just stop.

Every time I get Anisten out of the car, she sees her stroller and wants to go in it. I tell her, " Mommy will take you for a walk later!" Later turns to a few days or even weeks.

I just need to stop.

Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with the cares of the world, that we just go go go go until we crash at night and start all over again at 6am.

Between juggling work, the house, Anisten, marathon training, bills... Sometimes just piles up and clutters my brain! I do get some endorphin mind erasing while running, but sometimes it's not enough. We just need to slow down and take time to think!

I decided that today, I wouldn't let the house or running errands keep me on the go. I wanted to just spend time with my girl, and take time for me. And I'm so glad I did.

We woke up, had some banana pancakes. Played out side for a little bit. Turned on some light/inspiring music, and went on a walk (finally!) We walk to the park and  played for about an hour. I don't know the last time that I just sat outside on the ground for an hour in (mostly) quiet. Afterward we just walked around the neighborhood. I had my music going, and she was singing and clapping. Obviously content.

Came home, took a bath ( wash off all that dirt she played in!) and down for a nap she went.

This leaves me with 2 hours of quiet time. What do I usually do with quiet time? I will catch up on bills, or clean the house. Shower, and get ready for the day------ Not today.

I had inquired about doing some Yoga for the purposes of stretching out some muscles and maybe a little strengthening to help me advance in my running!  I did the Jillian Michaels level 1 work out. Anyone who knows her knows she is INTENSE. She is kind of my hero! -- Anyways I popped in the dvd that I borrowed from a friend and pressed play. After the first 5 minutes, I thought, what am I doing, I'm so not flexible enough to do this! And she says " Ok, now that we're warmed up, let's begin!" ....... do whattttt?
 So, I kept doing it, and after my heart rate settled, and I was focusing on rhythmical breathing, I began to understand why one would like this. So 35 minutes later she says goodbye to me, and I wasn't dying like I thought I would.

She also said something that kind of caught my attention, b/c I think she was really talking to me! -- She says not to not do something b/c you think you can't or b/c it's something you've never done before. I've always had a reserved place for yoga in my mind. Like, " that's for so and so, that's not for me " Well, yoga or not, I want to be better about tearing down those mental blocks of " I can't ". So anyways, I was inspired today. I had 35 minutes of unplugged quite, nothing else going on, time to just think. I recommend it! Whatever it may be for you. A book, a bath, sitting on your porch swing, or something active that will throw in some endorphins ( which are the happy juices in our body created by working out!).. JUST STOP.

So do I have those bills to pay, and those dishes to wash? Will my child be up in a little bit working her tornadic skills in my house? Absolutely! But, I now have a fresh out and renewed outlook and motivation for tackling those!

Inspire

Keep doing what you're doing, you never know who you are inspiring!

Now, by all means, I'm NO pro when it comes to running, but I am a learner. And, I started from ground zero, just a short time ago. So, therefore I like to share all my good info with others!  I get emails, and fb messages every so often, wanting to know what I did to get started, or why I like it so much, what kind of shoe(or clothing) I like etc.... And I have people in my life who I turn to for these things, only b/c I am inspired by them, and where they came from- -  I publicly started from ground ZERO   when I decided to start training. I am so happy that I decided to blog about my journey (and will continue to do so) not only for my own sake, to be able to look back at where I started is so great!, But to also know that I've inspired at least one person!

Sometimes I feel a little guilty constantly talking about running, and posting things on facebook about my new PR's. But when someone sends me an email saying that it's an inspiration to know that I was where they are just a few short months ago, it seems attainable to them. So, I will keep doing what I'm doing. ( I promise, I wont post every single run I run, no one cares that much! LOL.)But good runs, or bad runs, inspiring runs, new goals, I will continue to share.

Don't inspire to be like me, inspire to the greatest YOU.


I encourage your to be bold, and to reach out for those goals! ( which are very important to set!) And keep record of it somewhere. It's so great to look back and see your progress. You WILL inspire someone. It may not be a physical activity, but whatever it is that you are passionate about.

Quit comparing yourself to others, and realize how great YOU are!

I'm..... ME.

I'm a mother, a wife, a cook, a stylist, a housekeeper, a sister, a daughter, a friend.... Through out all of this, it's so easy to forget that I'm still    ME!

Being the observant person that I am, and from personal experience, I realize how easy it is to forget that you are you. You the same person that you were before you were married. Before that sweet baby arrived. Before that career that takes most of your time.  Before life went on and you grew up.

I can attest to the fact that having a kid will make you lose all identity. It's so easy to become so immersed in our day to day busy life, that we forget ourselves. We forget our needs, and our (gasps!) wants. Yes it's okay to want.

I just have to remind myself sometimes, that it is okay to take time for myself! I had to learn to find activities that I like to do for me. Not something I like to do because the baby likes it. There are PLENTY of activities that we will do that are kid friendly.

So just a little reminder to all you mommies out there ( or work-o-holics etc....) to take some YOU time. You deserve it. It's your chance to recharge and rejuvenate. Do the things that you enjoy to do, and are good at! We all have special talents and gifts that we were given.

I know that I don't want to be that mom who is always tired, grumpy, over-whelmed and unbearable to be around. I want to have the energy and excitement to do the things my daughter does and will want to do in the future. If this means just taking time to do something for me, like getting my nails done, or going to borders to get a coffee and blog, go shopping alone, or go for a run, then I will do it. I want to be the best ME  I can be for my loved ones!

There will be a time when my babies are out of the house, or I am retired and not working. What then? What will happen when I've spent my whole life placing my self-worth and entire existence in to being these things,and doing nothing for myself. I want to make sure I'm then healthy enough, and happy enough to move on to the next chapter of my life! I want to play ball with my grand-kids, and still be so in love with my husband that we can take 5 week vacations at a time, and still have so many things I love doing. I will then still be ME.

I know that when Anisten was very young, I just wanted to know that it was okay to take some time for myself. Even if it's just going to sit at starbucks with a book. I just wanted to hear that it's normal to want to be away from my baby, and that it's actually healthy.

Now.......... this blog may be misconstrued as " selfish " My child and husband are my #1 priorities! And they always will be. I'm not a neglectful mother or wife. I fulfill those duties to the best of my ability! But I am still working very hard to keep a sense of who I am. Who my core being is. Tapping in to those special talents, gifts, and desires that were placed in me. It's all about finding that healthy balance! Just like anything else.


What do (or have done) you do that helps with keeping your sanity, and your individuality as you balance all the aspects of life?