I’m baaaaack!
I’ve been wanting to just sit down and write for so long! But there have been two main issues with this idea:
- Kids, man. Just “sitting down to write” is a hilarious joke. I need uninterrupted time to actually focus and write but I have totally forgotten what the word “uninterrupted” even means anymore. Typically when I try to focus, I get things like a paper plate shoved in my face over and over and over and over (why?), I get a booger wiped on my pants (SERIOUSLY WHY), then I have to perpetually hand out snacks and change diapers and entertain and clean up ALL THE MESSES. There is no such thing as uninterrupted time in my life anymore.
- Priorities. The end of year was stressful trying to get everything in order for Christmas AND to keep my house from looking like a bomb went off (it can be dirty but PREFERABLY not like nuclear aftermath) AND run a business AND keep my kids alive. The blog (and many other things) just got pushed onto the 2020 To-Do list while I tried to maintain my sanity somewhat.
I aptly named this post “The Jolliest Bunch” because if you’ve seen Christmas Vacation, and if we’re friends I HOPE TO GOD THAT YOU HAVE, then you know the rest of the phrase. That’s kind of how I felt at the end of the year through the holiday madness and the rush to get things done — an emotional roller coaster who doesn’t know if they should laugh maniacally or cry or both, who looks like a good host on the outside but secretly is losing their shit while openly sipping too much of the “special” egg nog in an ugly Christmas sweater and a Santa hat.
Oh yeah, and somewhere there’s a squirrel loose in the house…
No but really. I had to at least give you guys a welcome back post with a short update before I just go right into it acting like I haven’t been MIA on this website for over a year.
I have been sitting on this post for two whole weeks because just talking about ME has been stalling, because I have so much I want to share and I want to just jump right in!! Recipes, and round up posts for the things you guys have been asking for, and recommendations and reviews – wait for it guys, it’s coming. I’m really excited to get some things out of my head and onto my website in hopes it will be JUST what someone needed!
But first I think I owe you guys a “what I’ve been up to” type thing to get this party started… especially my grandmother, who’s already cringing about fitness (wink)…
So here we are! It’s the year 2020.
Emma from Friends would be 18 this year and Ross and Rachel would be showing her their video from her 1st birthday… how old does that make you feel????
No but really, it’s a NEW FREAKING DECADE and I’ve been mentioning on the social medias HOW STOKED I’ve been on all this new year energy! Probably largely because I finished my year the way that I did.
I attended Rachel Hollis’s RISE Business conference in Charleston in early November where I learned SO MUCH and THE FIRE WAS LIT! I have behind-the-scenes been planning out some things that I want to do, but see reasons one and two above why it’s January and you’re only just now starting to see them! This was the most incredible experience and I can’t say enough how much I love going to these conferences where all these passionate and successful people get up and tell their stories while noting the pivotal moments and how they made a difference in their lives.
It lights me up.
It gives me ideas.
It makes me see how to improve.
It makes me seriously reflect on all my own pivotal moments and how they can be made into positives.
It gives me the motivation that I SO need to make it on my own.
Because, just in case you guys did not know, I also quit my job as a project coordinator after Ivy was born to stay home with my kids and continue my gig as a health and fitness coach, as well as to revive this little blog and write what’s on my heart. Especially in this phase of life where we’re all just trying to LIVE, man, and keep our kids alive and ourselves afloat.
Didn’t know I was a health and fitness coach? Well, now ya do! I’ll be incorporating that into the blog as well because it’s a huge part of my life and deserves ALL THE MENTIONS and all the clapping emojis for what it’s done for me. I still will bring the appetite, adventure and absurdity (duh), I’ll just be mixing in some new things that weren’t here before.
My challenging exercise programs give me a great place to put all the anxious and stressed out energy from parenting and moving and working through my own stuff one day at a time. My nutrition plan and daily superfoods shake helps keep me out of the fog. And my coaching gives me the accountability and the excitement to pay it all forward to other people who feel something is missing in their life or like they can’t figure out how to make time for themselves and their health.
This has been my progress after baby #2 so far! Down only about 8 pounds, but also 10 inches! And through Beachbody, I’ve gained a whole bunch of friends, a bad ass attitude, and a whole lot of ideas. I feel a lot stronger, more energized, and more ready to take on whatever comes my way. I am SO GLAD I jumped into this 2 years ago!
I’ll also be attending Beachbody’s annual Summit conference in New Orleans later this year! It’ll be so cool to meet all these other people on my team in one of the most fun cities I’ve ever been to, and I’m totally looking forward to it!
That will have to be an adult-only trip fo sho though.
Heath has enough beads to play with already (and he LOVES to pull them all out), leftover from, let’s just call it “past shenanigans.”
Because speaking of my kiddos…
They are amazing little creatures. They wear me out but OH MY GAH they also make my heart skip beats. Ivy has just been the most perfect little addition to our fam bam. She’s so sweet, smiley, and cuddly ALL THE TIME and all the ladies that we see in public places make comments and rub her feet and make her smile. Someone just today said to me, as I’m walking through the mall in my typical get-up: Ivy strapped to my chest in a carrier and Heath holding my hand but ready to bolt at any opportunity, “you’re my hero today! I remember what those days were like and you’re doing great!”
I freaking love these nice strangers who say things like this when I’ve already put my kid in time out twice before noon and I’m wondering if I could have handled the situations better. By this time I’ve also run out of purse snacks and I’m just SURE a breakdown is imminent, so any boost of encouragement goes farther than anyone really knows.
When they said it takes a village, they weren’t lying.
So in between trying to get my kids fed, cleaned up, entertained, and interacted with, I’ve been feeling the entrepreneurial vibes, and it’s damn exciting. Big things happening this year, y’all.
Since this is just an update post, I’m not going to do a deep dive into all the things parenthood has taught me. That’s a different post for a different day.
But I WILL throw out a quick list of the things I’m currently into since it’s been so long I may as well be a stranger! Do we have any of these in common?
WHAT I’VE BEEN WATCHING: You (not loving it but I’m invested now), Friends (just watched it ALL the way through, again), the Wire, Jeopardy (for real, the main reason I have any kind of cable subscription), literally anything with Matthew McConnaughey, and I am watching Schitt’s Creek all the way through again. I can’t get enough of those crazy fools (and their eyebrows, and wigs) 😉
It goes without saying that there is and always WILL BE a gaping hole where Game of Thrones used to be. Suggestions for something like it are encouraged and welcome!
Please?
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO: Pretty obsessed with Lizzo right now. I listen to the most eclectic music but compared to my old soul music that I’m typically stuck on, I’ve oddly been listening to a lot of pop lately! It must be all the workouts – a girl just needs that beat. I have also been tuning in to the several different podcasts to get more business-centered!
WHAT I’M READING: Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis and it’s been fantastic so far! Also, You are a Badass by Jen Sincero. (Since I started writing this post, I lost book #1 mentioned above so, I guess one day I’ll finish it when I determine where my kid I put it.
WHAT I’M COOKING: I’ve been working on eating a much more plant-based diet lately, so I’ve been doing a lot less meat, and a LOT more beans. I follow a food-is-fuel type meal plan that has me eating more food than I’m used to, utilizing portion control. I’ve actually been meal planning using this method for over two years now, and I plan to share some of my weekly plans later on as well as the recipes for my favorites! More to come on what the plan is and how it works in a different post.
Now that Ivy is about 6 months old, I’ve been starting to make her baby food at home. It’s so cost effective to do this, and REALLY easy! The basic concept: steam or cook food —> puree food —> pour into ice trays and freeze so you can pop them out for easy little mix and match meals. So far she’s a food hound which is exactly what I would expect given the eating habits of her parents and brother…
ROAD TRIPS: Headed to the Charlotte area a couple weekends ago to see a good friend, her new house, and to attend a Beachbody event! It’s only 2 hours away and I oddly look forward to these little drives to turn up my music and just be alone for a litttttttle bit. We had a great time catching up and trying something new!
In planning for later this year: Vegas and New Orleans! Just writing that out made me jump outta my seat. I’ve been to both but this time Sammy and I do Vegas together for the first time.
That means no male strip shows, no missed flights (let’s hope) and maybe even something adult like a trip to the canyon, which I’m very much looking forward to!
WHAT REALLY GRINDS MY GEARS: While I like to be a positive person, some things just can’t be ignored.
Can someone please tell me, have the drivers on the road always been this bad????? DAMN Y’ALL, urrrrbody be out here ignoring the traffic lights, stop signs, signaling, or the fact that SOMEONE WAS ALREADY DRIVING RIGHT THERE IN THE LANE. People just don’t care and it’s kinda reckless out there, fam! I’m just going to say that my kids are extremely likely to learn some colorful language primarily due to being in a car with me so often.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
WAYS I’VE CHANGED: When the alarm goes off in the morning, I get the F up and start my routine! No more wasting away my mornings; they are one of the best mom cracks I have to get stuff done.
I’m learning not to limit my output due to the fear of, “what will other people think?” Even just a year ago, I was terrified to put fitness-related material here on my OWN blog. I’m not playing that anymore. If people aren’t interested, then they aren’t, and that’s FINE! I’ll be here doing my thang regardless. It’s not my job to please everyone, but rather to feel satisfied with what I’m putting out there.
I’m learning to see life from a more responsible lens. We are all here for a relatively short period of time, and it’s so important that even when bad things happen, we have to remember that we’re truly lucky to be ALIVE. There are amazing and beautiful things all around us. There are people who love us. There are trails to be blazed, conversations to be had, impacts to be made that affect the future.
A huge quote that stood out to me recently was this:
“Own your day. Don’t let your day own you.”
It’s so easy to hit snooze 83 times, roll out of bed, go through the motions, and literally allow our kids, our jobs and our fires to dictate how we spend our time. We all say we’re busy all the time, but we can manage to scroll social media, watch our shows, sleep in until the last possible second. We think we are in control, but we really aren’t because we allow our attention to be squirrelly, unfocused, and pulled from place to place by a range of cues. Meetings, cries, smells (take a poopy diaper, for instance), television, notifications, etc. all of these grab our attention and force us to react to them in various ways.
I am in a transition phase right now to becoming a person who is more in control of their day so I can be PROACTIVE more often than REACTIVE. I may honestly die trying because today’s world is flashy and catchy (and Netflix/HBO put out amazing shows…), but damnit, I think about this quote every single morning and it really helps me to bring a little bit of order to this circus.
Even if there’s a squirrel in the house, the Christmas tree caught on fire, and the lights don’t work no matter how many times we check them.
Even with all the obstacles that come our way, (and yours, and theirs, cuz HEY, that’s life) we can all still strive to be the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.
