For those who know me, they know I can be a bit "high strung" (OK....a euphemism for "anxious"). I find that I feel much more prone to anxiety, and general discontent, when I live my life in a way that is incongruous to my beliefs. That is where I am right now.
I believe in a healthy eating, exercise, limited TV, nurturing the spirit, and learning. Unfortunately, due to being busy, I have let most of those beliefs fall to the wayside. I have given in to convenience eating, letting my kids watch too much TV, and a sedentary lifestyle (for myself...I always make sure the kids get daily exercise and outside playtime). These "choices" have left me feeling depleted of energy and motivation. That is not how I want to live.
A while back I had success with Weight Watchers. I lost almost 20 pounds, but I am sad to report that most of it has come back. I got frustrated because I couldn't quite get to that 20 pound weight loss mark - I "plateaud" (is that a word?) just below the 20 pound milestone. It was too bad I did that, but now it time to start over and remember how good it felt to do something good for my body.
As for exercise, I miss it a lot. When I am active, all things in life are better. My plan is to start utilizing the YMCA for more than just a place to take the kids. I think with BB's new preschool schedule, BG and I can frequent the Y more regularly.
Although I am sometimes missing work, I do have a number of projects and groups I have joined. I am fortunate enough to be connected to church and to some groups that focus on adoption/Korean culture. I also have a stockpile of educational and parenting books that I am ready to dive into. These efforts will be a good way to channel my desire to keep learning and to connect with others.
I also need to expand my cooking skills. I asked for assistance from my Facebook friends and got some excellent tips on meal planning. Cooking and planning is a major weakness of mine. I don't know how it happens, but the day gets so busy and all the sudden it is 5:30PM and the kids are starving. I need to shop and plan healthier meal choices. DH and I have made a plan so we can all eat together, which we both feel is important. We have had good success in modifying BB's diet to help him with sleeping and behavior. It is time we all got on board!
So....let the self-improvement begin! I must be gentle with myself and understand these changes in lifestyle won't happen overnight. I must keep in mind the goal is to try to live according to what I believe in.
Hey Kelly - What books are you reading or have you read that you feel were worthwhile? I'm always looking for new ideas! I'm trying to do sort of a pre-preschool with my boys to give some more structure to our days because otherwise, like you, we fall into the "watch TV, sit on the couch, eat junk food" trap.
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to fall into that trap! I have actually gotten a lot of great, and easy, ideas for play from the blog "Play at Home Mom." I am going to order water beads and colored sand for some projects, based on things I saw on that website. As for books, many of mine focus on sensory/behavioral kinds of things. Right now I am reading "Smart Love," (Pieper and Pieper) which is about alternatives to traditional discipline. I have become anti-time out these days! We also do a lot of pretend play and gross motor play during the day.
ReplyDelete