Balancing Act

I've been trying to find a happy medium between working and being with my kids. Struggling to make ends meet on just 1 income isn't something our family can afford right now, so I've been working part time for the past few years to fill in the gaps.

I'm at a point where I strongly dislike my current job and am starting to contemplate what's most important right now. Obviously family is #1 on that list, but I also need to balance my own personal happiness while making sure we can provide for our family.

Choosing to work outside of the home VS needing to work outside of the home. Right now I need to and I don't want to take on a job where I'm miserable. Because it's not worth it.

Trying to find balance when I feel most unbalanced right now.

Paleo - Day One

Yesterday I started eating the Paleo way. Mostly I'm just eliminating processed carbs, grains & dairy (except for eggs). So far it's been a good transition. Here's what my day looked like yesterday:

Breakfast:

• 2 scrambled eggs
• black coffee with honey

Lunch:

• 1/2 steak
• salad (kale, chard, romaine, spinach) with olive oil & seasoning & avocado - I was out of balsamic vinegar which I didn't realize until after I had made the salad.
• 1 apple with sunflower seed butter
• pumpkin seeds

Snack:

• almonds & pumpkin seeds

Dinner:

• 1 apple with sunflower seed butter

I worked last night from 4pm - 9pm so I didn't get home from work until 9:20. By then I knew I wasn't going to make an official dinner, and I actually wasn't all that hungry either so that's why I opted for the apple & sunbutter. I do also realize that I need to incorporate more vegetables ... I'm working on it.

I'm pretty excited about this way of eating because I don't have to measure food or count calories. I just eliminate the processed carbs & grains & dairy and continue to eat lean meats & fish. I haven't felt deprived and hungry like I felt before when I was on a traditional diet.

Although you're not supposed to weigh yourself daily, based on my morning weight yesterday & my morning weight today, I've lost 2.5 pounds. But being female with shifting water weight I know that the scale fluctuates a lot during the day so I'm not overly convinced it was due to one day of eliminating processed foods. Who knows.

And while I might not follow the Paleo diet 100%, I do feel better about eliminating the processed sugars & carbs & grains.

Chocolate Wine

What a winning combination.

Back in Action

I just noticed my last post was over 1 year ago. Occasionally I've thought about blogging, I just haven't made time for it.

But recently, I was reminded that I should focus more on writing because (some) people seem to enjoy reading what I write. So, there you go ... I'm going to try to keep up with this.

Needless to say a lot has happened in the year that I haven't blogged. Here's a quick synopsis:
1. We moved to a bigger house (finally!)
2. I switched jobs, still part time but now with a schedule that is more compatible with being home with my kids.
3. Brandt started kindergarten!
4. Lillian turned 3 and had a painting party at our new house.
5. We went to Disneyland
6. I spent my first night away from my kids. Ever. That's a momentous milestone for sure. Sad & pathetic, but momentous none the less.

I will make a conscious effort to keep up. And if people enjoy reading, thank you. I do appreciate that :)

Monday

Monday is my new favorite day of the week.  Both Brandt and Lillian go to school on Mondays so I get almost 4 whole hours to myself.  By. My. Self.

Alone.

Last week I used that time to clean out their rooms and donate some toys & items that had definitely seen better days.  I also tried to remove clutter from the rest of the house and tidy it up a bit.  Although you'd never know since the "clean" lasts until 5 minutes after the kids get home.

We are most likely putting our house (back) on the market to try to once & for all to sell it.  This time it will be a short sale, though.  We've mostly given in to this idea and are ready to move on.  The house is too small and too expensive for our needs.  We're not as upside down as a lot of people but it's still enough to get the heck out.  All the stress and worry and frustration and fear ... I'm ready to let go of it.

Moving forward.  Starting fresh.