Mom of Multiples. My take on "Me Time"

If you are a mom who goes out to the office for 40 plus hours like me, you might have had those moments at your desk when you imagine what it would be like to stay at home with your kids.  I have those moments too.  I think fondly of my children whilst they are happily learning and playing at the learning center they attend, and I long to see them.  I have fantastical thoughts about how awesomely sweet they are and that their typical rambunctious behavior is not THAT bad...

Then I pick them up.

So, now after a long day of customer service calls (AKA Ass Reaming, without dinner first), I get to be yelled at, slapped, called a big meany, and attitude face ... and all for what? I said NO to them when they asked, "Can we go to Wendy's for dinner??" 

Now, we are not big fast food eaters simply because I just can't stand eating that garbage, and it is a waste of money. It's okay from time to time when you are too busy, but not every night (which is what they ask for every time I pick them up).  So you can see, I am always the bad guy when I come to pick them up, after a day of missing them, and longing to hug them.

My twin 4 year old daughters are AWESOME, do not get me wrong, but they are like little teenagers.  Phoebe is moody like a little Emo Edith Allen Poe, and Faith is Suzy Sunshine on Speed.  

I know some people might say, "You work all week, and you still take me time , what about your kids??" And I say yes I do.  My kids do not suffer when I take the hours they are sleeping and do what I want to do or do what I need to do, or do nothing at all.  I actually have my me time between 9 and midnight every night, and between 5 Am and 6 AM every morning.  What I choose to do is up to me, but I take it every single day.

How many of you chastise yourself for wanting a break from the chaos of toddlers?  Why?  Stop worrying about what society has to say, and maintain your sanity.  In the end... we're all HUMAN, and all we can do is our best, and if you need 30 minutes to soak in the tub without "guests", then darn it, you take it!  Just try to schedule it wisely.  Instead of fighting the losing battle of me time when the kids are awake, take some extra time after they go to bed or before they wake up!  

Twins, Triplets and on are a handful and a half (three times over).  So you need to snag that time when you can and make it count!  You are not a bad person for wanting to remove stress or just be YOU for 5 minutes.  5 minutes of you. Not mom, not wife, not employee, not chef, not chauffeur, just YOU.  No one needing you for something... 

You have a friend in me!

What do you do in your ME TIME?  Comment below!

Making Time for What REALLY Matters to you

You know that magical $20 you can find when there is a DVD you REALLY want?  But 5 minutes before you found out it was on sale, you thought, MAN! I am BROKE!"  How about your busy day, and how you cannot possibly fit anything in, but you find time to watch CSI, or Dexter ( I love Dexter btw)?

Truth is, we're all guilty of wasting time and money on things that do not better our situation, or our lives.  We don't want to spend money or time on things like nutrition or exercise because we want our comforts, like dinner out, movie tickets, concerts, premium movie channels, the next iPhone etc...  In all honesty, life becomes that much more FUN and fulfilling when we take care of our bodies and minds instead of filling up that time with senseless things.  

Now, I may have lost a lot of you because you think I'm anti TV, anti Fun, anti dinner dates.. and that could not be further from the truth.  What I am, is someone who understands balance... and I understand it well.  I sacrificed some things that did not coincide with my goals.  I wanted to get fit. I wanted to be healthy.  I wanted to set a good example for my family.  I wanted to help others. I wanted to get a second income to offset the cost of daycare.  So, I took time to write down all the things I was doing in a day, and how I could rearrange my schedule to accomplish things that brought me closer to those goals.

I was a gamer.  Gaming has you sitting for hours in front of a computer, eating junk, and drinking junk.  Yes, the friendships are awesome, and I love my guildmates, but it did not flow with what I was trying to accomplish.  So, I axed gaming.

I would spend too much time watching television in the evening, when I could be spending time with my kids. So, I cut back on the tv.  We do homework together now during the week, and we play outside all day during the weekends (weather permitting).

There are a lot of other things I changed, and even some more recently, to ensure i was able to add Personal Development to my day. 

Grocery Shopping WHILE listening to Personal Development on my iPod

We MAKE TIME FOR WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US.  Do not tell me you are too busy to workout for 30 minutes a day.  Because, I guarantee you could get up earlier, stay up later, or replace that tv show with some exercise.  This applies to money as well.  You could spend extra money on things like personal development, and instructional cds... you could buy and STICK TO a fitness program.  You could spend more time planning meals and eating more healthfully.  You could cook your meals instead of eating processed and pre-packaged junk.  

Harsh? Maybe... but it is TRUE!  We make time for things for which be assign value.  So, what is important to you?  Write it down.  What current activities do you do to keep you from accomplishing a goal pertaining to what you've deemed important?  Eliminate them or limit them.  You CAN do anything you set your mind to if you are willing to accept change, and do what needs to be done to reach those goals.  

Last, ask yourself this question... Am I where I want to be?  

Day 2 of the Cleanse

I am SO HUNGRY!  lol.  I'm not really "hungry" I'm just craving foods.  I want something like Bread, or crackers.  And THAT is not on the plan for the day!  Drinking my 2 liters of water.  I filled a 2 Liter Pitcher with water to make sure I knew exactly how much I had left to drink.  I am usually awesome about water in take, but not necessarily during the weekends, unless we're working outside.  The hurricane is putting a damper on outdoor activities though!

I'm swapping rest days because I am worried about doing 60 minutes of cardio while on this cleanse.  I do not have enough energy to do the workout, and I don't want to push myself and end up passing out.  

It is days like this that I wonder what it must be like to be anorexic, and never eat.  It must be painful!  I love food too much to stop eating all together.  I can't fathom doing this 1000 calorie cleanse for more than 2 days. I really can't! lol.  It is really hard!  

I'm not doing this to sell anyone on doing this cleanse.  This is just my helpful way of explaining the cleanse, and how it can affect some people.  



***UPDATE*** 

End of Day 2, and I am so glad it is over!  :) I cannot wait to have my coffee tomorrow morning... and eat solid food.  Thank goodness!  I feel wonderful, and not bloated which is awesome! 

Day1

Day 2

  

Day 1

Day 2

Day 2

End of Day One Body Cleanse _Shakeology Cleanse

Day One is over, and I am SOOOO Hungry! lol.  When you are used to eating 1500-1800 cal a day, dropping to 1000 calories is ROUGH!  I am enjoying the feeling of actual hunger though. I know, "WTH?" right?  In all actuality, many of us have no idea how it feels to be hungry.


We eat because we condition ourselves to eat a specific times.  We eat out of habit, and we eat whenever we please.  Because we have a non-stop supply of food, people rarely know when they are truly hungry, versus when they are just craving food.  Also, we don't listen to our brains queues when it says , "YOU ARE FULL!! STOP EATING!"  We push it and then we regret it.

Think about it.  You're at a family cookout. All of the awesome potato salads, macaroni salads, veggie platters, fruit, BBQ chicken, Hot dogs, Hamburgers, pickles, chips etc... is out on the table and you start loading up your plate right?  You think, "I will hurt Aunt Mable's feelings if I don't try her buttered rolls" or "Uncle Jerry will be mad if I don't eat his ribs"  .  We talk ourselves into overindulging and we justify it by saying we are being good company.

What does all of this have to do with my cleanse?  EVERYTHING.  I wanted to give my body a break.  Yes, i eat very healthfully... and I eat 5 times per day because otherwise I will binge eat at regular meal times.  I had forgotten what it felt like to be empty at the end of the day, and that was an important reminder.  I need to remember this feeling, so that every time I go to bed, I feel this way.  When your body doesn't need to worry about digesting food while you sleep, it burns calories and fat.  Otherwise, the focus is on breaking down and absorbing nutrients, and storing them.  I don't know about you, but I would prefer to be hungry while I sleep than while I am awake!

Start of Day One Before pics. Me and the hubby:

Pros of this cleanse so far:

I feel clean on the inside, and I know I only ingested Nutrient DENSE low calorie, low sugar, low fat foods. I drank only water, and fresh brewed NON Sweetened green tea.  Nothing processed went into my body today.  And I got to have chocolate twice!  Chocolate Shakeology tastes naughty, but it is GREAT for you!  I'm not bloated at all.  I know I will sleep better tonight.

Cons:
Caffeine withdrawal.  I'm used to at least 3 cups of coffee per day, so this was harsh.  Getting through my workout was tough because of the low energy from lack of calories to burn!  Yes, that happens.

Busting out of Weightloss Plateaus!

There are a bazillion ideas out there to detox, and cleanse your body. Stuff to "reset" it if you will.  I plan on trying the Ultimate Reset sometime soon, but for right now, I am happily exercising.  During something like the Ultimate Reset, you are running on low for about 3 weeks... so NO EXERCISE!  I might just start to cry seeing those words.  Yeah, I know, I sound like a psycho fitness nut job, but I really have flipped a switch in my head to the point that not working out makes me cranky!  Anyhoo.... onto what I plan to do Tomorrow and Saturday...

DRUM ROLL PLEASE......

I am doing a 2 day cleanse.  My husband has decided to join me.  I'll be begging him to let me take a Before pic tomorrow morning, and I will willingly allow my own to be taken.

2 Days?  That's it?, you ask... Yes.  There is a 3 day cleanse out there, but this is a SHORTENED version, because I don't want to do 3 days.  This cleanse is for people who still want to work out.  Here is where I throw in a disclaimer:

DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU ARE DOING INSANITY OR P90X! Those programs are too hard on the body and require proper calorie consumption.  

The Shakeology cleanse has you functioning on about 1000 calories per day, which is why it only lasts NO LONGER than 3 days.  I'm scared to death of the caffiene withdrawal.  But alas, I need to bust through this plateau and get my metabolism motor running.  So, I'm sharing the 2 days of hell with you fine folks.

I love my food. I love to eat, and I REALLY love to try new foods, so this is a big deal for me.  I have a good outlook on it, I'm just nervous.  So here is how it works:

"The goal of the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse is to optimize your performance. You want to eat enough to fuel your day AND your workout. The foods you're eating are so high in fiber and nutrients that it's virtually impossible to overeat. You'll be consuming so much fiber, along with enzymes and digestive aids, that your body's ability to flush excess foods quickly will be at its peak"

Day One:

Wake up with some fresh brewed Green Tea
Breakfast:
1 Scoop Shakeology
8-10 Oz water
Ice to taste

Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit (apples are great here)

Lunch:
 1 Scoop Shakeology
8-10 Oz water
Ice to taste

1 cup Green Tea

Snack:
Before OR after Dinner Shake
1 Scoop Shakeology
8-10 Oz water
Ice to taste

Dinner:
3 Servings of Greens (this is your Salad.. spinach or Romaine are best, no Iceburg)
4 oz White Protein (Poultry or Fish)
No artificial dressings. So oil and vinegar but you go light on this!

You can add veggies and legumes to the salad to make sure you feel full, but no cheese, no bread etc..

So as I sit here this evening typing this, I'm enjoying my last glass of red wine till Sunday!  Wish us luck!

End results of the slimming formula 30 day challenge...

I'm gonna come out and be totally honest...

I took it every day.  I exercised, and I ate right. With the exception of 1 weekend where I overate one night, I stayed on track.  I didn't lose an amazing amount of weight, but I also did not expect to.  So where do I stand on the slimming formula and ActiVit?

My weight and measurements are the same.  I have MORE energy, and neon yellow pee :)  The BEST of the two supplements was the ActiVit, hands down. It gave me noticeable boost without the jitters, and I honestly felt healthier overall while on it.

I still suggest that you try it for yourself. Because results vary WIDELY. Just like with exercise programs, some people burn 400 cal in an hour, some burn 200.  It's different for everyone.

Short post I know, but I have a Cleanse blog to write next!