It’s been a minute.  To be honest, I just haven’t been able to get s#!* together and make all the things happen.  I wish I could paint this picture perfect life and just put on a happy face, but I can’t.  I’m not one of those people.  I’m a put my head down and just trudge through it all until things start to loosen up.

Before I get too far into this post, I wanted to let you know about the next big thing.

The Holiday Streaking Challenge

It’s the holiday time so it’s time to get active.  The holidays are focused on family, friends, and food.  I don’t like to admit that it’s about food but it is the reality of the situation.  I want to encourage everyone to get active over the two month period so I’m starting the streaking challenge.  No, you don’t have to run, you can walk.  The challenge is to walk or run a mile every day until the New Year.  Do you want to join the party? Visit the Facebook group from the Facebook page (I’m having problems linking the actual group right now.)

Truth is I’m probably trying to do too much and there are times when I feel like there’s not much left at the end of the day. I use to be a strong multi-tasker and now that has all gone away.  If I try to do too many things at one time, something is going to go wrong.  I’ve had to cut the list down each day which means priorities are coming into question.

Let’s just take a minute to break things down for you.

Meal planning

This has basically been non-existent.  I’ve been rotating the same four meals every week for MONTHS.  Tacos, turkey burgers, meatloaf, and something else I can’t really remember right now.  All served with a veggie side and sweet potatoes.  When all of that fails, there have been Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meals.

I haven’t really been taking the time to make this work.  I really just haven’t been taking the time to prep meals and get things done the way I once did.  The one thing I don’t mind every week is the sweet potatoes.

I need to focus on making foods in the crockpot and I’m thinking about getting an Instapot but the whole idea still worries me.  BUT I see people making things in their Instapot which looks really good.  I think I’ll be looking for a serious Black Friday deals. I see Target will have one for $69 but that’s not really a deal.  I might end up getting one beforehand.

The Mom Life

This is always hard because things come up that you can’t plan for in life.  That is hard for me because I’m a very schedule oriented person when something happens off plan it throws me into a tailspin.  I should probably learn to be a little more adaptable. I do roll with the punches in life, but sometimes it’s just hard.

Being a mom is always the first priority.  I’m a working mom who also brings her kid to work.  I’m blessed that I am able to do that but it just adds a little something extra on my day.  Most days are easy but those off days of her having bad days can really mess things up.  I manage to deal all of this with as much grace as I can.  Things are just busy but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

If you want to know the real answer to the question, here it is.  I’ve been trying to be the best mom I can be and balance everything else.  I will say this every day of my life, but it’s a humbling experience.  But the moments are ones I wake up for every day.

Exercising and Running

Most weeks I work out six days a week.  My goal is always to get at least 45 minutes of exercise a day.  Lately, I’ve been tired and I don’t always get up to work in the morning in the name of getting sleep.  I do still teach my cycle class twice a week.

I’m exactly one month away from my marathon.  December 2nd is coming up soon and training has been DRAINING!  Before I could run on my own schedule and not worry about it.  If I needed to sleep, it would be ok to just run later.  I don’t really have those options anymore which has made this training cycle very challenging for me (along with a few other things).

I love running but my body doesn’t always enjoy running.  My hips don’t move the way they did pre-baby but I’m working through this issue every day.  I’m just looking forward to finishing my last month of training to run the marathon.  It hasn’t been easy and some days have just haven’t been in my favor.

I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s how I handle the challenges that make me stronger.

Sometimes life gets in the way of doing the things you want to do. Maybe I’m learning the hard lesson that you can’t have it all the way you envision it. But you know what, I can have enough and I want to be the best version of myself doing the things I want in my life. I need to reshuffle and regroup but I’m still here.