Is Spring Break Over Already? Back to Reality
Wow, Spring break flew by! It was a fun, but busy week. We got some of our spring cleaning done but still have a ways to go. After meeting with our life balance expert, Kim Jacobs, we were able to better recognize that you really need to learn to just take each day as it comes. You can have goals or a “to do” list, but you need to remember that life happens. There are so many things in life that are not in our control, which can have a negative effect on our day to day living – if we allow it to. Kim stresses the need to determine which things in your life are the most important to you, then do your best to be sure they happen. In other words, “don’t sweat the small stuff”.
We shared with Kim that the morning routine, on weekdays, is typically the most stressful time of our day. It seems that regardless of how early I am up, I still tend to fill in whatever gap in time there is by trying to quickly fit one more thing in. Before I know it, the clock is telling me I have literally no more time to spare and need to get myself and the two little ones out the door! This is where Kim’s insight is going to help us going forward!
Part of the kids’ bedtime routine is to set out their outfit for the next day so that we don’t need to worry about it in the morning. The three girls normally choose their own clothes. Regan would rather play with his cars than give any input as to which outfit is laid out for him, so usually I am the one to choose and lay out his outfit. He will typically get dressed in the morning without a second thought, unless it is a morning when we are already running late. For some reason, he chooses those mornings to dig his heels in and share his strong opinion (for that day), of what a “cool” outfit consists of. I’ve been through this with my girls and gave up a long time ago with trying to interfere with their fashion sense. Regan’s choices though, just lack common sense, at least in my mind! We’ve had days when he’s wanted to wear shorts and a t-shirt when it’s less than 30 degrees. We’ve had days when he wants to wear heavy pants and a sweater when the high is projected to be in the 80s! I’ve tried having him go outside to feel the temperature himself, but it has little effect. On a day that he has decided, that he truly cares about what he wears to school, there is no changing his mind! I remember one day a couple week ago, the high temperature was projected to be in the low thirties. I had laid out jeans with a shirt and sweater for him the night before. When he woke up though, he was determined to wear shorts to school. The girls and Chuck were waiting for the bus wearing coats, hats, and gloves! I pointed this out to him and he immediately declared they were all “babies!” With literally minutes left before we needed to be out the door, I gave him a two minute warning to get dressed with the clothes I had laid out for him. He went upstairs to change but was crying and protesting the whole way! I got Neave into the car and ran back into the house to get Regan, assuming I would need to dress him myself. Instead, he emerged from his room, with his head dropped so he wouldn’t need to make eye contact with me, wearing a sheepish grin. He was wearing the outfit I had laid out for him, but with a little revision of his own. He somehow managed to put the shorts and t-shirt he had chosen, on top of the outfit I had put out for him! I couldn’t help but smile and tell him how cool he looked! He immediately smiled and we headed out, making it to school and work on time. Some days it doesn’t end that way though, and instead ends up with all of us just being frustrated. It is no fun to start your day off that way! I hate dropping the kids off at school when we’ve had a hectic morning.
Kim helped me to realize, I just need to choose the factors that actually really matter to me, and let the rest go. In Regan’s situation, I didn’t care what he wore; I just wanted him to be warm on a cold day. Once that component was taken care of I needed to let him be in charge of the rest. These types of scenarios happen all day long in our family. I am looking forward to using Kim’s strategies to focus just on which little components matter for Chuck and I and then letting the kids have more control over the rest. I think our lives will be a little less hectic, and a lot less stressed as a result!
Now for a quick review of how our family did in working toward our fitness and healthy eating goals over the past week. Overall, I think it was pretty good week! We were able to fit in more activity than usual since we were on Spring break. We started the Focus T25 Fitness Workout, which was recommended by our expert physician, Dr. Tara Branton. She does the routine with her young son and they love it! They’ve even done it outside using a portable DVD player. Can’t wait to try that with the kids! It is basically a series of 25 minute workouts that focuses on interval training but with no rest. It’s intense but you are done in 25 minutes! The kids and I loved it and will definitely be sticking with it through this challenge!
We were able to make it to the playground a few times and had a blast each time! It always amazes me how strong the kids are when they are motivated to access a particular section of playground equipment. Playgrounds are so much cooler now than when I was a kid!
As far as healthy eating, we did pretty well. We did go out to eat a couple times but tried to make healthier choices. We hosted Easter dinner at our house on Sunday. I chose recipes that used healthier options. I still made my twice baked potatoes, but substituted plain greek yogurt for the sour cream and low-fat mozzarella for the cheddar cheese. I made sure to go with lighter sauces for the main entrees too. If any of our guests noticed, they didn’t mention it. Little did they know they were taking part in the challenge too! There were some great desserts after dinner. The kids and I did sample the desserts but just had a small portion. Chuck did even better though, he didn’t have any dessert at all! Although the kids weren’t too happy with me, I sent all of the extra desserts home with our guests so there would be no temptation left in the house.
Now for our highlights of the week:
Chuck – I loved going on a morning run as a family. I did not eat any dessert on Easter!
Kathleen – I ran 11 miles as planned with my running group on Saturday, even though it rained the entire time. I found healthier recipes for Easter dinner menu.
Kelleen – I had fun playing at the playground. I chose a frozen banana and milk pop as a treat instead of ice cream.
Breanna – I played tag outside a lot. I ate more fruit.
Regan– I did good playing at the playground a lot. I ate a lot of fruit!
Neave – I liked doing T25 and playing at the playground. I drank a lot of water- with ice!!
Be sure to check out Tuck Fest at the White Water Center this weekend! They have tons of races and cool events for the whole family. Make sure to stop by the Charlotte Parent Magazine exhibit to get a code for an additional 100 free points for the Fit Family Challenge. Chuck is traveling through the weekend but I will be there to enjoy the family obstacle courses on Friday night and Saturday afternoon with the kids. There is also a 2k kid’s trail race Saturday morning that looks awesome! We hate to miss it but Kelleen, Breanna, and I will be running in the Union County Girls on the Run 5k that morning.
Hope you all have an active, fun week! Be sure to move a little more than you had planned and to choose the healthier food option, even when you don’t really feel like it!
