Balance....

Balance…..

Is there such thing?

Is it possible to have a balance in any home, whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a working mom?

This is something I am searching for. 

Some kind of a balance to keep us all stay sane.

A system to help us all stay organized to help the weeks go smoothly.

An atmosphere where we don’t forget what should be at the top of it all.

This past winter I made probably the hardest decision in my life to date. For the previous ten years I had been coaching High School Varsity Softball….a true passion of mine. I love that game more than many could understand, but more than that, was the relationships with my student-athletes.

But, this year, my husband had made the switch from teacher to Assistant Principal which is a dream for him. Quickly, I began to realize how different his hours were this school year.  I realized how much harder it was for me being a full-time working mama with both of my girls in full-time school with homework, active in Awana & learning all about His word, and participating in sports and other activities themselves.  

I prayed. I prayed hard. I prayed that He would show me what I needed to do. I quickly began seeing many answers from Him that my time as the Softball coach needed to come to an end.

I did think this decision would make life easier. Not so crazy hectic.

But I was incorrect.

Life is still crazy hectic & I am still struggling at finding a balance! 

Unfortunately for my girls, their dad is an Assistant Principal who sees children daily that are never held to be responsible for anything. Poor girls! But, for real, I was raised with a daily reminder about working hard, being responsible and always trying your best. 

So, I’m working on a system. A system that will teach them responsibility but will also help this mama get us out of the door on time every morning for school! 

I have their lists for every evening hanging on the fridge that helps us prep for all the activities for the following day. They are responsible for their own list! 

Ineed to become a MUCH better planner & a more organized mama! So I am trying…..trying REALLY HARD here people! My fabulous planner is being updated by the hour pretty much!

 Meals....I need to learn to be an amazing meal planner! It would make life so much easier! Last night dinner for the girls was Subway eaten at the ball field during the opposite girls' ball practice! 

We are kicking off next week with our first full week of Little League games, which we will have every evening of the week but Thursdays! 

The one area that still needs to be planned out in my planner is my WORKOUTS! Duh! Those MUST be planned. I will be working on this schedule after I meet with my awesome trainer tonight to get my May plan since I cannot make it to the studio ever for this month!

So, I'm a work in progress....I always will be....I will never have it figured out! But, I am trying....trying to be better than yesterday!

Until Next Time~

*krisha*

Oh...The Lies!

Oh yes, I used to be “one of those.” 

One of those that totally thought a ## defined me. 

A ## told me if I would have a good day or a bad day. 

A ## that told me if I was a success or a failure. 

A ## that told me if I was beautiful or ugly. 

A ## that completely defined my self-worth.

Boy, was I ever stupid!

That thing LIES! It tells you SO MANY LIES!

If I listened to my scale for the past 4 months, I would have given up on this healthy lifestyle. The towel would have been thrown in! 

Quite honestly, the scale might have been thrown from my upstairs window & smashed in the driveway!

I always thought the scale was a great way to measure my progress. A way to get some feedback. 

These pictures…..well, first I should say that I have NO idea why I thought these shorts were the best shorts for me to take a “before” picture in January. My guess would be that quite possibly it was because I own ZERO shorts. I absolutely hate these shorts too & have meant to get rid of them many times….but for whatever reason at the beginning of January I thought these would be great shorts to take some photos in. They have such serious elastic that even those who have like no fat on their belly would look like they suddenly had a muffin top! Ugh. Oh well. We will continue to use these shorts that I will always hate for these pictures! 

Anyway, back to “these pictures.” These pictures, believe it or not, are only a difference of a few pounds. I was 161.1 in these pictures. This week I’m at 158.8. 

Hmm…..to my little eyes, I think it looks like more than 2-ish pounds gone.

Oh! Don’t forget……Jeans! My jeans! My favorite pair of jeans seemed quite big last week! So, I figured they would be fine once I threw them in the wash & dryer. So…..I did….and then I put them back on straight out of the dryer for  Saturday…..Umm…BIG. Way big! So, I picked up a size 6 in these jeans & sure enough, they slip right on nice. I am not even squeezing into them and having them give me a massive muffin top because they are really too small! I am wearing them not so I can say, “yay they are size 6,” but because they fit right! 

I will continue to step on the scale. I do want to get back into the healthy range of weight on the BMI scale because I know for my body there is no reason I can’t get there. But, I will not be using the ## on the scale as solid feedback at all. That ## will not define me or my mood. Because like I said the other day, my changes I have been making mentally and physically are the feedback I need to keep on moving down this healthy mama & wife journey of mine! 

Now - my focus this week is finding some balance and some organization in my home during this crazy time of year.....stay tuned to how & if I can find it!

  

Until Next Time~

*Krisha*

A Month With No Progress??

Oh…that feeling of a new month! A month where you get super fired up because it is a chance to make real progress this month, it is a brand new start, a month where you can change where you didn’t succeed the month before! You always enter into a new month with big goals, high expectations & a FIRE under your booty! 

I entered April fired up! Although in terms of the scale in March I was still stuck in my plateau but I was losing inches! April was going to be the month that I shattered through my plateau! 

Well I sit here this week at the end of April realizing that by any sense of measurement, I made no progress. My scale is still bouncing between the same exact three pounds it has been. I cannot locate my measurements (super annoyed with myself) from the beginning of April, but you can see from my picture here that there has not been a significant change at all. 

 (Top picture from May 1st & bottom pic from April 1st.)

I could get discouraged.

Honestly, I DID get discouraged. I had one of those stupid pity parties.

I sat here on Wednesday beating myself up over the skipped workouts, the unhealthy meals I consumed, the processed food I shoved in my mouth, the days I hardly logged 4,000 steps on my Fitbit and the days I was way under my water goal for the day. 

Oh yes, I could always point out my failures. But, because I am currently really working on the concept of “talk to yourself the way you would a friend,” I had to redirect my thoughts. I am a person who always sees the positive for others & preaches positive thinking! However, this has always been a struggle for myself that many are surprised about!  

My April changes were not physical at all.

You cannot measure my changes. 

You cannot see my changes. 

But, I can feel them.

First, my relationship with food has really started making a big change. I once didn’t question anything I put in my mouth. If I wanted it, I wanted it. Now, I’m asking myself these questions:

Is it really worth it?

Is it really hunger?

Is this going to fuel my body?

I am reading ingredients a lot & have recently said “NO” to many things before shoving them in! I think I have possibly retrained my taste buds….I always claimed I didn’t like almonds (or really any type of nut), and now I am in love with KIND bars  (the dark chocolate & sea salt…OH MY!) and love almonds. I am grabbing a small handful here & there for a snack or pre-workout! My taste buds are really craving those clean & healthy foods! 

A positive mental attitude….self-confidence is everything! I have always….for as long as I can remember….compared myself to everyone in everything! Running – oh my, my pace is SO slow compared to her; I should be embarrassed! Weight – Ugh. I’m so huge, she weighs like 10 pounds less than me. Clothes – I so wish I could wear a dress like that; she looks great, but I’d look like a whale in it. 

You get the picture…..

This is finally becoming my motto:

The only person I need to be better than is the person I was yesterday. 

My attitude has changed…..I ran yesterday, 6.5 miles, I didn’t worry about my pace. I just enjoyed the alone time I needed to reflect. I enjoyed my tunes. I praised Him for giving me the ability to run that many miles. When I was done, I knew how long I ran so of course, I knew what my pace ended up being, but I didn’t care. I didn’t beat myself up with the normal “You were so slow today. Your pace is horrible.” Instead, I said this, “6.5 miles is amazing & hard! You did it. You achieved the distance you set out to do & took the time to do it. No excuses.”  I am over making fun of myself for my slow pace because I am doing it. I am trying. I am moving. So many are not. 

When I am running or at my classes, I can feel myself getting so much stronger! No, to the eye you may not be able to see it...YET. But I feel it. My trainer told me the other day that I am doing great & getting so much stronger. She said she was impressed with my workouts & how awesome I’m doing. That was a feel good moment I needed. 

I feel it and she can see it.

I just feel good right now.

I feel great.

I am taking care of myself again. I am back on the list of priorities. I feel amazing when working out. When I am working out & taking the time to eat right I am such a better wife, mom, daughter, sister & friend. Simply put, because I feel great. Yesterday I got a sweet message from a friend who had just seen me & said, “you look happy...just wanted to let you know,……I can honestly say you looked like a woman of Joy last night!!!” 

This made me smile because I know that maybe my changes for April cannot be measured but I can feel them and others CAN, in fact, SEE them. 

Until Next Time~

*Krisha*