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Heather
My Mom was funny when it came to clothes and such. Growing up, she rarely spent money on herself. As we got older and starting buying our things, she started to do the same. She would see something that me or my sisters was wearing and go out and buy it. Oh and if it came in multiple colors, she would buy one of each. At any given time, you could check out her clothes line (yes she still used one) and see the same shirt in every color of the rainbow. One day my middle sister came by with a pairs of shoes. They were a type of sandal and she told Mom they were super comfy. Mom went out and bought herself a white pair.
That summer, my parents, kids and I took a week long trip to Washington, DC. We spent 6 days walking about town, taking in all the sites. My Mom wore the shoes everywhere.
She put some serious mileage on those shoes. Upon returning home, my sister, Kristen saw her in them. She said “Oh Jeanne, where did you get those moon shoes?” Well needless to say, we all thought it was funny, but Mom did not. We never saw those shoes again. LOL!
It’s the little stories like this, that help us keep it together during the month of March. This week in particular is rough. She was sent home with hospice this time 5 years ago. However, I am determined to remember the good vs the bad as the 24th of March comes upon us.
Did you know that approximately 60% of Americans get the Sunday blues? Did you also know that Sunday is the least favorite day of the week. I think part of the reason is that we are so overscheduled, we have so much to do Monday-Friday, that it can be overwhelming just thinking about. From personal experience, at around 3-3:30pm, I would start to feel anxious about the week ahead. I hated that feeling. Now for the record, it has nothing to do with my job. I actually like what I do and enjoy (for the most part) going into the office. Though, I fully acknowledge that this is the reason for a lot of people. It was all the other stuff during the week that would cause me anxiety. About a year or so ago, I decided I needed to start my week planned, organized and refreshed! After following through and doing this for awhile, it resulted in a more productive week and less chaos in my life. Below are 6 things to do on Sundays for a productive week ahead.
Meal Prep
- There is nothing worse than coming home and hearing, “What’s for dinner?” and having no idea. This tends to lead to either take out or quick, not so healthy options. Every Sunday, I sit down and plan all my meals for Monday-Thursday. Fridays I work from home and eat what every left overs I have for breakfast and lunch. We also tend to order out on Fridays. In addition to planning my meals, I cook batches of veggies, some sort of protein (usually chicken) and a grain. This serves as my lunch. I also make eggs cups for breakfast or have my Greek yogurt already portioned out.
Laundry
- I make sure all the laundry is done for myself and the children. This way I am not washing something at 10:00pm on a Tuesday night. I can’t say it all gets put away, but it is clean!
Schedule your workouts
- Exercise is non negotiable for me. It is how I deal with the stress of the week. My days are much more productive, I have more energy and feel so much better about myself when I exercise. However, there are times when I have let it slip and let other things get in the way of me getting it done. This is why I look at the week ahead and put it in my planner. It is like any other appointment.
Write your to-do list
- On Sunday evenings, I sit down with my planner and write down my to-do list. This is a general list of everything I need to accomplish that week. It does not mean I am doing everything on Monday. I take the list and assign a day of the week to do each thing.
Self-Care
- Take the time to do something for you. Take a bath, read a book, go for a walk, play outside the kids.
Sleep
- I know it is tempting to stay up late, but go to bed early. Starting the week off with proper sleep is essential.
I hope you find this helpful. Try it for a couple of weeks and let me know how it goes. Have a great week!
Before we dive into today’s post, I wanted to let you now I have been featured at https://planningaway.com/ go check it out.
I listen to a really cool podcast called “Best of Both Worlds”. It is hosted by two working moms, Laura Vanderkam and Sarah Hart Unger. Laura is an author and time management expert. Sarah is a physician and blogger. The podcast talks about balancing work and family. Each week they bring a new subject to discuss, along with a segment called Love of the Week. They, along with their guest, discuss something they are loving at the moment. It is actually my favorite part of the podcast. I love it so much, I thought I would incorporate it into this blog.
I love receiving packages in the mail, but I really love runner’s swag! I invested in a new training plan for my fall races. I listen to another podcast, Another Mother Runner. AMR offers a variety of training plans and I am always looking for a way to improve my running. I chose their heart rate training plan. My actually training starts in May, so be sure to check back as I will be posting about my journey. In any event, for purchasing one of their plans, I was sent some runner’s swag. It is filled with lots of goodies, including some of my favorites.
The package includes some fuel (can’t wait to try the waffle), my favorite brand of socks, Balega, some laundry detergent, another favorite of mine, NUUN and a cute bumper sticker. It is so much fun to receive things like this in the mail. You also have to appreciate companies and/or organizations that do this. A big shout out to Another Mother Runner.
How about you? Have you received anything fun in the mail lately? Just so you know, once I reach 100 subscribers I will be doing my own giveaway. So make sure you subscribe and have all your friends subscribe as well.
Today I are going to talk about Day 6 of our embedded Adventures by Disney (ABD) trip. For those of you that don’t know, an embedded ABD is an Adventures by Disney trip that is done while on a Disney cruise. Instead of booking excursions through the cruise line, all the excursions are done through Adventures by Disney. I highly recommend it and looking forward to doing many more in the future.
The boat docks about an hour and half away from Rome. We were the first ones off the boat, onto the bus and off to our first stop…the Vatican. I was looking forward to visiting Rome, especially the Vatican. I am Catholic and as a Catholic, this is it. This is the where it all happens. There is so much history and power in this tiny little country. With that being said, as beautiful as it was, I was kind of sad that is has become this big tourist attraction. I had always envisioned walking up to it by way of the square. Well.. you don’t. You enter from the back (you do see the old Vatican wall, which is cool) and it is like entering any other museum. Oh and by the way, the square looks so much bigger in t.v.
First, our ABD guides and our local guide took us aside and told us what we would see in the Sistine Chapel. They had a map and pointed out all the different paintings. They did because, no is suppose to speak inside the chapel or take photos. I was disappointed about the photos, but I understood.
However, prior to touring the Sistine Chapel, we walked the museum. It is very lovely and holds so much history. It is also very crowded. You really don’t walked the museum, you do the Vatican Shuffle. There were different rooms that we walked though along the tour. There is a Gallery of the Maps, the Gallery of the Tapestries, the Gallery of the Candelabra and much more. Here are a few shots as we moved room to room.
The last room we were to see was the Sistine Chapel. I wish we could have taken photos. However, the photos probably would not have done it justice. It is simply breathtaking. Prior to going in, I mentioned our guides gave us a bit of history lesson on the chapel and Michelangelo. The chapel was created in 1508-1512. It is named for Pope Sixtus IV. Despite what people think, he did not paint the ceiling lying down. He had special scaffolding made so he could stand. There are over 300 figures painted in the chapel. There are numerous biblical scenes, such as the creations of Adam and Eve, the sacrifice of Noah and the Great Flood. Thousands of visitors tour the chapel each year. It is also where the cardinals meet to elect a new Pope. I encourage you to look online for photos. It is quite remarkable.
After visiting the chapel, it was on to St. Peter’s Basilica. This was another breathtaking work of art. I was hopeful we may run into Pope Francis. He has been known to wander about and meet people. No such luck for us. Inside the Basilica, we saw The Pieta, the statue by Michelangelo depicting Jesus in the arms of his mother after the Crucifixion. My photo does not do this justice either.
After visiting St. Peter’s we had our photos taken and then some time for shopping. From there we had another fantastic lunch. The food in Italy was amazing. Even our oldest, who will not eat pasta here at home, loved it. From there we did a walking tour and saw iconic sights, such as the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Venezia where the Vittoria Emanuele ll Monument is located, ancient Rome, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
The Trevi Fountain was another must on my bucket list. While it is beautiful, it was extremely crowded. One has to really push their way to the front to have their picture taken. Of course, we had to throw a coin over our shoulder. This will ensure that we will return to Rome one day.
Our last stop in this incredible city, the Colosseum. This was remarkable. From a distance, it looked fake. It reminded me of a backdrop on a movie set.
The adults and kids split up and the kids did a separate tour that involved gladiator costumes. My oldest did that, but my 13 year old stuck with the adults. In his words, he did not need it to be dumbed down for him. God help me. This kid a something else! Some interesting facts about The Colosseum. It was built in under ten years, mostly by Jewish slaves. Over a million animals and over a half million people died in The Colosseum. Also, The Colosseum had a marble facade and marble seats, however when St. Peter’s Basilica was being built, they took the marble from the Colosseum and used it there. Finally, it is the most visited site in Italy. The Vatican does receive more visitors, but that is not part of Italy. It is its own principality.
All and all, it was a fantastic day in Rome. We saw so much, yet there is still so much to be seen. I am looking forward to heading back in the next few years.
We are just about halfway through March and Spring is a mere 7 days away. For this girl, it can’t come soon enough! After spending time in Florida, I am looking forward to the warmer weather. I am looking forward to seeing green grass, the buds on the trees and the flowers starting to bloom. It is time where summer vacation plans are set in stone and thoughts of longer days makes me happy. With the change of each season, I sit down and make what I call a Seasonal Bucket List. It is a list of all the things I would like to do or see during that particular season. The list is a great way to have some ideas for family time on weekends, a night out on the town or an afternoon with the girls. As I sit here today, here are a few of the things I am putting on my Spring Bucket List.
- Planting flowers around the yard.
- Taking the dog to the beach to play.
- Family day exploring Boston.
- Spending the afternoon on Castle Island.
- Running a few races in the warmer temps.
What about you? What do you want to do this Spring? Put it down on paper, stick it on your fridge and look at it when you need some ideas. Happy list making!
Self-care seems to the be the buzz word these days. There are numerous articles written about it, podcasts that speak of it and whole books dedicated to the topic. I have to admit, at first I ignored it. I thought, who has time for that? I am a working mom, with a husband, two kids, a dog, two cats and a household to run. I will have time for that when they grow up, move out, etc. I am sure many of you have had the same thought. Well I am here to tell you, LISTEN UP, by incorporating self-care into your life, you suddenly have more energy to do the things listed above and you are a HAPPIER, yes I said HAPPIER, wife, mom, employer, etc.
First, what is self-care? According to the the dictionary it is “the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health or the “practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress. ” This means different things for different people. My idea for self-care could be very different than your idea of self-care. What makes me happy, improves my health or helps me deal with stress looks different than my husband’s. I make it a priority to incorporate self-care each and every day. Some days it is 10 mins, other days it is longer. Some days it is reading a great book for 10 mins, other days, it is a 10 mile run. I schedule a massage every month and really working on getting more sleep. Below are some ways you can incorporate self-care into your day.
- Wake up 15 mins earlier each day and enjoy some quiet time. Journal about how you want your day to go or meditate.
- Take a walk outside. Just 10 mins of being outside can lift our mood and energize us for the rest of the day.
- Take a bath. I recommend using some epsom salt with lavender.
- Read a good book. Take 15 mins and read a chapter or two.
- Treat yourself to a massage or a mani/pedi.
- Exercise and make sure it is something you enjoy.
- Find a hobby and carve out some time each week to dedicate to the hobby.
- Limit social media. Much of social media is a highlight reel of our lives. Studies have shown it can cause others to feel bad about themselves and have negative thoughts.
- Sleep! This is one I struggle with, yet it is so important. I have been trying to up my bedtime by 10-15 mins. Some nights are easier than others.
I hope these suggestions help. When we take time to refill our cups, everyone in our lives benefit from it.
Last month, my the boys and I went to Disney World for 10 days. The purpose of the trip was two-fold, vacation and to attend the Princess Half Marathon weekend. By no means was this our first trip to the World. The boys have been going since they were toddlers. Admittedly, not all trips are like what Disney portrays in their commercials. Kids get grumpy and tired. The crowds are huge. They may not have a reaction we expect or want when seeing a character for the first time. The list goes on. However, over the years I have learned to adjust, make some changes to how we approach the parks, where we stay and how much to push my kids. This trip I put what I have learned into action and both kids said this was our best Disney trip yet.
- Involve them in the planning. Ask them where they want to eat, what Fast Passes they want, what parks they would like to spend the most time in, etc.
- Stay at a hotel that is a good fit for your family. I have teenagers and we need to spread out a bit. We tend to stay at the deluxe resorts, in the DVC sections, as the rooms are bigger. If your kids love a swimming pool, stay at the hotel that was an awesome pool and pool activities.
- Think outside of the box and take advantage of some of special events Disney has to offer. Attend Early Morning Magic at one of the parks and enjoy having the rides to yourself. We did this for Toy Story land and the kids really enjoyed themselves without having to wait 4 hours for one ride. Book a dessert party at one of the parks. Not only do you get tasty desserts, but a fantastic spot to watch the fireworks. Star Wars was our favorite dessert party.
- Know how far to push them. I love getting our picture taken with the characters. However, the boys have very little patience for standing in a long line for this. My solution, characters meals! This way I get all my photos and the boys are not waiting in a line. This often made them more accepting when I did want to wait in a line for a certain character, say like, Scrooge McDuck!
- Build in some downtime. There were a couple of days that we did not go into a park. We hung out by the pool, relaxed in our room, and spent some time at Disney Springs. We usually are in the parks from morning to night. This was a nice change.
I hope these tips are helpful. As I mentioned, we have gone many, many times and each time I learn something new that will help improve our next trip. If you have some tips to share, please do so in the comments. I would love to hear them.
My Mom was a great Mom. She unselfishly gave all she had to her family. She never wanted to appear that she was a bother. Unfortunately, that may have been one of the reasons she hid her and ignored her symptoms for so long. Growing up, I don’t recall a time when she wasn’t there. When we were little she worked nights and we hung with Dad. Then she stopped working for a while to take care of us. When my baby sister went off to school, she worked part time to make a little extra money for herself. However, we were always her priority. She taught and raised us to be strong, independent women. We each took a different path than she did, but she instilled in us what was truly important in this life, family.
Then along came grandkids. As if she did not shine enough as a Mom, she sparkled as a Grammy. She was born for this role. When I was pregnant with Robbie, I had been researching daycares. I was planning to go back to work and was spending my time researching a good fit for my baby. Well, that boy wasn’t even 12 hours old and she marched into that hospital room and said “No grandchild of mine is going to daycare.” Ohhh.. okay then, Mom. She was not one you really wanted to argue with over certain things. At that moment, there grew a bond between her and her grandkids that will never be broken, even in death.
Robbie was her first. The moon and stars revolved around this child. He could do no wrong in her eyes. He adored her. For the first year of his life, she watched him 4 days a week. A year later, I started a new job and he went to “school” for a couple of days. She didn’t like that. LOL! Nicholas made his appearance 3.5 half years later. Again, she was willing to take him on, as she did Robbie. To help ease the work and because he really needed it socially, Robbie went off to pre-school and pre-k. Neither Robbie or my Mom was overjoyed at that. Both felt they were being ripped apart from each other. They got over it though. Well.. maybe… 🙂
I will be forever grateful for the bond my boys shared with my Mom. I will be forever grateful I had the honor to call her Mom.
What do you think when you hear the word “diet”? I can tell you what I think. I think of deprivation, temporary solution, not sustainable. Diets do not work because it usually involves in depriving ourselves of food, for a certain about of time, and as soon as the weight is gone, we go back to our old ways. What happens when we do that? The weight comes back! So what if, instead of going on a diet, you make it a lifestyle? By making it a lifestyle, you are implementing behaviors that you can stick to. Here are six tips to help you do that
- First, we are more than a number on the scale. The scale is a tool that we use, with all our other tools, to see progress. How about instead of being a slave to the scale, you go by how your clothes fit? Take your measurements and redo them once a month, every six weeks, or after you complete a workout program. Finally, take progress photos. Once a month I put on the same workout clothes and take a series of photos. I compare each month and see how I am doing. This right here tells me more than a number on the scale.
- Exercise regularly. It is true, you can’t outrun the fork, however exercise is so important. Exercise increases our energy levels. It helps reduce risk of chronic diseases. It aids in weight loss. Those who exercise, sleep better and have an easier time relaxing. It helps with brain health and memory. It makes us feel like a badass ;). Another important point about exercise, find something that you like and will stick to. If you hate running, do not commit to running 4 times a week. For example, I hate cardio, but LOVE to run. My workout routines involve strength training for the most part and my weekly miles. I am not going to stick to a routine that is all cardio.
- Eat healthy, whole foods that nourish your body. Food is your body’s fuel. It is not going to run properly if you feed it crap.
- Everything in moderation. No food or food group should totally be cut out of your life. Instead of simple carbohydrates, chose complex carbohydrates. This includes high fiber, whole grain breads, pasta, oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potato. Also, when you do have a treat, like Mom’s chocolate chip cookies (I make the best!), don’t feel guilty. Having a couple of cookies is not going to derail you. If you are eating clean 80-90% of the time, you can indulge and enjoy a treat. Notice I use the word treat and not cheat. Remember, this is not a diet. Cheats only happen on a diet.
- Drink half your body weight in water. For example, if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water a day. If you exercise, that number should be higher. By the time we start to feel thirsty, our bodies are already dehydrated. Water will help keep you full, clear up your skin and keep your body working properly.
- Learn to listen to your body. A good example of this. Every day at 3:00pm I need a snack. Or I think I need a snack. Sometimes, it is true, I am hungry and my body is sending me signals to feed it. However, there are other days this is simply not the case, yet I go to reach for something out of habit. I am putting something in my body unnecessarily. My being in tune with myself, I can stop the unnecessary snacking.
I hope you found this to be helpful. If you are looking for some help or support implementing these changes, I run a free Facebook group. It is a place where we lift each other up, cheer each other on and share ideas. Drop me a note, I would be happy to add you.
Today I want to take you back to day 5 of our cruise. On this day, we were the first ones to board a bus and head to the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence. As I mentioned, when traveling with Adventures by Disney, you receive VIP treatment. We were the first ones off the boat and last ones on. We made the most of our days and were first in line for all the attractions. On this particular morning, we were up early and took a beautiful drive through Tuscany. There were rows and rows of sunflowers on the roads to Florence. Unfortunately, I could not get a great photo from the bus, so you will need to take my word for it. Once arriving in Florence, we headed over to the Galleria dell’ Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David.
David was created out of marble, between 1501-1504, by Michelangelo. He is a Biblical character. It was breathtaking. The photos do not do this masterpiece justice.
From the Galleria dell’ Accademia, we proceeded with our walking tour of Florence.
The architecture was amazing. We saw the
Baptistery and strolled past vendors selling their wares along the Ponte Vecchio, a spectacular medieval bridge that spans the Arno River. We ended at the Piazza Santa Croce. Here we went to lunch at Cantina Vinicola. It was this lovely restaurant, that felt more like we were dining in someone’s home. We were served the best lasagna I have ever had. Lasagna is not something we eat at home, as none of us like ricotta cheese. However, they made their lasagna with sweet cream. It was amazing!
After lunch, we had plenty of time to explore the Piazza di Santa Croce. We went to a little wine store called Enoteca Pontevecchio. We had a wine tasting, along with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It was amazing. We bought six bottles of wine, six tins of oil, and three bottles of balsamic vinegar.
We also visited a leather store. I bought myself a beautiful purse and wallet. Afterward, we had some photos taken at the Basilica di Santa Croce. This serves as the burial place of Michelangelo and other famous Italians. The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. As you will see from the photos, the bell tower has a Star of David. A Jewish architect designed the church’s façade. He wanted to be buried there, but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the threshold and honored with an inscription.
Basilica di Santa Croce
Finally, on our way back to the boat, we stopped for this breathtaking view of the city. It was another magical day in Italy!
