Where I've Been...

I have been a sorry excuse for a blogger lately.... As in, I have not blogged...at all.

The reason?  There has been a lot of stuff going on lately.  It has been stressful.  It has been emotional.  It has been worrisome.  I really do not want to discuss these things yet, but rest be assured, I am just fine.  I just have a bad habit of shutting down when I get extremely stressed.  I was unable to think of anything to say on here...mainly because my mind was all consumed with other issues that I did not feel like discussing.

Things are better.  I am fine.  I am pushing forward.

One of the ways that I have chosen to help with stress relief is that I joined a gym!  I was a member several years back and stopped going.  The sad part is that I actually enjoyed it, but got lazy.  I have tried to get my activity in at home and it is just too hard.  I get too distracted.  I will just get into the groove of my Jillian video and will hear one or more of the following...

"Mommy! Darcy is coloring on the wall!"
"Mommy! I need to go potty!"
"Mommy!  I need a drink of water!"
"Mommy! I am scared of the fan!"
"Mommy! My blanket isn't covering my feet!"
"Mommy! I need a tissue!"
"Mommy! I wet the bed again!"

              And just when I think that my head is going to explode...she throws in the

"Mommy! I want a hug and a kiss!" (This one always makes me feel like an ass, because I walk in all pissed off and annoyed and then feel like a jerk...cause she is just asking for a hug and a kiss.  Kid is smart...)

And then, when I put my foot down and tell her no more drinks of water will be handed out this evening, I get this:

Four year old tantrums are so fun.

So, workouts had actually become stressful instead of a source to actually relieve stress.  Therefore, workouts ceased to exist in my world.  This was not acceptable.

I went in for my consultation and the nice woman took me on a tour.  I actually felt like I wanted to cry. There was so much to do and the facility is really beautiful.  The price was right.  SIGN MY FAT REAR UP!

So, I have been going regularly for the past few weeks.  I am restricted myself to the cardio machines so far because the weight machines scare me -- only because I am not sure how to use them.  I have a free appointment with a trainer soon.  I am hoping that will be the day that I can learn how to best use the weight equipment.  I also plan to use the pool soon and take advantage of spinning classes.

My first barrier when I got there was this:

It, uh, took me way too long to figure out how to use these lockers.  Did I just ask someone?  No, I had to act like I knew what I was doing.  People who know what they are doing definitely stare at the key pad with a confused look and are unsuccessful at locking the locker multiple times.  I have a flippin Master's Degree and it took me forever to figure this out.  Obviously, my Master's Degree is not in keypad locker locks. Maybe I could earn that degree online...

I have been burning lots of calories and doing really well, overall.  I love it and it has done wonders for relieving the aforementioned stress.  I feel so relaxed when it is over and I have been sleeping like a baby. One of the best decisions I have made in awhile.  

And finally, the obligatory heart rate monitor/calorie burn pic...

I promise I will never ever do a gym selfie.  Ever.  I just cannot bring myself to do it.

So, here's to a less stressed me!  :)

Dan's Coffee Run

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was down with the flu at the end of last week.  Because of this, I found myself watching a lot of daytime television.  After the Today show was over, (I was so glad when it was because I swear Hoda and Kathy Lee are a live television train wreck...lol) I stayed tuned in to the Queen Latifah Show.  I was really glad that I didn't have the energy to channel surf, because if I wouldn't have stayed tuned, I wouldn't have seen this story:

I was a sobby mess when this story was over.   After showing his story, he was awarded $10,000 by Starbucks in order to continue on with his good deeds of bringing joy to cancer patients and their families through a simple cup of coffee.  

This inspired me.  It inspired me to really think about how even the simplest thing can bring joy to someone's day.  It could be something as simple as a cup of coffee, a smile, a pat on the back, or a nice note.  I am going to make more of an effort to do small things to brighten the day of others.  Thank you, Dan, for all you have done so selflessly for others.

If you are interested in supporting Dan and his cause, visit his website!  I know I plan to.

Halloween Shenanigans

Halloween was not as fun this year.   You see, the forecast for the night was moderate to heavy rain with sustained winds of 30 mph and gusts that could be up to 50 mph.  Not exactly ideal trick or treat conditions. Soooo, Tim and I decided to be resourceful and scope out some of the indoor trick or treat opportunities. We saw that a local mall was sponsoring an indoor trick or treat at their participating stores.  We thought it would be a great idea.   We thought, "Oh, we can trick or treat at the mall!  There are a lot more stores than houses in the neighborhood!  We can even eat in the food court and have dinner while we are there!"  

Here are some samples of what we actually said once there...

Seriously would have rather turned my umbrella right side out multiple times in the wind instead of dealing with the terror that was mall trick or treating.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but the entire mall was an enormous shoulder to shoulder line to get candy from stores who were giving out crap candy.  You know, like those strawberry hard candies with the gel in them that are wrapped up to kind of look like a strawberry?  And the wrapper is always half off?  Yeah, it was like that...  and THEN you would wait forever to see that a store had run out... Hell.  It was hell.

This is how Tim felt about things.  I think he worded it quite eloquently.  ;)

After getting frustrated, we finally decided to head for the food court, which to our surprise,actually had free tables.  Before we got there, I was starting to feel sick to my stomach, but I thought maybe it was because I was hot due to the crowds.   I ate some gourmet mall food and felt worse.  It was then that I realized that home had to be the next destination.  I proceeded to bribe my children and agreed to buy them their favorite candy x 2 at the grocery store this weekend if we could just go home.  Surprisingly, they were fine with it.  

That night, I got home and felt even more sick and went straight to bed.  I woke up multiple times during the night because Darcy kept having strange issues that needed addressed -- like her feet weren't covered well enough with her blanket.  Each time I got up, I felt more sick.  Then all of a sudden, I got hit with a ton of bricks with the "Oh shit, I have got the flu" feeling.   I called in to work and spent my Friday in flu hell.

Happy Halloween!!

The bright side:

LUCKILY, we took our adorable children to a great Halloween event at the Cincinnati Zoo the weekend prior.  The kids got to dress up, visit their favorite animals, and trick or treat at treat stations around the zoo. We all had a great time.  So, they did get some other fun Halloween activities in...thankfully.  Here are some pics!

Darcy in her costume right before we left.  She is a "cupcake girl".  I have no idea what that is exactly, but she HAD to have the costume.  I had these good intentions that involved me making the kids awesome costumes this year, but it did not materialize. Oh well.  There is always next year!!

This person was walking around posing with the kids.  It was quite possibly the coolest costume I have EVER seen.  The eyes and mouth moved and everything.  I have NO CLUE how this person could see anything, but it was still awesome.

Both kids in full costume.  They had all these little areas around the zoo where kids could pose for pictures.  Very cute.  In case you can't tell, the pumpkin is carved out to look like a gorilla.

Certain times during the day, animals were given pumpkins as a treat.  We were just in time for the polar bears to get theirs.  This bear bit into this thing and carried it around in his mouth like we would an apple.  It was fun to see.