Parenting Challenges

I am nothing if not the mother by which all others can draw comparisons. I am THAT mom that sits on the LEFT side of the motherhood spectrum. June Cleaver is on the right side. Are you following me?

I've resorted to all of the following to get though tough parenting moments. And always in combination. I never rely on just one.

Apple juice, chocolate milk, pop, gummy bears, lollipops, candy corn, goldfish crackers, cookies, m&ms, french fries, benadryl, wine, beer, vodka, etc, etc.

Just to name a few.

I like to think that all parents have had those moments where they will do whatever it takes to just get to the end of the day. Most day seem to be like that for me. Does this make me a bad mom? It probably doesn't make me a great mom but I'm not always trying to achieve gold medal status. I'll settle for third place.

I know this is a recurring theme in my blog but it seems to keep popping up in my life. Bad parenting that is. I think that's because I choose to be (overly?) honest about my experiences. And not just my experiences related to parenting. I tend to be too open and honest when it comes to just about everything.

I love to surround myself with other moms, and women in general, who just tell it like it is. Haven't we all spent time with that mom who talks of nothing but how wonderful motherhood and her kids are? Does she make you throw up in your mouth a little too? Don't get me wrong, I love talking about my kids! Good and bad stories! But like any mom, I just want to hear that I'm not alone in the day-to-day (for lack of a better word) shit of parenthood. I hate sharing one of those truly horrible mom stories (like losing your kid in the mall or admitting that you've used benadryl to induce sleepiness) and getting the judgy mom response. Which is what happened to me recently. Fortunately, I've become better at just letting it go and not letting it get to me. Parenting is just a series of choices. Sometimes we make the right ones and sometimes we make the wrong ones. The challenge is recognizing the difference and hoping you don't screw them up too bad.

Get It Girl

So I've embarked on a fitness and nutrition challenge for the month of October and I am currently 8 days into it. A college friend of mine is a Beachbody coach and asked for 5 volunteers to join her on this journey. She agrees to coach and mentor us and we agree to follow her rules.

• No processed foods. This was easy. I rarely eat them anyway.
• We must drink one Shakeology drink a day as either a meal or a snack.
• 5-6 workouts a week. Preferably P90X or Insanity.

Prior to this challenge I was exercising about 3x/week and adding 2-3 days has proven to be a challenge. I've opted out of the P90X or Insanity workouts as these are just too intense for my back right now and I can't exercise in front of the TV unless it is 10 pm or 5 am (no thanks to my children) and that just ain't going to happen. And who wants to work out in their living room anyway? I'd rather people watch at the gym. Instead I am just doing self-designed workouts at the gym including circuit training, yoga, running, elliptical and core work. Between a very PT job, 2 small kids and general life interruptions I've found it difficult to get to the gym so frequently. Perhaps I'm just making excuses. The other women participating will do their workouts at midnight if they have to. Nothankyouverymuch.  So, I'm not so sure I will see the level of results they are seeing but I am OK with that. Maybe that means I will wear a size 10 instead of an 8. Whatever.I'm not working out at midnight. I am sleep deprived enough as it is.

As for diet. I have been rocking it. Mostly. Not including this past weekend.  I'M ONLY HUMAN PEOPLE. I figure if I eat like a rockstar Mon-Fri and fail miserably Sat and Sun then I am still ahead of the game right? Let's go with that.

I was initially skeptical of the shakes as I think it's just a big marketing ploy and that you can get everything you need from your diet. Which I still believe, but honestly, how many of us are eating 12 servings of fruit and veggies a day? Certainly not me. Unless you count the grapes in my wine. So I agreed to go ahead and fork over the mega moola to purchase it. And I can honestly say that those shakes have made a huge difference. Within 3 days I was a whole new person. I used to spend all day feeling sluggish and tired and now I have so much more energy. Which kind of sucks, because this stuff is expensive and I really don't want to keep buying it.

Yesterday I did a weight lifting class at the gym and today I can barely walk. Why do they insist on doing 500 squats followed by 250 lunges is beyond me but now I have to muster the energy for a 5 mile walk/jog/run. Kill me now.

Things that bug me today

One of the reasons I chose to make my blog private is because I always felt like I had to censor my words. After all, who knew who could stumble across my blog? Now I can talk shit about anyone and anything I want. And since I have been feeling especially cranky lately, this is the perfect place to vent and get it all off my chest. Usually I choose to do it on the treadmill but since my sinuses have decided to close up and fill my head with enough pressure to get the Hindenburg off the ground I won't be making any trips to the gym today. So here goes:

My husband. It costs us over $80 to fill up the tank in the Yukon. It gets about 12 mpg. So please explain to me why he needs to use it to drive Declan to preschool 10 miles away, then come back to Savage to go to the gym and then BACK to Blmgtn (10 miles away) to pick him up. Doesn't it make more sense to take the GAS EFFICIENT vehicle, go to the gym IN BLOOMINGTON and then pick Declan up instead of driving all over MN just because he prefers the gym near our house and doesn't like having to to use the gas in his car because he'd rather save his money for beer. Petulant teenager what?

My sister-in-law. Easily the most passive aggressive person I know. It seems every other day I am getting a new email from her about the wonderful new parenting book she is reading filled with all sorts of statistics and doctor approved child-rearing advice on how to be THE BEST MOTHER EVER and have the most WELL BEHAVED children ever. Considering she doesn't even have kids of her own yet, and given the fact that she has made it pretty clear she thinks my kids are undisciplined brats who I can't be bothered to contain this makes me giggle. Why? Because someday she IS going to have kids of her own and she's going to learn that those books have taught her fuck-all about being a mom. So haha. Jokes on her.

That is all for now.