Learning to Run | Wellness Wednesday

As a Mom with a squishy tummy, jiggly bits and stretch marks I never used to have, I often find myself reminiscing about my pre-baby body. When I was a student I practiced pilates and went to the gym for cardio and weights at least a few days a week, not to mention I got a full nights sleep each and every evening. Back then, even though my tummy was firm-ish and my limbs were lean and muscular I was constantly striving for improvement.

Now that I’m a mom taking care of myself barely registers on my to-do list; it’s a good day if my clothes don’t have food, snot or some other sort of child love smeared all over them and managing to comb my hair and add a splash of makeup before work is almost a dream.

Since returning to work and spending the majority of my day at a desk, I’ve gained the additional 5 pounds that make my pants just a little too tight and my tummy looks a little bit too much like a muffin-top for my liking. So I’ve decided it’s time to do something about it. It’s time to make me a priority. I’ve been working on my eating habits since undertaking Meghan Telpner’s Fab Detox (which is amazing) but I’m finally ready to try and get my body back in shape.

But time is not on my side.

Between working full-time and wrangling kids into bed (Bolt has been fighting bedtime despite exhaustion and keeping himself awake until 9 or 9:30 every night), its hard to commit to a class and even the time spent driving to and from the gym seems like a waste of precious moments. So I decided to try something I swore I’d never do.

Yesterday, I started running; I downloaded the Couch-to-5K app and armed with my new Nexus 4 I trotted off to the park.

I love that I started my warm up the second I left my house, the C25K app, guided me through 1 minute jogging and 1.5 minute walking intervals and rather than feeling overwhelmed, out of shape and exhausted I had a sense of pride that I hadn’t felt in ages.

Today, I’m still buzzing from the thrill of taking some time devoted entirely to my own wellness and I can’t wait to do it again.

What are you doing JUST FOR YOU?

Family Comes First: A Working Mom's Dilemma

Three months ago I made a difficult decision that really wasn't a choice at all. I temporarily reduced my work week to three days so that I could spend more quality time with my boys, particularly with Bolt who was, at the time, repeatedly crying for for Mommy on an almost daily basis.

At that particular juncture, Bolt's behaviours were peaking. He was hitting, he was crying, and he was overwhelmed on a daily basis. He cried each morning that he didn't want to go to daycare, then cried each evening that he didn't want to come home. The stress level in our household was through the roof and literally all four of us were miserable.

I admit I cried more than a few tears; when I had children I assumed I could do it all. Work full-time, be an attentive mother, a loving wife and still have time to blog and follow my personal passions. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I would have to choose between my family and my job, because truly, its not a choice.

Family comes first. Always.

No question about it, the past three months have been tough, not only have I been attempting to spend quality one-on-one time with my boys, we have been implementing techniques to help four year old Bolt manage his emotions, we've been working with an amazing psychologist who specializes in parenting, children and families, we've changed daycares, we've had a doctor identify that ADD and anxiety are likely contributing factors and after much effort we finally seem to have gotten Bolt's asthma and eczema under control.

I feel like 2013 brought our family to a crossroad and rather than choosing the easy path of denial, we've been putting one foot in front of the other as we travel along the rocky road to our brighter future.

So after three short months, I'm at work full-time, as of this week. My boss expressed concern that my return to full-time was too soon, but my boys are happy. They cheerfully go to daycare each morning (and they've been going four days a week for the past month), we have had literally no reports of excessive hitting or aggression and there are almost no cries for Mommy in my absence.

I'm confident that my boys are ready for Mom to go back to work full-time and I'm even more certain that the personal sacrifice I made, putting my work on the back burner, was without question one of the most important things I have ever done for the health of my family.

What sacrifices have you made for your family?
Working Mom's do you work full-time, part-time or at home? Do you ever consider switching?

Moments for Momma

Anyone whose a parent can tell you that in the hustle and bustle of daily life no longer do we get hours and days of personal time, instead we must learn to embrace the little moments of peace that our lifestyle allows.  Be it a hot shower with the door closed (one of my personal favourites) a second to read the newspaper, an opportunity to bake cookies or even a little bit of time to blog; as a parent, particularly of young children we must take advantage of any moment that can truly be classified as 'me time'.

You may have noticed that over the last couple weeks, my blog posting has waned a little bit.  Although I have had a plethora of ideas and thoughts running through my head, many of which I can't wait to share, the honest truth is that my 'moments for momma' have been fleeting and I have been rediscovering an old passion.

As a child, my Mom and her friend used to make and sell crafts, which meant that there was an entire bedroom in my house filled with fabric, ribbons, beads, buttons, rick, rack, mod podge, glues and paint and most of it was available at my disposal.  Granted I used the scraps and extras, but I spent hours in that room and I learned to use both a sewing machine and a serger at a very young age.

When the boy was about 6 months old, I started making drool bandanas and even managed to sell a few, then when I was pregnant with baby boy, I whipped out my sewing machine again.  Girls clothes are so much cuter, so I ended up making a bunch of dresses, but now that its clear I'm a momma to boys, I've given most of them away and am hoping to sell the few that remain.

But I digress, in the last few weeks rather than blogging, I have once again pulled out my sewing machine.  Using internet tutorials, I made a super cute Summer Frock and adorable purse for a birthday party we recently attended, I even made a matching headband to complete the outfit.

What I'm even more proud of however, is this adorable jersey hoody that I made for the boy using old t-shirts and a little bit of camouflage jersey fabric I had on.  I made this hoody using the Heidi & Finn Unisex Hoody pattern.  Seriously easy and so cute!  There's something about the physical creation of a garment from mere fabric that gives me great satisfaction and these days I'm inclined to think that a little bit of pride that's unrelated to my children is a good thing.

What do you do to unwind in your 'moments for mommy?'