First
A happy Mother's Day to everyone! Whether you are the mother of two legged creatures, or four. Or if you are an aunt who loves like a mother. Or a teacher. Or a friend. Whether you fall into any of those categories, or many. Mother's day is a time to celebrate you all! I believe it is coded into human genetics to love and protect and care for other humans, especially the youngest of our collective tribe.Whether by choice or circumstance we have no children of our own, we have the capacity to love and care deeply, and hopefully we all have been cared for by at least one of the ranks among us. So, today is a day to celebrate all of them, especially our mothers.
We celebrated my mom yesterday, with her favorite--Mexican take out! :) (The proverbial apple does not fall. . . .) She loves nothing more than to have us all gathered in the house. Sadly, my 2nd sister could not be there (name left out to protect her privacy), she and her husband did surprise Mom last weekend with a visit, and we were all gathered then. Mom, if true mom-style, deflected the attention from herself and gave me a Mother's Day card, thanking me for being her daughter. As if I had a choice! :) It makes me happy to know that I have made her happy! Love you mom! (You got a shout out in my blog! Hahaha.)
Second
This past week was Teacher Appreciation week. And appreciated we felt--although for SC teachers, it was PASS testing. From cards, and special treats, announcements and duty-free lunch/outside duty, our administrations, assistants, and secretaries at White Knoll Middle School made the teachers feel appreciated. I typically do, anyway, but the extras were nice, too. What meant the most, however, were the students that made a special effort to say thank you, even if I they weren't in my class this semester. The parents that sent emails thanking me for what I do. The ones that wrote notes on the bottoms of interims, and permission slips. And the very special students that emailed or texted happy Mother's Day today. Those sweet, special students that have forever left their marks on me.
It was also a wonderful opportunity for me to tell those teachers from Elementary school through Grad school how much they meant to me. And hearing back from some of them was really special. And those correspondences are filed away, both literally and figuratively, for when I need some inspiration and encouragement.
Third
My weight loss journey continues. I am fairly certain that most of you that read this blog are my friend on Facebook, but just in case there are some that are not, I'll post a before and current picture. (It's not after yet, because I have a long way to go.) I feel so good and healthy! I took an extended break this week--almost an entire week--in the hopes of confusing my metabolism in a way and speeding up some more weight loss. If it doesn't work, oh well. It's an experiment. I have utmost faith in the integrity of the Xyngular products. They do what they purport to. So, I'm starting a new 8 day cycle tomorrow. Ready to get back to clean, healthy eating. And ready to teach myself that days off doesn't necessarily mean "bad" eating, but still clean eating with just a little more calories and a splurge or two here and there. Even though I was not actively losing weight this week (Not really gaining, either), Mom greeted me this weekend with, "You've lost more since last weekend!" While scale-wise I haven't, I am still re-shaping and toning, etc. My new-sized clothes are staring to feel loose already. I can see more definition on my arms. And I'm doing some research on targeted toning on thighs, stomach, etc. I don't have to, in order to continue losing weight, but I feel I need to get working on an exercise program, of sorts. There's a group on Facebook, doing a workout challenge. But there is one exercise--a burpee--that I just cannot do. I'm still going to give it a try to see if I can get a hang of it. Or I'll think of a way to replace it--mountain climbers, maybe. We'll see. It will just be fun to do this challenge with others for support, encouragement, etc. We'll see. I'm not going to stress about it, though. I'll do what I can to find what works best for me.
I was astounded that no caught the mistake on the dates. (Either that, or they didn't want me to freak out if they told me. Hahaha.) Rest assured that the 3rd row should be on 5-08-13! On this collage, I can finally see the resuls without having to scrutinized each little millimeter. )We're always hardest on ourselves, aren't we?
Fourth
I had a conversation with someone recently that is a wonderful friend and reads my blog regularly. He was worried or hurt by something I had because he thought I was referring to him. (I wasn't. Now I am, though. Hahaha.) I hope want all my friends and loved to know that these posts are not not a way to passive-aggressively air any grievances or dirty laundry. Hahaha. That's what Facebook is for. Just kidding!! I'm just chronicling my journey--all of them: weight loss, spiritual, personal growth, etc. I never want anyone to feel "called out" in my posts. I try to use as few names as possible to honor privacy. I use this to entertain and communicate and hopefully inspire those of you that follow, or some that stumble upon it. I use it as a way to process what is happening in the world around me. A means of self-therapy, you may say. So, I sometimes prattle on and on as I work things out, and you may stop reading. Some subjects involve some of my readers, and I encourage you to leave comments, if you'd like. And finally, I also encourage anyone to contact me if you feel like I misspeak, misrepresent anything, or flat out hurt your feelings.
Finally
I do enjoy writing these posts. It keeps me writing, when otherwise I may not take the time. Knowing I have a bit of an audience helps as well. It helps me be a better writer, even though I don't always prove it. There are some posts that I do feel are quality work, however. Not all. We all have our off days, right? And in the spirit of appreciation--I do appreciate those of you that read faithfully. It makes me smile. As I regain my focus on my journey to wellness, I hope that if you know someone that this blog may help, please share the website. I found a meme on Facebook this weekend that I'd like to keep as a personal mantra. It explains why I'm doing all of this:
I love this. I believe I was put here to help others: children, adults, friends, and strangers. Whether that is physical help or through inspiration, I take my mission to heart. I hope I can give each one of you that reads this something, too. Even if it's just a laugh once in a while.
Have wonderful week, friends! And for the teachers out there--it won't be long now! :)
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