib, bedding....the works. Do you think that baby gives a shit what brand his crib bedding is. Hell no! All he cares about is being loved and fed.

Another good friend of mine lost his grandmother this past week and I read that in lieu of flowers, she wanted people to donate to The Susan G Koman breast cancer foundation and the Blacksburg Rescue Squad. I found that truly amazing.

Life is what it is, and people are just busy in general but here are a few ways to change it up a bit.

1. Eat healthier without breaking the bank on so called "organic" grocery store fruits and veggies. Plant a garden in your backyard or pot some of your favorites and keep them in your kitchen. It's free, it's fun, and you'll know exactly where what you are eating is coming from.

2.Turn off the electronics every once in a while and go for a walk, or nestle up with a good book.

3.If creating your own garden is too much, visit your local farmers market and support their hard work, meet new people and learn how to do something new.

4.Get a bunch of friends together,(kids too) and using corks, mason jars, egg cartons, and whatever else is laying around, create a mural or gift and give it to someone who needs some love.

Passion or Obsession?

Other than my hands being glued to my laptop all day, and taking care of my kids, the gym has been an escape for me for almost two years.

One of the first things I think about in the morning is throwing on my workout clothes and driving to the Weight Club.

At first, going to the gym was solely to lose the weight I gained while I was pregnant with my daughter( seventy freaking pounds btw), but after awhile, working out and changing my diet and lifestyle became a passion.

One day I just stopped and took a good hard look at what I was putting in my mouth and how it could be affecting my mood and energy. It's not just about how many calories something is, but what harm or good it was doing for my body.

A can of pepsi is 100 calories, but so is a yoplait real fruit smoothie. Obviously the smoothie is a better choice, but it wasn't a choice I was making. I am ashamed to say, I was drinking probably five to six pepsi's a day. ( OMG YUCK!) Drinking your calories is never smart, and sugar turns into fat anyway.

When I first started working out, being on an elliptical or a treadmill for more than five minutes was painful. :( And painful to watch I'm sure. I looked like a buffalo with three legs trying to run in a stampede. The cramps, and the way my legs felt like jello....ugh! It felt like torture. Let's not even talk about my first spin class... picture me, in the last row on the verge of puking and crying. (Pathetic)

I never gave up, and kept pushing hard every day. Pain and sacrifice got me to my goal weight, and then some.

Cookies are my favorite thing in the world!! I'm the girl who could sit with an entire bag of oreo's and a big glass of milk, and just keep on dunking. I have honestly lost count of how many cookies I've eaten before. Saying no, an eating a handful of grapes instead was hard, and it seemed so unfair. Oreos are milk's favorite cookie and my favorite snack... or, WAS my favorite snack.

But I decided I wasn't just fighting to be in shape, I was fighting to prolong my life and keep my health in check. It might seem like the little things we do don't have an effect on us now, but it catches up. When your sixty and you have clogged arteries, a heart attack, or diabetes, you'll wish you made smarter choices.

Your hair, your nails, your skin, even the rate at which you age is all affected by your lifestyle and what you eat.

And you tanning bed freaks out there, you think that sexy glow is hot now? Just wait until all those harmful rays come back to haunt you. You'll look like a dried out prune if you don't ditch the hot box, and lather up with SPF 100 at the beach.

Is this post obnoxious? Maybe! Do you wish it ended about five paragraphs ago? Yes, you do! It's okay! Is it something to seriously think about? Hell yeah it is!!

The way life is in general makes it extremely difficult to make smart healthy choices. Every road you turn down is a fast food restaurant or a bar. ( Don't even get me started on the effects of smoking and second hand smoke.)

But taking small steps everyday is one step closer to a healthier happier you!! Sometimes, I feel like I want to just give up and eat an entire cheesecake with chocolate melting down the sides. But then all my sacrifice and hard work would have been for nothing.

Start tomorrow!! Instead of that Cinnamon bun or chocolate donut, try Multi Grain Cheerios's with fat free milk or a whole wheat waffle with jelly!

It's not dieting, because that NEVER works. It's just eating the way your body needs you to eat to live longer and healthier! Lot's of rest, because your body craves carbs when you are tired, and water is now your new BFF.

When Clear Skies turn GRAY

Throughout my twenties I have always felt fairly attractive. I work out on a daily basis and like to think I smell good and at least attempt to look put together.
(Note: There is at least one stain on my clothes at any given time thanks to my lovely children, and my socks never match!)

I was extremely excited to hit the gym this morning since both my kids will be home with only me for the next two days. Those few hours alone to work out and not be bothered by three hundred questions is bliss.

I hop in the car, crank up my music and start adjusting my rear view mirror when something glistens and catches my eye. Was it a spot light accentuating my beauty? I can only wish.(By beauty I mean the dark circles under my make-up less eyes) It was not just one, but a cluster of gray hairs on the top of my head. Completely shocked, and annoyed, I flung open the car door and ran back into the house to examine these three little strands that were staring me right in the face. Hell, they weren't staring at me, they were practically dancing around my hairline.

"I'm only twenty-five, and this isn't supposed to be happening to me yet," I yelled at my husband when he asked, "What is that matter with you?"

After several failed attempts to pull them out, I rummaged through the kitchen drawer for a pair of scissors. There is something very annoying about a gray hair. They.Do.Not.Come.Out. Pulling on a gray hair turns it into a pogo stick apparently, because as soon as I pulled mine, it bounced back into my scalp and sprung into a tight curl, making it impossible to get a good grip on.

Thank God for scissors because I had to cut them out. Relief was short lived because I realized that if I continue to pluck and cut out every gray hair I find, I will be perusing through a wig store before I make it to forty.

We really can't let that happen, so unless three more gray hairs come to the funeral of the ones I cut out, I am okay for now. If not, you can find me cleaning out the hair color aisle at Walgreens.