Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Kelley on Pinterest

Is it possible to organize your WHOLE life? I actually read the blog post that went along with this photo...and well...you should read it too so that we're on the same page.

For moms/parents with even just 1 kid, it seems impossible to be totally organized to where nothing ever gets out of place! I mean, I have no dishwasher, and I'm sorry, but there is no way that my dishes are done every night. More often than not, they are piled high in the sink. And the laundry is overflowing, or still wet in the washer (any one else have that happen?), and the toys are all over the place and, like tonight, no one really feels like picking them up (do they really need to be picked up each and every day? It's SUMMER, people!), and there are cheerios on the kitchen floor...and...you get the gist. Some days I would love to purge the things I have no need for, have everything labeled, everything in the right drawers, etc., but that takes time that I don't have!

So, as nice as it would be to be totally organized in all aspects of life, I think it's entirely impossible. At least at this juncture of my life, pure organization is not about to happen. Hell, it will probably never happen. But nice to dream about right? We aren't all Martha Stewart, after all. And I hear she's kinda crazy anyway. Not that I'm not...

Beautiful babies! (my baby, duh) and what's goin' on in my garden

Hold on a sec - would you look at this FACE?! Couldn't be cuter. He is my food-hoover; you put it in front of him and he will eat it. What a good boy :-)

Recent pickings from the garden - radishes and oak leaf lettuce. Some people don't like radishes because of the fiery taste, but that's what I love about them! I just chop them up, throw them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then rip up the lettuce and throw it on in...voila! I'm easy to please. I'll keep you updated on what's going on in my garden. Currently, what's growing is: lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, peas, onions, beans, tomatoes, peppers, kale, cucumbers, strawberries, chives and kale. I'll post more pics of what I pick next!


What did you do today to better your body/mind/health? I worked (fitness assessments/consults), read a great book, and am planning on making a delicious meal for one (no kids tonight). Possibly some yoga before bedtime.

Rotini and Chicken Caprese Salad (with black beans)

1/2 a tomato

3 large basil leaves, torn into a few pieces per leaf

a few slices of fresh mozarella

1/4 cup black beans

1/2 a chicken breast

1 serving rotini pasta

~ cook the chicken in a pan over medium heat, in olive oil, seasoned with lemon pepper, cut into smaller pieces while cooking

~ cook rotini as instructed

~ slice half the tomato and set aside on a plate

~ put a slice of mozarella on each tomato slice, and top with torn basil leaves

~ place rotini on a plate (or shallow bowl), add the chicken, and then place the tomato/moz/basil slices on top of it all

~ I like to sprinkle on some black beans just for fun, but you don't need to do this.

~ drizzle with a light dressing, preferably a balsamic vinaigrette, and some more olive oil if desired. black pepper as well.

I FINALLY got my bike fixed. I haven't actually been on it in almost 2 yrs...the summer in between Logan and Nick being born...and last summer after Nick was born there was no WAY I was getting on that thing! Plus, I don't know how I would have found the time. So this summer, it's up and running and looking pretty spiffy. I now just need to get some regular biking and swimming in so that I can manage to do a sprint tri this summer/fall. I'm way out of that kind of shape...not having been on a bike in so long will probably wake up some seriously dormant muscles. Well...I've been spinning a lot...so maybe not. We'll see! It will be tough getting rides in, since it's just me and the kids. I'll have to wait til times when they are with their dad. So that means I will really have to streamline my workouts. I'm not obsessive about my workouts, and I know if I get quality rides in then I will be just fine.

Can't talk much tonight, really must get in BED. Need to catch up on sleep that was lost this wknd!

Coming back to life...

So, the reason I have been MIA, is because I just went through a pretty ridiculous divorce. In fact, it was JUST finalized about 2 weeks ago...and there are still many problems that will likely take years to iron out.

There's no need to go into great detail, plus I don't feel like talking much about it since that has been all I've been talking about for a long time now. Long story short, I left someone that was emotionally, verbally, and sexually abusive. I'm not embarassed to admit these things, because I'm proud of myself for finally putting myself first and removing myself from a poisonous environment. It was also the best thing I could do for my two beautiful boys. Yes, they still see their father, but at least I will be able to parent them the way I know I can. No more being berated and degraded on a daily basis. No more control. I am crawling out of the huge hole of depression that I had fallen into.

I'm closing that chapter of my life and starting a new one where I can make my own decisions, do what I love, and raise my boys happily.

~~~~~~~

Speaking of doing what I love, here are some pics from the last 5k I did! Also, Logan (my almost 3 year old), did his first race the same day! (The Tot Trot)

It seems that I haven't been on here in quite some time. A lot has happened. I will let you all in on it at some point in the near future. But don't worry, all is okay. There is no way the next chapter of my life can be anything but BETTER than the last.

Life Rules and Finding Happiness

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how to be happier. This notion seems to be a new phenomenon happening around us. There was a special on Oprah on how to be happier, where she interviewed the author Dan Buettner about his book Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way (check out the bluezones website, it offers cool facts and information on the happiest people and places in the world, plus allows you to take a happiness quiz which is quite accurate). I also have been frequenting Gretchen Rubin's website, The Happiness Project, for inspiration, resolutions, videos and more. I found this one on What did you do for fun when you were 10 years old? to be thought provoking. Many people can't figure out WHAT they want to do...for fun, for work, for a hobby. It seems like an easy question to answer, but adults have a difficult time thinking about and articulating what they want to do. So, Gretchen's question asks us to think about what we did as 10 year olds. Usually, it's something that we would like to do as adults as well, in a more reformed way.

Something else that people don't realize is that it's work to be happy. I think that people sit around waiting for something to come their way and make them happier. It doesn't work that way. When you wake up in the morning, you have to tell yourself, "I'm going to be happy today. I'll make today a good day". Without positive thinking, it's hard to just magically become happier. I think a lot of us think something drastic must happen to change our attitude, but it really depends on our thoughts and where we want our life to go.

I keep telling myself I want to start my own Happiness Project, but I get bogged down with the rest of life. How much of a cop out does that seem like? Gretchen recommends having a list of personal commandments. My list is a combination of commandments and life rules. This is a starting point, and will likely be revised over and over again, because, philosophies are everchanging and never completely concrete. I doubt I'll ever be finished with the creation of this list. But, it provides me with a starting point, and that is a step in the right direction.

My 8 Life Rules

1. Be true to myself and others, especially my immediate family and friends.
2. Eat the "French way", as Mireille Guiliano describes in her book French Women Don't Get Fat, meaning, eat with my head and not my stomach.
3. Get 30-60 minutes of exercise a day.
4. Belong to a group or club that meets often enough to form bonds/friendships.
5. Know why I wake up in the morning - to be the best, most caring, mother and wife possible and to continually engage and connect my family so that we can thrive.
6. Appreciate the small things in life such as a beautiful picture, view, flower, plant, a special moment with my family.
7. Avoid too much TV and "screen-time".
8. Upgrade my social network - surround myself with people who are happy themselves and in turn make me happy. Depressed people will only drain me.

What are your rules for life? Have you ever thought about making a list?

This guy makes me pretty happpy :-)