Merry Christmas 2010

from

The Thompson Family

I called my good friend I hadn’t talked to in a while to help me get through the daunting task of washing dishes and we ended up balling on the phone for 20 minutes over her daughter growing up! When my friend took her 12 year old daughter’s phone away, the pre-teen told her mom, “She ruins everything in her life!” And my friend spends the next two hours crying in her basement because her daughter broke her heart for the first time.

At first I was laughing at the comedy of it all. Didn’t she know girls that age are dramatic and over exaggerate everything? And she was bound to grow up someday. So when she started telling about how she must just be emotional over looking through old pictures of her baby girl with Santa and followed by being faced with reality that her kid being more of an emerging adult than an infant, it hit me.

Oh shit, that’s gonna be my baby girl before I know it, crying in the closet cause her boyfriend broke up with her and getting in fights on the bus and becoming boy crazy. I thought about how not half an hour before I had just been holding a fussy Carly in my arms in the light of the Christmas tree, half annoyed at the dish cleaning interruption, when I took a breath and inhaled her baby fresh scent and pressed my face to hers and wanted the moment burnt in time forever because I knew life was racing away with my memories. Moments like that were fleeting. I thanked God and the universe for allowing me to create something so special and I let those dishes sit there for just a while longer.

May my sweet babies always be like this in my hearts and my life....

Small Victories Part II

I’m celebrating some more ‘small victories’ as their called in our 28 Day Challenge handbook. They may sound easy or small to many, but to me, some of the things on this list of accomplishments are MONUMENTAL. I am very proud of myself and this week has been easier so far, 10 days left!!! (Still counting down to coffee and Captain Morgan’s though!)

• I bought a pair of new work out pants a size smaller than my old ones were! YES!
  
• I went to a Christmas party I had been dreading because of all the delicious food, but I abstained from eating or drinking anything! Ate salmon and veggies before I went and it was no problem at all. Even fed the girls cake without licking the fork or picking at the crumbs (haha). The build up and worry in my mind was much worse than the actual event. I was happy to spend time with my family on a beautiful, snowy afternoon. Piece of cake! My girls may have been a little traumatized from the Santa visit, but on the victory front my new sweater I just bought a month or so ago was so loose now that my boobs kinda kept falling out!

• My Mom returned from her annual cookie exchange party with a shopping bag full of sweet treats and I didn’t sample a single one. Go me!
  


• Here’s the biggie…. We didn’t have the kids for a night and had big sober plans. Dinner at Ruby Tuesday salad bar, a movie. Mother Nature had different plans and started dumping her mini-snow storm right as we dropped the kids off. It was my idea. I was feeling strong and confident after my success at the Christmas party. “Ruby Tuesday is too far away. Let’s just go to Ryan’s Buffet…” Normally a major over eating danger zone, I stuck to my diet no problem. Salad with tons of veggies and no dressing, small steak, cabbage, half a sweet potato, and fresh pineapple for dessert. It was fulfilling and my wonderful husband even hung back as I raced to make my salad to ask the waitress to not bring any rolls so I wouldn’t have to stare at them through dinner. What a man.
  
  WHAT A VICTORY!!!!

Celebrate Small Victories

Instead of focusing on how bad I want the things I cannot have or making me feel bad for eating the leftover pizza scraps off my kid’s plate or having that bite of stuffing the day after Thanksgiving, I repeat my victories in my head.

They may not look like much to the untrained eye, but believe me each was a battle fought hard and WON!

• I held an Krispy Kreme donut in my hand and fed my kids WITHOUT even licking my fingers
  
• I went to a party and didn’t drink any alcohol or eat any food I wasn’t supposed to have…. and I had FUN!
  
• I went out to eat at a restaurant and didn’t touch the delicious smelling bread with the temptress oils and cheese for dipping. I ordered a salmon salad over pasta at a past place….. and it was truly DELECIOUS.
  
• I ate a Challenge approved Holiday dinner consisting of a salad, small piece of steak, green beans, cauliflower, sweet potato and lobster...... WITHOUT and butter!
  
• I didn’t eat a brownie for dessert, even after cutting them and serving them to the kids. I ate apple slices instead.
  
• I have passed up coffee every single day when my husband has the house smelling so good.
  
• I went through a drive thru and ordered food for the entire car without ordering anything but water for myself because I had already eaten a really good turkey and avocado Ezekiel wrap for dinner.
  
• I went to Midnight Boot camp on Thanksgiving when technically it was my last night before the Challenge and I could have stuffed myself silly and drank Wild Turkey all night with the family.
  
• I went for 45 minute walks outside both in the cold dark and during snow flurries just so I didn’t feel guiltily about not getting my exercise in.
  
• I also went to the YMCA in the pouring rain late at night before they closed when I would have rather stayed tucked up in my warm bed.
  
• I got up early on a Saturday when everybody in my house was temporarily inconvenienced by my absence to attend the 7:00am Challenge meeting and 9:00am Co-Ed Boot Camp…. and I was so happy I did. It was a wonderfully inspiring meeting and kick ass workout. My day couldn’t have started out better even if I had gotten to sleep in!
  
• I found an old Kit Kat from Halloween in my couch and didn’t eat it.
  
• I am able to comfortably wear clothes that were too tight just one week ago!
  My Dad has been going strong for over a week now, even shopping for fresh food he likes and skipping sweets. My Mom is even more considerate to what we’re trying to do, planning the afore mentioned Holiday Dinner menu for us.
  
• I didn’t get any popcorn, nachos, or mixed drinks while attending a concert at the awesome YUM Center.

Day 5 and FINALLY feeling better!

My energy has kicked in. I spent the day preparing meals and I felt hopeful and more importantly full. I can do this, I am doing this. I ask myself 'Why' less and less.

What a damning word, I am learning to ask myself better questions to get better results, thanks to my newfound Tony Robbins training. His books are awesome, I am improving my thought process everyday.

How great it feels to be moving towards a positive goal that moves me closer to what I want in life versus remaining stagnant or even worse back tracking!