Jen vs Snowy Driveway

Yesterday and through last night, we had the biggest winter storm we've had around here in several years. Nothing remarkable, I suppose, but when it hasn't snowed much, even the four-ish inches of snow that fell seems to be a lot. Fortunately, our activities both last night and today were cancelled, leaving us the luxury of spending the day at home.

Doing chores, of course. It is still Saturday, after all.

I assigned the indoor chores to the kids, and I set out to tackle the snowy driveway. It was the perfect plan: I was getting out of cleaning up the kitchen mess, and I would get a break from the incessant sibling bickery that just would not stop this morning. I laced up my snow boots, pulled on my hat, adjusted my sunglasses, and grabbed the snow shovel. Although I was about to embark upon three things I don't really like (cold, snow, and exerting myself), I was ready.

With the first shovel full of snow, I was reminded that before the snow fell, there was freezing rain. A nice, frozen layer of yuck was hiding behind the clean, fluffy snow. My awesome plan of escaping the inside of the house was beginning to seem a bit lackluster.

I persevered, though, reminding myself how many steps my Fitbit would surely record, and also wondered if I could plug "snow shoveling" into my Weight Watchers app for even more Activity Points. After about 30 minutes, I stopped to check my Fitbit, and almost burst into tears right there on the sidewalk when I couldn't read the display. I thought the battery died and all my hard work was for naught. I rushed into the garage and tore off my glove to see if I could revive the Fitbit. Fortunately, between the bright sun, the glare of the snow, and my sunglasses, I just couldn't see the numbers. Everything was there, as it should be. I heaved a sigh of relief and trudged back down the driveway.

All in all, I spent an hour and a half chipping away at ice and removing snow from the driveway. A person has a lot of time to think while executing such a laborious task, and I found myself thinking:

"Why in the hell do we still live in Ohio?!"

"I wonder how my form is. Are the neighbors judging my form?"

"How long does it take for snot-sicles to completely freeze and fall off?"

"I should have the kids out here doing this, but then they would just throw snow everywhere and someone would cry. Probably me."

"I really should buy a snowblower. Then I could charge, like, $10 to clear a driveway. That thing would pay for itself in no time!!"

As stubborn as I am, I had to throw in the towel before all the snow was completely cleared. My arms were shaking, my nose was running, and I was sweating under my layers of fleece. I threw some salt down, said a quick prayer that my back wouldn't go out, and hoped that the work I had done would be enough to get my car out of the driveway tomorrow (and back in, for that matter!).

Next time, unless I follow through on that snowblower plan, I should just pay a neighborhood kid to do the driveway. Then, my arms wouldn't be all shaky and my back wouldn't be screaming in pain. Now, I wonder if I can pay someone to take down the stinking Christmas tree...

Until the next snow fall (which I hear will be Monday, ugh!), I will call this a victory. I got a ton of steps and activity points (well, maybe not a "ton," but a lot), I got some peace and quiet (sort of), and my kids did the dishes. Jen - 1, snowy driveway - 0.

New Year, New Goals

So, this is 2018. It seems fairly similar to what we left behind in 2017, but yeah, it's still pretty early. I won't write it off just yet, so no worries there.

As many of us do, I set some goals for this year but historically I'm not great with following through on resolutions. This year, though, I'm determined to stick to some fairly simple goals.

1. Stop eating like an unsupervised 12 year old
I am a stress eater; I own that 100%. Sometimes, I make really bad food choices (like the chocolate cake and mimosa I had before noon today). Too often, I tell myself that eating junk is ok because I need a release from all the stress and shenanigans I routinely face. But, that has resulted in ridiculous habits that just need to end. So, after seeing a bazillion commercials over Winter Break for Weight Watchers, I decided to sign up again. I've had great success with their plan in the past; it seems that I really need that visual point system to keep myself in check. Plus, apparently Oprah will now be my BFF and bring me tacos! Cool, right? Seriously, though, this is more about just losing weight; it's about feeling better about myself and finding other ways to deal with stress. Wish me luck!

2. Drink more water
If you know me at all, you know how I treasure my coffee. My coffee obsession (perhaps I should just say "caffeine obsession") has also become extreme, and I find that some days I fall terribly short of the recommended daily consumption of water. This year, I'm hoping to fix that. I have a giant two liter water bottle (it's all cute and turquoise!) to help me; again, I need that visual reminder! As an added bonus, this goal should help me with the first item on my list. If you can't find me this year, I'm probably in the bathroom trying not to pee my pants. (Hey, this is a legit concern if I really plan on drinking all this water!!)

3. Be more organized
Blah, blah, blah...isn't this goal on everyone's list? Maybe so. All I know is that too often, I find myself scrambling because I can't find a paper I need, or the kids' lunch cards need reloaded, or no one has clean underwear for the next day. I figure that a little extra planning ahead might remedy some of this. And, again, as an added bonus, more organization should keep me from stuffing my face with junk. (A girl can dream, anyway...)

4. Write more
I enjoy writing, and I'm told that my family has quite a story to share. I often forego my writing time in favor of just about anything else. In 2018, I'm hoping to change that. I also decided in 2017 to write that book that's been on my mind, but since then, I haven't really worked on it (other than drafting an outline and devoting many of my anxious, late night freak outs to it). We'll see what happens.

5. Keep working on kindness
There are always opportunities to be kind, teach kindness, and appreciate kind acts. This is something everyone can strive for, every day. I'll keep trying if you will.

I could probably add more to this list, but I'll stop here. What are you working on in 2018?

Loss

I've posted recently about reigniting my efforts to be more healthy.  The whole "wellness plan" needed some more support, though, so last week I enrolled in Weight Watchers.

I've done WW in the past, with great success.  It's only been when I've let myself get sidetracked that I've fallen off the path and succumbed to my stress eating habits.  I'm tired of that, though, and last week made a decision to try again.

I spent all last week counting points, and figuring out the best choices for filling meals, while carefully allowing points for small snacks or treats.  After just one week, I'm happy to report a loss of just over four pounds!

Now, before you get all worried about such a big loss (1-2 pounds/week is expected), I'm quite certain it can be attributed to the fact that I drank a ton of water (eliminating my afternoon soda and/or Starbucks, except for a couple days, as well as choosing way more fruits and veggies over cupcakes and junk).  It will level off eventually, but until then, I will most certainly enjoy this little ego boost.

Here's the best part: last week, I had pizza for dinner one night, and Chipotle another.  I counted all those points, though, to stay on track, but I was very satisfied after allowing myself those treats.  I've tried other programs where there is little to no wiggle room on meal options, and found myself face first in a box of donuts after days of deprivation.  The WW program obviously clicks with me, so I will stick to that.

I'm hopeful that I will continue making better food choices, manage stress through exercise rather than junk food, and set a better example for the kids.  Wish me luck!

This blog post contains my own thoughts on the Weight Watchers program, for which I was not compensated in any way.