Love is getting another week

Let’s just forget last week ever happened in the love and happiness project of mine because it has been, well not so loving. It started out good like I set out to do, but as most things in life old routines and emotions run thick and love and happiness get left by the wayside.

I don’t want to go on without getting this love thing right. I didn’t realize this would be a challenge, but it has been. The love is there, but nobody seems very happy about it. Tonight I am going to make a plan for this week, to improve the things that need improving. ‘Love’ is getting one more week. It needs it.  

The good, the bad, and the kids that don’t sleep!

The good, the bad, and the kids that don’t sleep!

Well I have made Chicken Basquaise, bell pepper and bacon quiche (One thing my kids actually ate), almond flounder meuniere and lemon steamed spinach. The fact that I have been able to keep up with last month’s challenge is good and I suppose I should start with that.  

I have had a real up and down week. This month is supposed to be Love: love my hubby and myself in honor of Valentine’s day. I admit I feel more like I have just been trying to play a game of catch-up. My kids have not slept well at all which means when they are awake it is a constant battle to keep everyone happy and instead I am going a little crazy. It is kinda funny. I thought they were sleeping better than they were. Carl was acting really grouchy though and I couldn’t figure out what was going on with him. Then I said, “Well the kids didn’t sleep to bad last night.” He laughs. Turns out they woke up about an extra five times last night that I didn’t even know about. They keep just going to his side of the bed. Everybody has been tired. So with that, working out has been a thing of non existence since last Sunday when I ran. Working out is supposed to be the ‘love me’ aspect of this month. Then on Valentine’s Day I worked super late and was going to pick up Zio’s Italian food on the way home, but the wait was 2 hours. We had to do Panda Express instead. It was already way late and we were both way tired. Then he went out of town on Thursday through late Friday night. Spending real time with my hubby is suppose to be a big part of the love my hubby aspect of this month and this week has been rough on that front. So it really seemed like there was quite a bit of bad rolled up in this week and the love was getting lost. But without the bad things will never get better. I had this major epiphany on Friday- If I really wanted happiness I needed to get more serious about making some changes. I realized Carl didn’t originally fall in love with a frumpy grouchy house mom, he fell love with a spunky, little bit wild girl that enjoyed life and laughing. I know he loves this old house mom but, I think that girl needs to be revived a bit.  One of my biggest issues ever is staying up too late and then when the kids wake me up at 6:30 I just want to die. I have never been a morning person even before kids, but that should be something I can change. It is something I need to change if I want to wake up happier and have some good time to get a work out in and working out boosts serotonin. It will be doing something nice for my hubby because then he won’t have to get ready for work with kids hanging on him and  if I can get up, boosts the happiness and get started on the day before either of the little rascals I will be in a much better place. So the good- I have decided to make a big change: I am going to get up at six everyday and get a workout in and really focus on the fun in life.

I decided all this on Friday. I waited up for Carl last night to get home and although this week had its rough spots it has all ended on a good note…

A Good Run

Things are going great-

I admit I have not been working out a full 30 min every day, but I have gotten in way more than 30 min on other days. I actually hit a huge goal. I have been running for the past few months. Not super consistent, but enough to build up my lungs. The other day I was wondering how far I could run if I tried. On Sunday I set out from my parents’ house with no real destination in mind. I ended up running to the river which I found out thanks to my nike ipod chip is about 3 miles. (Oh yeah, update from last post: washing your ipod chip does not ruin it. Thank goodness!) Then I turned around and came back. Six miles!! I haven’t run that far in years. Everyone was about to send out a search party for me. I didn’t tell them I was going to be gone so long. My bad. I love running these days. There is no one there to ask me to do a single thing or ask the question ‘why?’ for the thousandth time. A big part is I have started listening to podcasts from our church while I run. It seems silly and it is not that I am praying while I run or anything. If you have ever been to our church you would know, our pastor is so funny yet so inspirational. It is like listening to a great motivational speaker.  I run to clear my head and get motivated to better myself in my life. Listening to these podcasts does exactly that for me. Sunday’s was awesome. I have actually listened to this one before, but it is so good. He says the best quote, “What God does in you in the waiting room of life is often more important then what we are waiting for.” Something I always need to hear!

Taking a turn-

Wow- it is just weird sometimes how things happen. Just last week I decided to focus on my relationship and making sure love is in my home and pow- I had no idea how much was going to change. All for the good, actually. It was kind of a ‘be careful what you wish for’ thing.

I was just going along with the week. Tuesday was snow day so both kids were home. Abbey and my mom came over. I made celery-celery soup. Very good except I could not find celery root so I had to improvise and when I put it in the blender it went everywhere. This was only foreshadowing for a later event during the week. I did p90x that night and that was great. Everything seemed to be going well.

I made scallops with caramel-orange sauce, sautéed asparagus and rice for date night with the hubby and told him about the ‘5 ways to bring love into your life’ and how this was something we should try. He seemed to think it was alright.

Then it all got jumbled. I’m not sure how it all happened, but flash forward to McKenna crying in the middle of the kitchen, me trying to make the kids dinner and then a whole container of soup crashing to the floor all over me and under my refrigerator right as Carl walks into the kitchen. You have to understand Carl is a bit ocd anyway about things being super clean and well let’s just say this was one of the biggest disasters ever. So I take off my socks and pants that are covered in soup and start to tackle the mess, McKenna is still in the middle of kitchen now crying ‘mommy naked!’ I had boxers on, but to her it was confusing. Mason comes running in sliding on soup and repeatedly saying his favorite word, ‘why?’ Carl just looked shell-shocked, like he had just walked into a battle zone of soup and was debating jumping off a cliff. This is my life!

Somehow I managed to get in two p90x’s and two good runs. Saturday was actually 3 ½ miles- not a ton but the most I have done in a long, long time.

I also made beef daube and creamy mashed potatoes- now I have a secret. I actually am one of the only people in the world that does not like potatoes, but you put enough salt and butter in anything and you can’t go wrong. This was sooo good. I will have to post the recipe for this one.

Then came Sunday. This was the day when ‘love’ was challenged. I have been seeing Craig’s List up on the computers in the house and knew something fishy was up. I even have asked, but was told ‘oh, I’m just messing around’. Whatever! So, I let Carl sleep in on Sunday, I thought anyway. Next thing I know he appears fully dressed and says ‘oh I forgot, this guy is going to look at my car this morning so I will be back in a bit.’ What!!!! He has been through many cars in the last few years and it always ends up being not as good a deal as it is suppose to be and his car- I love driving that car. I want that car. It is a little older, cool BMW  that always makes me feel like a cool chick again when I drive it and not the frumpy soccer mom that the huge suv I drive now transforms me into. Then while he was gone I find one of running shoes in the washer- ipod running chip still attached. It must have fallen in! I think it was washed twice. Oh forget it- this was not my morning.  

I am the finance person in our marriage. I don’t know how it happened. I just try to get keep us out of debt while trying to keep us doing the things we like to do. This is also the same thing I do for Lorenco’s, my salon. No easy feat and very stressful although I have learned to loosen up a bit and remain calm on the outside even though my brain is exploding on the inside.

When Carl announces he is selling his car with no further info my brain pretty much did explode! So I said, ‘I quit! I don’t really want to have to try to figure all this out. It is just too much and I quit!’ While he was gone I cleaned the house like a crazy person and talked to myself about how mad I was- truly crazy style- and when he got home with all frustration full frontal I told him I quit! Which may have been a little over reacting. After the dust settled and I cooled off. We talked and decided we needed a finance night to go over all of this and make some decisions calmly without me being crazy.

Monday night was finance night and a great night. We talked to each other, listened to each other and turns out maybe he was right anyway. With the 5 list in the back of both our minds we told each other thanks for everything the other person does for our family. We laughed and had a great time and got so much accomplished and had fun. We decided we should do finance night every week!

Tuesday he did sell his car and got a new, cheaper, but very nice suv, with some extra cash to go in savings.

I guess life can be unexpected, but I think ‘love February’, despite its challenges is going well.

February’s Happiness Project- Love

Love-

That is the focus for February since it is Valentines and all. The goal this month is to show my husband I love him and love myself as well. There was this lady on Good Morning America that gave 5 ways to keep things good in your marriage:

1)    Give 5 genuine expressions of appreciation a day

2)   Kiss for at least 10 sec. at least once a day

3)   Talk for at least 15min each day

4)   Go on a weekly date

5)    Take a vacation alone at least once a year

I think the last one may have to wait, but the rest are totally do-able.

 That takes care of my hubby, but you can’t love someone unless you can love yourself. Well I do love my hubby, but I am easier to get along with and love when I take care of myself too. Running and working out is very important to my physical and mental well being. The goal here is to fit in at least 30min of working out a day. I have commissioned Carl in on this too. He has agreed to the same 30 min challenge. We will see how it goes and hopefully be able to support and help each other stay focused.

I love what I learned from January’s organize and energize so I am going to keep up with the cooking. I love it actually, and it is so good for the family. Now to make it work with the love aspect of my life. Here we go…