O-R-A-N-G-E Orange!

What's that fable about not pleasing people all the time. Today kind of felt like on of those days. Except like I couldn't please anyone. Oh well. Some days are like that, but pardon me if I take this little blip of blog space to rant a bit. Tune out now if you would prefer not to read my rant. Go ahead. I won't hold it against you. My lack of "pleasy-ness" began this morning with C5. Let me back up and explain that C5 is a very picky eater. It's in the genes. My dad is like the world's pickiest eater. So C5 has the usual kid favorites - chicken nuggets, spaghetti, etc.etc. This is not from lack of trying on my part, but he is Mr. Stubborn and in the end it really just turns out that I'd rather make things he is comfortable with than fight with him. However, I decided this week that I am going to add one new food for him to try once a week. My rule is that if he doesn't like it, he doesn't  have to try it again, but he does have to try at least one bite of it. If he doesn't like it and can give me a reason other than "I just don't like it because", I won't make him eat the rest. I'm ok with that. Some parents may call that giving in, but it works for me. This morning I decided a fresh orange would be our first food of the week to try. We've tried oranges in the past, but he wouldn't even put them in his mouth. I cut up 3 little cubes of orange on his plate with his waffle. He eyeballed it and about had a freak out because it was even on his plate. I got that calmed down, and told him just to worry about the waffle and then he could try one bite of the orange. Let me just tell you that this turned into a 45 minute ordeal. After much screaming and crying - mostly on my part - just kidding- he finally tried one bite. This was after gagging repeatedly because his delicate palate wasn't sure it could handle a sliver of orange the size of my thumbnail. In the end these were his words: "It tastes like orange juice, but I don't like it. It's slimy like worms." Oh well. You win some. You lose some. I'm just glad he tried it.

Speaking of trying something new...well not exactly new but something I haven't done in a long time. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to the park tonight or not, so I decided that I would find a workout video to do from home before work. Working out before work doesn't usually work for me too well, but I thought I would go ahead because I didn't want to miss a workout. I'm already two days into the week and this is my first workout of the week. I dug through my videos and found a goofy aerobic dance video done by Paula Abdul from back in her popular days. As cheesy as the video looked, I was surprised to find the workout so challenging. It was good, though. I was able to keep up with it for the most part. I could definitely tell it has been awhile since I have done any type of dance other than belly dancing. 45 minutes of dance and my legs are screaming tonight, but that's a really good feeling for me. It lets me know that I actually did something good for my body. I don't know if this video will become a regular part of my fitness rotation or not, but I'm sure I will slip it in there occasionally for a little variety.

Tomorrow is going to be quite the busy day. It is National Day of Prayer and Worship Lounge. We are joining both events at our church this year, so I'm praying that everything goes as planned and runs smoothly. We'll see tomorrow. I will probably start the day off with some yoga to help get me loose since I know I will be running all over creation. Hopefully, it will bring my stress level down a bit too. With that I say good night.

Fork in the Road

My big 3-0 birthday is right around the corner. Just a few weeks to be exact. I love birthdays! I always have. Probably because I have always been surrounded by people who made them extra special for me. I'm sure this year will be no exception to the excitement factor. From Mothers Day til the end of June, our family indulges in full-on celebration because of multiple birthdays and holidays. You just can't beat it. This year I'm pretty stoked because I get to be a runner for Christian rock band Seventh Day Slumber who will be performing as part of the Ten Talents Presents monthly concert series (insert plug here: Tickets are on sale NOW!). A pretty fun way to spend my 30th, if I do say so myself.

So you're probably asking yourself, "Self, what does this have to do with a fork in the road?" Well weight has always been a struggle for people in my family. Whether it be the high blood pressure/Type II diabetes issues, or the roller coasters of dieting, weight issues have been prevalent for the majority of  people in my family. Obviously, I am no exception. I've never been tiny, but I was healthy. Around 24 I started gaining and gaining weight - 280 at my highest. Now I'm around 240. My blood pressure is in check, and I haven't had Type II issues, but I'm sure if I keep going this way it will be lurking around the corner for me.

As I approach my 30th birthday I keep thinking about something my dad used to tell me : "Missy, if you don't lose this weight by the time your 30 it will get even harder to lose and you might not lose it at all." Well here I am, 2-1/2 weeks from my 30th birthday and 100 pounds over weight. I feel like I am standing in the middle of this road and I have a decision to make. Either I will continue down this path of being a fast food junkie, or I will take my health into my hands and get down to the business of getting healthy. Over the years, it has seemed that I will take a few steps down the healthy road, and then BAM! I'm right back on the unhealthy road because it's my comfort zone - it's the thing I fall back on because I'm busy. I don't want to live that way, and I especially don't want C5 to live that way (or worse have to live without a mom because I haven't taken care of myself).

I thought the actual eating fork in the road was appropriate for this post. My faith is a huge part of this journey, and I keep thinking about a verse from Matthew 7 that says, "The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." If this journey was easy, everyone would be doing it.  I am worth more than wasting away in a vat of fast food disgustingness, and my son and my husband are worth more than that. They are worth me being my best. Living my healthiest, best life. I know that in my heart and my mind knows what it takes to be healthy, so why is it so difficult to commit? Why is it so hard to turn your back on something you know is KILLING you? How many times does my logical mind have to say it before the rest of me believes it and takes a firm step (not a willie-nillie try) toward getting healthy? 100? 1,000? 1,000,000? How many times til I'm really ready to make that change?

So here I am at the fork.

FUN is the Name of the Game

This week has been mostly spent recovering from last Sunday's concert. It was TTM's first ticketed event, so I knew it was going to be a crazy day. Even though it was crazy, it went really well. Chas kept things in good order, which meant we only had a few surprises. While we didn't sale the amount of tickets we had hoped, this concert was a learning experience for us, and propelled the ministry on to the next big event in a little less than a month.

After a long and busy day Sunday, I just didn't feel up for doing much of anything exercise-wise on Monday. My body was still sore from running around/lifting/climbing/etc, that I just felt like giving myself the day to relax. I know. I know. It's an excuse, but I'm really trying to learn to listen to my body, especially when I need rest.

Tuesday I had the day off. A day off for me usually means working at least a few hours. I know, it's a sad ailment, but it keeps me from having anxiety about whatever I forgot to do. I couldn't have picked a more beautiful day to take a day off. It was a perfect spring day. Chas, C5, and I went to the park for a walk. C5 is a great workout buddy for being 4. Dare I even say, he is sometimes more encouraging than my adult workout buddies. We tried the para-training course that the park has, and it was so much FUN! C5 tried everything with me. He did pretty well. His age and me being over weight kind of puts us on the same fitness level when it comes to that type of course. That's what made it FUN! Each station is a tenth of a mile from the next, so after we finished a station, C5 and I decided to race to the next one. It worked out really well for me because it was an easy way to jog half a mile. So I ended up jogging about a little more than half a mile and walked about a mile. Of course, after our workout, we had to do a little playing at the playground. Needless to say, C5 was sleeping good after our day of fun at the park, so was mommy.

So now that I've been working out more, I really haven't seen much budge in the scale. I'm feeling great, but I'm not really losing any weight. I think it's time to find a balance in my eating and my exercising. I think I'm probably exercising enough to keep from gaining weight, but not enough to lose weight. It's a little frustrating, but I'm happy to be feeling better. It makes me want to eat better.

I have two questions: 1. How do you find ways to eat healthy on a budget...a really slim budget?

2. Do you ever find that you've grown beyond your workout buddies? Maybe you have different goals which might be holding back what you want to do. How do you deal with it?

Spring at the Park

Howdy Friends and Neighbors! Today was just one of those days. You know...those days that all of your plans fly completely out the window? Well that was today for me. I knew when I had to unexpectedly had to take my son to work with me, and when I got to work there was someone waiting outside for the office to open that my plans were pretty much done for. That's ok. God tends to work that way in my life sometimes. Sometimes I think it is His way of letting me know that all that "busy work" that occupies life doesn't really matter if I'm not tuning in to what He wants for me to do. So all of that to say that today was a little off kilter, but in the end it turned out quite nice.

After I dealt with all of my surprises, I went to lunch with a dear member of our church who wanted to bless me with a lunch out for Secretary's Day (I personally prefer secretary over administrative professional). It was at my favorite Chinese food restaurant. I had my favorite entree. I enjoyed my "good fortune" and as soon as I got back to work, promptly got sick. Nothing wrong with the food, just a little too much for my sensitive stomach. When am I going to learn that get my cravings and my stomach on the same page? It all goes back to balance. I drudged through the rest of work and dragged myself home. I really wanted to use this as an excuse not to meet my walking buddy at the park for a walk, but I decided I didn't want to give up that easily. I met her at the park for a 2 mile walk. My legs were a little sore from last night's walk/jog/rock climb. It felt good to get those muscles loosened up. I didn't really feel up for trying much running, but I did manage to do a tenth of a mile. I still don't think running is ever going to be something that I truly enjoy, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to be able to do it ;-)

On a funny note, every night that we meet at the park, there is an ice cream truck that drives around the entire park - taunting us. It's kind of ironic for me as an ice cream lover, but now I've just learned to laugh at it. The park's beauty out weighs my desire for ice cream.

Blessings!

Ready. Set. Go!

Today I did something that I haven't done in a long time - I RAN! Today my friend and I met at the park for one of our walking meet-ups. It's a little hard to do with two 4 year-olds, but we usually get in at least 1-2 miles in every time we walk. It might take us a little longer since we have the kiddos, but it still is a pretty good distance.

Most days the kids are willing to keep walking with the promise of playing on the playground , but today the dude just didn't seem to be able to keep his interest in our walk. So to change things up a little bit, I raced with C5. It was so much fun. Our path is about .40 of a mile, so we raced for about a .10 of a mile, walked for .10 of a mile, then raced another .10 of a mile, and so on. We did that about 5 times. For my marathon-running pals this isn't much at all, but for this 240 pound gal, it really is alot. I had fun doing it too. Playing with the dude didn't feel like exercise. It felt nice to be able to run.

I really haven't been much of a runner. Even when I was in shape, running really wasn't my thing. I prefer exercise that doesn't feel like exercise - yoga, dance, walking. Running/playing chase with the dude might just become a new addition to my workout...maybe dare I say a new running routine?

Up Next: The Amazing Balancing Act of Misschelles

Ladies and Gentleman, if you will look to the center ring, you will see a woman desperately trying to balance on a tight rope...WITHOUT A NET!

We're halfway through the 4 concerts in 2 weeks line up. We have a few days to breathe and to plan, but it is going to be such a busy week. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. This will be our first big concert. We are expecting 700-900 people. My learning curve for the concert ministry has been fairly steep, but it has been so much fun. I'm getting to do a lot of things that I never really thought that I would be doing or that I would be doing again. I am finding some things that I love doing, some things I want to get better at, and some things that I hope I get to continue doing. Whoever thinks following God is boring, they have got be out of their mind. God has been leading me on the greatest adventure. Sometimes a little wild, but always exciting.

This week I think balance is going to be my biggest challenge. I sat down with my paper (yes I still use paper for my to-do lists) and pen and started writing out what I would need to do for the week ahead. Finding balance has not exactly been my strong suit. Keeping a list will be important and maximizing my time will be imperative.

It is so easy for me to get caught up in what I'm doing that I forget about other things. I find myself living in an imperative/optional world. The things I am doing are either imperative and have to be done or optional and can be put on the back burner. At this point in my life, there is very little that falls in the middle. I learned this weekend that some of the things that I consider optional, are really kind of important to the hubby. When you live a busy life, I think it has to be important to have open communication with your family and realize what is important to each person. Your imperative/optional list is not just your own when you have a hubby and kiddo. So I'm in the process or reevaluating and adjusting my view.It's a process and a journey. I'll get there eventually.

And We're Back

Living Life Without a Net has been on a hiatus recently. Taking a little break while I'm writing for the TTM Presents blog. Truthfully, I was happy to have the TTM Presents blog come along. It was writing with a focus and purpose, and it gave me a chance to start writing again.

As much as I enjoyed writing my own blog, I just started feeling uninspired. Looking back over previous entries, it's kind of like Living Life Without a Net had multiple personality disorder. One minute it was a fitness blog. One minute it was flabby and lazy. Kinda like me I suppose - always into something but rarely settling into anything. I would find myself excited about getting healthy, and then I would get caught up in my busy schedule and the vicious cycle would begin. So when Ten Talents Ministry came along, it was a refreshing yet very busy addition to our family's life. It has allowed me to use some gifts that I never thought I would be able to put to use again. Last night at the Worship Lounge, Rev. Ryno encouraged everyone to use their gifts for the Lord. I'm excited that I am in a place where I am able to do that. My prayer now is that I am able to balance it all. I'm pretty good at juggling, I just don't want to lose my focus.

So that brings me back to my blog, and how it is a blank canvas that can go anywhere - just like life. Will I ever be a fitness goddess? Probably not. I just want to be healthy. To have the energy to chase after my kid and to do all of the fun stuff that comes along in life. Will I run a marathon? Probably not. That's not really my style. That's what I think being fit and healthy is. Finding what works for you and making it your own.

So my goals for the next week are to walk at least two miles three days a week and to not eat fast food more than one day a week. Yes, they're small, but that's what works for me.
Blessings!