Mornings Before School

After a month of getting everyone ready to go in the mornings I'm finding myself enjoy this time. I pack the lunches the night before, Mike feeds the kids their breakfast while I shower and then says goodbye, Quinn gets himself dressed and "brushed" (his way to say he brushed his hair and teeth), but most importantly - this is the time of day when my two boys play the best together. Most mornings they have a good hour to play together before we need to leave - they can either be found playing chess (Quinn's trying to teach Liam), Wipe-Out (jumping on the couch cushions), or just dancing around on Liam's bed. This playtime gives me plenty of time to empty the dishwasher and straighten up the kitchen before we go. It's been working wonderfully and I'm sure now that I've typed this up tomorrow will tell a different story all together.

Tall Ships

Skinny is Not My Goal

A few days ago Jillian Michaels was asking her facebook followers for ideas for work-out t-shirt slogans. I, of course, couldn't think of one on the spot. But now, a few days later - I've got it.

I'd love to work out in a shirt that said:

My goal is not skinny.

My goal is strength.

I didn't always weigh what I weigh now. Maybe that's why I keep hearing people tell me, "You're so skinny." When really - I'm not. Yes - I weigh less. Yes - I'm wearing a smaller size than when most of these people met me. Yes - I'm working out. yes - I eat healthy foods. But skinny hasn't been my goal since high school (at which point I could never achieve the elusive "skinny"). My goal now, if you can call it that, is to put food into my body that will give me fuel to be stronger. To do more. I eat when I'm hungry - which some days feels like all the time. I rejoice in being able to do a few push-ups on my toes instead of my knees or to hold a plank for over a minute. More importantly, I rejoice in being able to run next to Quinn or Liam as the ride their bikes down the sidewalk. Or to be able to play an all-out game of soccer with them without huffing and puffing too much. My goal is not to be skinny. My goal is to be strong.