Feeling uninspired & other goings-on

I have not had the inclination to write lately. Maybe we've been too busy? Nope, that's not it. I've been at home every night for the past week (Thank God for some time off from busy-ness). Has there been nothing happening in our world? With three kids under five, that could NEVER happen. I have been working on crochet projects all week and purposefully leaving them at work so that I don't get lazy at home and sit on the couch for three hours working on them. They are not priority right now. I am crocheting a baby hat (first one ever) and it has proven to be more involved than I realized. If I had read the pattern thoroughly the first time, I wouldn't have had to start over twice already. But this is not for any baby in particular at this point. I just wanted to learn how to do it. But, if it fits Calah Joy, she can have it. If not, I have several friends that are having babies this summer; I'm sure someone can use it. It's white, so gender is not important. I am also crocheting a baby blanket for one of said friends. She's due in late June, so I have plenty of time. But I enjoy crocheting and get sucked in by it for hours.

Instead, I have been coming home to eat dinner and then working on laundry, washing dishes, and other general pickup areas. Hubs has been out just about every night for fundraising discussions or children's ministry work and I always seem to be more productive when he's not home. I think it's a combination of reasons, really. I don't have the luxury of vegging out on the couch with him when he's not there; I have to do everything by myself or it won't get done when he's not there; I want him to be pleased with how the house looks when he gets home. Each night that he's been gone, I've done the basics (see aforementioned chores) and once those are done, I've been able to do a little more deep cleaning/organizing.

We have been alternating turns on going to the gym in the morning before I leave for work and on the days he is at the gym, I still get up a little after he leaves and have time to get everything ready for the day plus picking up and throwing in some laundry or surface wiping since I usually have some extra time. Great stress relief for me. My fitness goal for 2013 is to average two days at the gym per week. Week one, I went once. Week two, I went once. This week, I went twice! I am proud that I have gone to the gym at least once in each of the past three weeks as that is major progress for me. However, until volleyball starts (2/25), I am trying to get to the gym M, W, F; cardio/lifting M, F and swim W. So I have some improving to do. Each morning that I've actually gotten myself out of bed early enough to get to the gym has been a huge struggle. Hubs had to just about push me out of bed this morning. And I went to bed earlier than normal. It's going to be a constant struggle, I just know it. I am a morning person, but if I can find an excuse to stay in my warm, comfy bed, I will find it. When I leave the gym, I always feel happy that I came. I feel accomplished; energized. Ready to start my day. Pushing me out of my bed is one of the most loving things Hubs could have done for me this morning.

I have felt particularly bloated lately but I am only up a couple pounds from my last weigh-in on 1/8. I'm surprised because of how I feel and how tight in the belly some of my pants are feeling the last week. Not a feeling I like at all. I'm still down about 40 pounds since Calah Joy was born (I only gained 18 with that pregnancy) and I haven't been this weight since freshman year of college (1999, ouch). I am still proud of the weight loss but do not want to loosen my grip to let the pounds creep back up. I simply don't have pants that could fit me if I did. I have 15 pounds left to go and my goal is to get there by the beginning of summer, so it's definitely doable. The bigger elephant in the room is my baby belly that's still hanging on. You can go away now; I'm all done having babies. Really. I don't need you anymore. The breastfeeding weight loss I have experienced, for some reason, doesn't tighten my ab muscles and blast my fat. Hmmm...you mean I actually have to WORK OUT??

I am trying to figure out a good way to do the couch-to-5K program while it is still cold here. I am doing the treadmill twice per week at the gym but I need to add one more day of running. We are trying to work up to the local 5K on May 4th; we have done these before (3 in 2011 and 1 walk in 2012 hey, I was pregnant; cut me some slack:)) but I want to be able to run 100% of the race. My best time to date is 41 mins. and my new goal is 35 mins. But that means I'll have to run at least 2/3 of the race and walk the rest of the time.

My post started off about how I have been uninspired lately and took off in another direction, as always. I am famous for thought journeys. Anyway, I just haven't felt like there's anything funny or interesting enough to write about this last week. But I have enjoyed my nights at home with the kids and am really trying to take advantage of this short off-season before things ramp up in early February. Then, things will be crazy until the end of the school year.

Greg took a "last-minute" trip to the middle of nowhere over the weekend with the black IV staff for a short retreat; sounds like it was a great time for community and FD ideas.  The kids and I stayed in Friday night and I.did.NOTHING! Well, besides bathtime, taking care of the kids, cleaning up dinner, baking cookies, and a couple other little things.  But once they were in bed, I plopped down on the couch and watched TV and used the computer (although I don't even remember what I did) for a while.  Then, on Saturday, I pumped up my brave muscles and took the kids out to a few stores; mostly for groceries.  It was a challenge but as long as we weren't in a rush, there were no meltdowns (me OR the kids) and it was overall worth going out.  We stocked up on groceries for the next two weeks and a few extra things I needed for the house plus a new swimsuit since all I had were maternity suits and one that's pieced together and isn't really a swimsuit.  This one was really cute and has actual shorts, like biker shorts for my fellow children-of-the-90s, instead of the skirts.  It's from Sam's and was only $25!

On Sunday, we had to rush to VOP rehearsal after church and dropping the boys at grandma's house and grabbing a quick lunch. Does this happen to other people or is it just us:  we go into taco bell to order and the cashier talks to us for about seven minutes about her kids, etc... She was a super sweet lady and funny, too, but I knew we didn't have a lot of time.  It seems to happen to us every time we go out; people just approach us with the most random comments or questions.  I guess we look friendly; I'll take it.  I would love to be a blessing to a stranger and it's always a lesson for me in patience and not drawing into myself when I'm out in public. Jesus would purposefully take the time to go up to someone hurting or lost.  I need to keep my eye on His example.