Vacation... finally!

Besides the occasional weekend getaway, my last actual vacation was in March of 2010 when my parents took me and the kids to Disney World.  John and I are thrilled to have a vacation planned!  My parents are going to join us in August as we head up for a week of relaxation and fun on the lake.  Plus I'm looking forward to spending time with family.  I haven't been up to my grandparents' in nine years.  I miss the tranquility that the small town provides and want the kids to experience it.  I hope they have a great time and have fond memories to cherish like I did growing up vacationing at Platte Lake.

We are very excited about the cottage we were able to book.  In order to avoid a week of restaurant dining and driving around, we are looking forward to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at "home."  The waterfront deck has a gas grill and picnic table that will come in handy.  

Living Room

Front view of the cottage.  Zack is most excited about being able to fish, so being this close to the water will be great for keeping him nearby.

Considering this is the first vacation John and I have been able to take together, same for all four kids, I pray that the week amounts to everything I wish it to be.  Watch out Curtis; here we come!

Fifty Shades of Gre...at Reading

After all the media hype surrounding the Fifth Shades series, I decided it was time to purchase the first book and dive in. I was immediately hooked! Lol After finishing the first book in paperback, I'm currently reading the second one on my iPad. I'm simply addicted.

Health and Fitness Challenge

Standing at 5' 4" and 130 pounds, I wouldn't consider myself to be overweight per se, however, I most definitely consider my eating habits to be unhealthy and my body to be unfit. Finding the right balance has proved to be difficult as a divorced mother living in two homes 80 miles apart. Regardless, it's time to focus on myself and vow to become healthy and fit!

Challenge #1 is changing my breakfast habits. I don't traditionally like eating first thing in the morning and, more than anything else, don't want to get up any earlier than I have to. I have tried taking breakfast items to works; things like bagels, yogurt and Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. The main problem, however, is that I begin my workday at 9am and tend to wait until around 10am or so before actually eating anything; which doesn't appear to be helping my metabolism. I've been trying to make a conscious effort to eat breakfast before leaving for work. It's not easy though!

Challenge #2 is avoiding fast food. That is a pitfall both for lunch and dinner. With my time divided between two homes in two cities, I find it difficult to plan meals accordingly. It's even harder right now with the kids' demanding baseball schedules (luckily I'll be down to one out of four after tomorrow). Thankfully my mother didn't want to fall into a habit of eating fast food every night throughout the season and has been packing healthy dinners.

Challenge #3 is exercising. I believe this will prove to be the hardest challenge of them all. When I was going through my divorce, exercising was therapeutic; I also had a free athletic club membership from the apartment I lived at. Now that I've bought a house and eliminated the perk, I have stopped working out at all. Now, more than ever, I realize that I'm not getting any younger and it's my choice to do something about how I feel.