Wednesday 26 February 2014

The Winter Blahs

     So, who's tired of winter?! It seems like this one has drug on forever!!! It is really taking it's toll on my mood, which in turn effects the whole family. Judging by the stack of snow that is still blanketing my front yard, it is time to pull up my big girl panties and face the winter blues head on.
     First and foremost I am going to pay attention to what I am eating. Junk food= junk mood. I have been pretty good at eating clean since our return from vacation, but I've not been perfect. Now no one loves a perfectionist so I'm not going to beat myself up if I slip up. After all, being nice to myself is the first step in being nice to other people.
     I've made a conscious effort to get some exercise this week as well. Granted, since I am training for a fight, exercise is kind of part of my normal routine. I decided to kick it up a notch this week. I have also attacked the clutter that has accumulated around the house with a vengeance. Sadly, I had a colossal melt down because my family wasn't jumping on the clean freak wagon... winter 1- Melanie 0.
     I feel like it takes every once of my will power some days just to get out of my PJs. I am not a cold weather gal. I do not embrace the lovely snow. I have freezing cold hands and feet. I live in Canada and I hate winter. I admit it. Winter is a formidable enemy whom I have yet to conquer.
     If the white, frozen nastiness doesn't stop soon I may lose my mind. I know that it isn't quite March yet, but please, please let's have some warm weather. Hey, I'd even take 1-2 degrees above 0 at this point. And windchill? Let's make windchill a distant memory or my family may not make it out of this winter with all their body parts intact.
     I like to set a good example for my kids, but I am HORRIBLE when it comes to winter. I think they're looking forward to spring more than I am just to get nice mommy back again. Another day, another snow flake.... Let's beat the winter blahs!

 
You can't go play in the snow when the snow is over your head!

Oh look, it's the BBQ! I'm glad the deck didn't fall off...

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Be Careful What You Say

    How often do we say things without a thought? I know I am guilty of speaking my mind without a filter sometimes. I have a really bad habit of negative self talk... Anyone with me on that?! It is such an ingrained habit that I am ashamed to admit it happens far too often.
   Part of the New Year, New Me is about mental health, not just this physical. It is so much easier to work on the outside and push the mental health to the back burner. I had a BIG wake up call the other day. It's time to focus on emotional health.
   We had only been back from vacation for a couple of days, and we were all still getting used to being back in our "normal" routine. Akira was having a tough day and ended up in big time melt down mode. She went off to her room like a screaming banshee while the dog and her brothers ran for cover. I let her carry on for a bit and when I thought she was starting to gain a bit of control, I went to talk.
     I opened the door to find a heap of 6 year old little girl in a tear stained, puffy-eyed mess. I sat down on the floor with her and asked her what was going on. What she said next was like a punch in the gut. She proceeded to say something about herself that was a direct quote of what I have said about myself when I'm in melt-down mode. Ouch! It broke my heart to see my little girl hiccuping and wiping her runny nose on her sleeve knowing that I had passed on this self-laothing type of thinking. Definitely not the legacy I want to leave.
    Akira and I snuggled there on her floor for a little while and talked about all the good things we see in each other. We were able to talk about the difference between "being a bad girl" and having bad behaviour. In the end, she felt comforted and reassured and I felt determined to turn my own thinking around. I don't want to be a negative impact like that!
   What I learned from that moment? My kids are always listening, even when I think they aren't. I need to speak positive thoughts about myself in front of them. Your words define you, so be careful what you say. It's like the post I've seen floating around facebook recently about the broken plate. You can apologize to the broken plate, but it is still broken. It's my job as  a parent to teach these little people how to make it and how to be okay. I'm looking forward to learning to speak good things and not the bad!

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Eating Clean

     I have started this year with the goal to change my family's eating habits and my own mental fitness. We have been doing fairly well, but I didn't realize just how much of an impact our healthy eating had until we went away. I am an American by birth, and my parents still live there. So, on our recent vacation we went to Baltimore to visit them.
     I had full intentions to continue to eat clean while we were away. Unfortunately that only lasted for a few days. Slowly but surely eating out and childhood treats began to take over my carefully laid plans of keeping it clean. For those of you who know me, I am kind of an all or nothing gal. Once I started down the slippery slope of poor eating, I just jumped right into the mountain of mounds bars.... and cheez-its. Man oh man, they tasted so good at the time, but I began to feel kind of gross and grouchy! 
     I am a firm believer in doing my best to be a non-hypocritcal parent and to lead by example. For instance, how can I tell my kids not to spend so much time on "electronic play" if I have my face buried in my i-phone? I feel the same way about eating. How can I say "hey kids, you can have an apple for a snack" while I stuff my face with cheez-its and chocolate? 
    By the last few days of our visit, we were all feeling the effects of how we were eating. Isaac in particular was way off his game. Isaac has ADHD and is on medication (that will be another post all together, our journey with ADHD). He was alternating between wild and unable to slow down, to major melt-downs and outbursts of anger. I didn't even clue in (duh) as to how our eating habits could be playing a part in all the drama.
    The car ride home was interesting to say the least. To quote Forest Gump, "That's about all I have to say about that". Trying to make good time +3 kids + a dog+ and unorganized mom = quickie snack like "meals" full of processed junk. Not a good combination.
      When we finally returned home, I cleaned out the fridge and headed to the grocery store. I was in such a mood by that time I remember threatening to not come home from the store! But alas, I did return with the determination to get us all back on track again. I enjoyed all the tasty treats while we were away, but I did not enjoy the way they made me feel and the way they sent the kids on a tailspin.
      We've only been back a couple of days and I can already see everyone coming down from their processed high. I am less emotional, the kids are sleeping better and less prone to melt-downs. It's really nice! I've always been skeptical about clean eating and mood. Now I am a firm believer! It really is true about how you fuel your body. Keep the engine clean!!