Donuts and life …

The truth is that I have been into health and fitness since I was 12 years old. And a donut lover for even longer than that. The summer that I turned 12 was pivotal in my life. I started watching the Richard Simmons show and I was hooked. I began exercising outside of school PE classes and started experimenting on my own in the kitchen with healthy recipes. The life I laid out for myself that summer, stuck. I’m not saying that I didn’t eat junk food like every other teenager, I did. But that is when I learned that there can be both if I leaned more toward making healthy choices most of the time. This carried on for years and even crept its way into my career when I was given the opportunity to work with bariatric patients prior to and after their weight loss surgeries.

So why do I bring all this up?

Because today is National Donut Day. And as much as running, exercising and eating right is a part of my life, so has this favorite childhood food. Jelly donuts will ALWAYS stir up fond memories of yesteryear for me. Memories of New York (I was born there), my mom, my grandmother, and little pink bakery boxes tied with string. I love that weeks like this I am literally a walking oxymoron. With Running Day and Donut Day all occurring in one week, I feel like I get to celebrate the things that stir up a lot of wonderful memories for me. A lifetime of them really. And that is pretty cool.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you love the life you have created and get to eat a donut too!!!

Piled up …

THIS. WEEK. The finale to our incredibly busy Spring. It seems like I’ve waited an eternity for this week to arrive. It’s been a LONG one and I wondered if we would make it with all our responsibilities met. Surprisingly, we did! But we are limping to the finish. I have definitely BEEN THERE, DONE THAT as both a runner and a mom. HA! Saturday I thought WE GOT THIS! But then Sunday afternoon came and I started feeling run down AGAIN. This cold/UGLINESS has been no joke. It has knocked me on my tush a few times. Luckily yesterday I felt a lot better and I got a ton done. I was so thankful because this week is the last INSANELY busy week we have of the school year. It’s Teacher Appreciation Week in our district too and I really try to make it special for Reese’s teachers, her aides and her therapists. It’s a lot of work, but when I think about what they do for her on a daily basis I just want to go overboard in thanking them. On top of that, Libs had a dental appointment yesterday. Which wasn’t a big deal, it’s the rest of her schedule this week that has me a little unnerved. She has two SAT tutoring sessions, an SAT practice test, her AP U.S. History exam and a whole slew of other tests and projects. Most of these things are out of our control. Things are scheduled when they are scheduled and you can’t do much about them, other than do your best to accomplish everything. Reese’s schedule is better than Libs but not by much. She has her usual dance and musical theatre classes this week but she also has two recitals and a Track Meet … all in about 24 hours! Again, how does everything seem to end up at the same time?!?! Oy!

Well, I hope you all have a day where things don’t pile up!!!

Get me off this ride …

Some school years are bumpier than others. This has certainly been one of those years. It’s had twists. It’s had turns. At times I think it flung us upside down and shook us all around! And I am DONE with it. I know that it’s not necessarily MY school year to be done with, but still. I’m the mom strapped in next to my kids until this educational and emotional roller coaster ends. Correction… FOUR roller coasters end. Ugh.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you are let off the ride!!!

Getting along …

I adore my daughter Libs. She is funny, kind, talented, smart and adorable. I tell her all the time that even if she wasn’t my kid I would still want to hang out with her. She promptly tells me that that is really strange, HA! See?!?! She is so darn funny!

Anyway, that all being said, I hate going clothes shopping with Libs. HATE. IT. We get so frustrated with one another that we don’t want to talk to each other for hours afterward. I think she can’t make up her mind and it drives me batty! She has her issues with me too. She says that I’m the only person who can go into a store with the intentions of buying pants and walk out with 3 shirts, 2 skirts and a meal. Oh my gosh, yes, she is HILARIOUS!

Luckily, now that Libs is older she can go shopping with her friends or Sid takes her when she is in town. It works out best for everyone. However, there are still times when I must go with Libs and today was one of those days. I had found shorts that I knew she would like at a store that was pretty far away. She also needed a nice dress because this week she is competing in her school’s version of American Idol (Yep. She sings too. This kid!). So reluctantly, off we went to make our purchases. 

Well, I am not sure what exactly happened but our outing went unusually smooth. We went to two stores and made two purchases. Shorts and dress acquired without incident. It was a darn miracle! We couldn’t believe that neither one of us wanted to disown or curse the other. It was so weird.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you get along!!!

One proud mom …

When your kid puts themselves “out there”, leaving their comfort zone and taking a chance. No matter what the outcome, as a parent, you really can’t help but feel one way.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you feel proud!!!

Teenagers …

Huh? What? Heh?

Well, I hope you all have a day where you don’t feel like your teenager is speaking a different language!!!

Tennis, P90X and one proud mom …

Some days my kiddos just impress the heck out of me. Today G3 started P90X all on his own and Libs tackled her first day of tennis camp in this crazy heat. Neither tasks were easy to accomplish but they did it! Even after feeling the magnitude of the challenges they have chosen to tackle, both kids still remain eager to keep with their summer fitness goals. Gotta love their determination!

Well, I hope you all have day where you are proud!!!

Like a teenager again …

There is nothing quite like spending time with my best friend from high school. Even though we talk on the phone and text quite a bit, it really doesn’t compare to seeing each other in person. Our busy lives keep us from hanging out as much as we’d like to, but when we do it’s always exactly what we both need. We somehow can go from the most serious of adult conversations to complete and utter goofballs in the matter of seconds. It. Is. AWESOME!

Well, I hope you all have a day where you feel like a teenager again!!!

  

A walk in the park …

I took a stroll with Libs earlier this evening. Darn I love this kid. She is so funny and silly. I genuinely love spending time with her and talking.

She is at the end 

 of her first year of junior high. Boy oh boy, isn’t that a tough time even for the most well adjusted kids?!?! Don’t get me wrong, Libs isn’t having any trouble. But it’s just such a tender time. She is not quite enough of a little child to need her mommy but not quite old enough to really fake like she doesn’t, HA!

Anyway, today we had a great talk. We discussed making mistakes and how to steer clear of the really big ones. We talked about how to have a balanced life. We came up with ways to negate peer pressure. And we thought of different ways to cope with stress. She is such an open and receptive kid. She is sensitive and still so formidable. I just wanted to check in with her before the teenage stuff hits. I wanted to ensure she has a standard mode of operation to fall back on even before she actually needs one.

Darn this kid has my heart … and I would do just about anything to protect hers.

Well, I hope you all had a day where you had a nice walk in the park!!!

  

Letting go …

I got my two oldest, Sid and G3, off to their winter formal this evening. I am glad I survived, HA!

Teenagers are a kooky bunch. But I love mine beyond measure. Somehow they have managed to stay grounded good kids. The grief that they give me is nothing compared to what I could experience. And I am truly grateful.

These two have their own style. They don’t feel the need to conform to please their peers. And they genuinely operate straight from their hearts. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t pushovers. They stand up for themselves and for what they feel is right. And trust me, if you did something that they didn’t like, you will certainly find out about it.

As the days pass and it gets closer to Sidney’s graduation day, I can’t help but look at both them and feel that time is passing far too quickly. I find myself wanting time to slow down. But then I ask myself, “Why?” They are great kids, who are turning into great adults. Why would I want to slow down watching them take on the world?!?!

Well … all I can say is that selfish LOVE drives my desires to stop time. But … unselfish LOVE also drives my desires to watch them grow into more of who they are meant to be … even if that means growing away from me. BIG SIGH.

Well, I hope you all had a day where you were willing to let go!!!