Shane Bolks's Blog, page 12

24 Hours of Happy

Hey all, sorry but I’m putting up a bit of a filler blog post! I ended up with pretty major revisions coinciding with my lovely editor headed out on maternity leave in just a couple of weeks so I’m head down and working my tail off to get finished in time.

BUT if you haven’t experienced the glory of 24 of Happy, I encourage you to do it. Because it’s amazing and hey, we could all use a little happy!

http://24hoursofhappiness.com/

(I promise to be more insightful when next I blog!)

Odd (wo)man out

Inevitably it happens. You’re out in a social setting with other women and someone brings up pregnancy or birthing stories. Four years ago this was particularly difficult to me as I was sans children. But even now, after being a mom for nearly three years, it happens, and no matter how wonderful the company and how kind and generous they are, when the discussion turns in this direction, I feel left out. A bit like the weirdo. Yes, adoption is super popular these days and I can speak, which authority, on many aspects of adoption or parenting a child of a different race or dealing with CPS visits, etc. But when it comes to pregnancy and birthing, well, I never got past 12 weeks so I’ve got nothing to share.

I try really hard not to feel strange, but I feel like suddenly there is a giant blinking arrow above my head. ATTENTION: Here sits a woman who has failed at the fundamental purpose of womandome. Okay, that’s a bit exaggerated (not to mention a made up word), but you get my drift. It’s nothing that anyone says or does. I know that no one is trying to leave me out. But it happens.

For me, there was no labor pain, instead I had years of failed fertility treatments, failed adoptions and then bureaucratic hoops to jump through for my girls. For me, I didn’t fail at breast feeding because I never got the chance to try, instead I had a colicky 8-month old who drank the most expensive formula they sell and still didn’t sleep through the night. Instead of sweet-smelling baby soap and the little plastic bathtub, we had a toddler who was terrified of baths so we got a baby pool, put it in the backyard and we’d strip her down, squirt some Johnson’s in and let her swim around.

My experiences at motherhood were different from most women’s, and yeah, I feel it sometimes, but I know that it doesn’t make me less of a mother. It just makes me a different mother. And that’s okay. Despite that longing for the whole pregnancy/birthing experience (that I suspect will never go away), I wouldn’t have built my family in any other way.

So how about you? Ever had one of those things that always makes you feel left out? How have you handled it?

On a much lighter note: I have a new book release that I want to share with y’all. It’s the first in a new Regency-set series, No Ordinary Mistress. It’s only $0.99 so I hope you’ll check it out.

I’m Robyn DeHart, AKA Basket-Case Mama, but not because I’m crazy (though really, what mom isn’t?) but because I have a slight obsession with baskets, well containers really. I’m a bit of an organization nut and I love to containerize stuff. And yes, I’m authorized to use words like that because I am also a writer. But back to the kids, so I’m mom to two ridiculously beautiful little girls and I can say that without bragging because I didn’t actually make them. The Professor and I adopted said little lovelies from the foster-care system here in Texas and now we’re a big happy forever family. Busybee is five and so full of joy it just oozes from her. Babybee is a three and is too smart for her own good.  www.robyndehart.com

Life’s “Anchors” in a Fast Moving World

Why good morning there!

Zeerrrp, hold it right there. Let’s get honest. We can say whatever we want on social media or here on the blog, and throw up whatever “front” we want. “I’m so happy! And exceedingly NORMAL! I’ve got it all TOGETHER!” 

In truth, it might not be such a good morning. It might just be an … okay morning. I do have coffee, so that’s a great start. But back to being honest — things have been uber loco for La Vida Loca Mom lately and you know me, I like order and structure and schedule. All those things are my comfort and my rock. Not to be overly dramatic, but lately, I feel like a lot of my rocks have gone tumbling down the mountainside.

For most of my life, I’ll admit, things have been charmed. No, I’m not wealthy, or a huge NYT bestseller and I don’t have the looks of a super model, but…life has always been really good for me and my family. We’ve been so blessed. And I’ve always felt SOOOOO in control. But I’m in my early 40s, and…things have started to change. For the past two months, there’s been a lot of change. Dear friends and family members have suffered life changing tragedies, and encountered frightening health issues. They say bad news comes in threes? We’re up to the tens at least, with all the associated ripple effects. Mind you, these aren’t MY tragedies or health issues, but you know how it is when those we love are hurting. You hurt too. Those new realities weigh on your mind, and you want to fix or at least help where you can. While all this is going on, it’s become very apparent that my kids are REALLY GROWING UP (cue the dramatic music, heavy on the violins!) and my son is getting a driver’s license and he’s being so independent and…starting to break away. I feel like in a blink, both he and my daughter will be grown up and gone and it’s all just happening too fast. On top of this, there are book deadlines and a full time job and all the other responsibilities that aren’t at all so complicated when life is easy and good. Yesterday I walked outside to see that my neighbors had apparently been foreclosed on, and had abandoned their house in the middle of the night, but not before making a huge destructive mess in their front yard (with a very interesting arrangement of Halloween plastic pumpkins), I guess to thumb their nose at the bank? I don’t want to know what the inside of the house looks like. That stayed in my mind all day. It unnerved me. I know that despite their anger, they must be upset and afraid.

Soooooo….you know, I’m experiencing completely normal stuff. Things that happen to everyone! Life changes. These things are just part of growing up. 

I know you know what I’m talking about, because you’ve been through big life changes too. Haven’t you?

So lately, I’ve been relying more and more on my “anchors” in order to feel like the world is still solid beneath my feet. Anchors are small things, really, that make home feel like home, and make my life feel like it’s still my life. Some of those things are:

1. I grew up eating dinner with the family, and that’s something I’ve continued in mine. Usually we eat on real dishes at the dining room table, but on really busy days, corn dogs on paper plates in the living room (while watching reruns of The Walking Dead) will do! Food is a comfort and brings people together, so even on the craziest of days I might take five minutes to mix up a box of brownies or (haha, remember Maisey’s post a couple of days ago?) throw some ingredients in the bread maker for homemade bread. Or put out olives, hummus and pita chips, if I’m feeling guilty about the brownies and the bread.

2. Good morning and good night kisses. It makes my day feel right to give everyone a hug or a kiss at the start and the end of each day.

3. Pets. We have two dogs, and two cats. They really are therapeutic! No matter what’s going on, they are waiting to say hello and that they love you. I’m having difficulty just getting this post typed up, because I’ve got Tango the Cat wrapped around one of my arms, trying to give me kisses. Aw!

4. Phone calls and texts to family members. These have really gone into overdrive lately. To my consternation, my Dad will never, ever get a cell phone, which makes him a man of mystery at times, and I think he likes this.

5. All I have to do, in order to feel lucky and blessed, is watch or read the daily news. After I see what’s going on in the world, I really have nothing to complain about.

6. My faith. Not to preach, but having a spiritual life really does help me keep things in a healthy perspective, and to find the wealth of blessings in every day life.

Just typing out that list had a calming effect! Despite everything that’s happened lately, I do have to say, life is good. It’s just changing.

So tell me, what are some of your “anchors” that you rely on to keep you grounded in changing times?

  

Delayed Gratification

Delayed gratification, aka deferred gratification. Somehow neither term sounds very fun to me. And probably to a lot of other folks in this instant access, info and connections at your fingertips world we live in, the word doesn’t sound too positive either.

Have you heard of it before? If not, let me fill you in briefly. Delayed/deferred gratification is having the ability to resist an immediate reward because you know you’ll get one (maybe even an bigger one) later down the road.

Here’s the wiki definition, which I found quite enlightening—and led to a bit of self-evaluation on my part.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_gratification

Whether you’ve heard the exact term before or not, it’s a concept that you’re probably familiar with. As parents, we might be interested in the studies that prove the higher success rates of kids and adults who have mastered the skill of delayed gratification. Check out this article I found interesting: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201207/the-power-delaying-gratification

I like that the author mentions a term I’ve used when talking about raising kids and in reference to myself: impulse control.

Sure, we’ve probably all talked with our kids about it in a general way. As in, “No, sweetie, you can’t have dessert now. You need to finish your dinner first.” Or, “I’m sure you want that toy today, but maybe you should put it on your Santa list, instead.”

But when I read the study referenced below, I took a mental step back. Had one of those “Ah-ha” moments that validated the meaning behind the saying: patience is a virtue. Something I’ve said to my girls probably far more often than they’d like.

As an individual, the self-evaluation I did after reading the wiki definition, and again after reading the study information, made me realize that even as an adult, I still struggle with delayed gratification from time to time. It’s not easy. Whether it’s the dessert I don’t need, not because it’ll ruin my dinner but because my jeans are already a little tight. Or, when I find that dress or pair of shoes I’ve just got to have, even though I’m trying to save for a writer’s conference or a family vacation.

What I loved about the article on the study is that it offers tips on how to improve your delayed gratification skills. Much like I try to do as a mom, or when I critique a fellow writer’s work, rather than simply point out how something is wrong or problematic, this article shared ideas for how I as an individual can work on improving in this area. Tips that, as a parent and as a college administrator, I can share with those around me, especially those I mentor.

The tip or trick the article offers? Distraction.

Again, it’s something I did with my kids when they were younger. When they wanted something they couldn’t, I pulled toy or snack from the diaper bag to switch their attention. But somehow, I got distracted by life and this simple trick often seemed to get lost in the shuffle. That’s when I tend to show my lack of delayed gratification skills.





So, I’ve discovered another area of my life where I can improve. Another area I can provide some insight to my kids and students.

When I want to snack on something I really shouldn’t, I’ll be practicing ways to distract myself—maybe go for a walk, or pop in an exercise video. All in the name of improving my delayed gratification skills. And at the same time, continuing with one of my new year resolutions: get healthier; lose fat, gain muscle. I’ll delay eating that cookie, trying to remind myself that a much bigger reward is feeling good about myself and being healthier all around—and fitting into that little black dress again.

It’ll be a way for me to model what I’m espousing to others. Sure, I won’t always be a perfect example of delayed gratification mastery. I know myself too well to say that. But, I’ll be working at it. And just like I tell my kids, your best effort is all anyone can ask for.



Do you have an area or an issue that requires better delayed gratification skills on your part? If so, what’s a good distraction for you to use?

I’m all for sharing distraction ideas. Let’s see what you’ve got! 

The Can’t Win Feeling

I know we’ve talked a lot on this blog about ‘mom guilt’ and its fire breathing bad feelings of doom, but it’s something I always find myself coming back to. Why? Because it’s something I haven’t conquered. Likely, it’s something I’ll never conquer. Every so often and I have to reboot. Every so often I have to change my mindset – either to remind myself that I’m doing okay, or to remind myself to put down the iphone and eat dinner with my family.

Balance isn’t my strong point. And I know that. But back to guilt.

Mom guilt is a many-headed hydra, and just when you think you’ve defeated it, another, uglier head grows in its place.

This is the first year we’ve had two kids in school all day. Which has been wonderful on the one hand, but on the other hand, I’m struggling with a feeling of there never being enough hours in the day. School, after school stuff, homework and bed. And with all that, I just went on a big trip to England. And that’s only my first business trip of 2014.

There are four more. One that was just added unexpectedly, but it’s an amazing opportunity and I didn’t want to turn it down.

But with all that is this sort of underlying feeling that I’m never doing enough. That I can’t possibly do enough. (Hey, workout lady with the flat abs on Facebook who wants to know what my excuse is? I’ll send you a list. The file might be too large for your inbox though.)

I can’t do enough with my kids, or my husband, or my parents. I can’t workout and have a job, and watch what I eat and have a clean house, and have a social life, and make crafts and volunteer at school. Maybe some people can, but I can’t. Something has to give, but even with that, even maxing out the list, I sometimes feel deep anxiety over the things I’m not doing.

Someone once said to me that one of the biggest lies we’ve been told is that we can have it ALL. I found that really interesting. Because there is certainly an idea that we can. That we can one day find a magic balancing point where were have home-cooked meals, and abs. Where we can have successful careers, and happy children, and be a sex goddess for our husband’s, be a constant companion to our friends.

And that would be nice. But I’m not sure it’s realistic, and I’m not sure it’s self-friendly, and I’m sure it lends to the idea that we’re not ENOUGH because we haven’t managed to be all those things. At least not all in the same day!

Social media can really exacerbate the feeling. When a Facebook friend posts links to blogs preaching about organized lifestyles, organic, from scratch cooking, ‘upcycled’ furniture and the unmitigated joy of motherhood, when she posts pictures of her clean house and homemade bread, we might think SHE HAS REACHED THE SUMMIT. She is complete. She is all the things I am not. But social media only provides a snapshot, and a carefully chosen one at that. I sincerely doubt that even lifestyle bloggers are as together as they appear.

Heck, I blog. I’m not together.

I’m just trying my best. As are well.

Like I said, sometimes I need a reboot. Sometimes I need to reevaluate the way I’m spending my time. And sometimes I need to chill out and just let myself breathe. And say: I did enough today.

And so did you.

Misadventures in potty training

the girls being silly

So my oldest daughter, Busybee, who is now 5 totally spoiled me with her potty training. We had like 2 frustrating days and them, bam! she was trained and has only had like 3 accidents since and that’s in 2.5 years! I even recognized it at the time, that she was training fairly easy so I didn’t even bother to get cocky, especially since Babybee, who is now 3.5 has not been easy with really anything. Giving up the pacifier was a challenge. Giving up the bottle was a trial. Everything with her has been, well, not easy.

Sometimes this past summer at her 3-yr well check, the pediatrician told us not to stress over the potty training. She’ll do it when she’s ready, she told us. Right. I’ve heard lots of people say that. But here we are several months later and frankly we really haven’t made much progress. I suppose the frustrating thing is that Babybee is wicked smart and knows HOW to do it. She can even change her own pull-up. She simply doesn’t want to. And I’ve tried everything, bribery, letting her wear panties (she peed on the floor, intentionally), trying to negotiate, not changing her immediately so she can feel the discomfort…nothing has worked.

what happened to my little baby?

This past week, so announced to me that she would be potty trained in 5 weeks. That day, she told her teachers at Mother’s Day out the very same thing and proceeded to use the potty at school all day long. I thought we’d made a huge break-through. I figured, she finally decided she was ready. The next day though she was back to her own tricks. I’d tell her, it’s time to go sit on the potty. And she’d run away.

I’m not really asking for advice, though if you have a fail-proof solution, I’m all ears, I just really wanted to vent my frustrations. She’s so clean, loves to wash her hands, I just can’t imagine why she’s okay with walking around in a wet pull-up. She’s fiercely independent and stubborn so I know there’s no making her do it, she’ll do it when she’s ready. But mommy is ready right now. I long for the day when I no longer have the monthly expense of pull-ups.

Okay, vent over. So did you have a particularly difficult child? Share some challenges soI know I’m not alone. 

I’m Robyn DeHart, AKA Basket-Case Mama, but not because I’m crazy (though really, what mom isn’t?) but because I have a slight obsession with baskets, well containers really. I’m a bit of an organization nut and I love to containerize stuff. And yes, I’m authorized to use words like that because I am also a writer. But back to the kids, so I’m mom to two ridiculously beautiful little girls and I can say that without bragging because I didn’t actually make them. The Professor and I adopted said little lovelies from the foster-care system here in Texas and now we’re a big happy forever family. Busybee is five and so full of joy it just oozes from her. Babybee is a three and is too smart for her own good.  www.robyndehart.com

Getting Real about the Food We Eat

How’s that for a loaded title? We could talk all month about that, covering a whole host of topics–Organic,  GMO, Contaminants, Portion size, Etc. And maybe we should. But right now I want to talk about a couple of current news stories.

Last week the Food and Drug Administration announced a potential redesign of nutrition labels, featuring, among other things, calorie counts in larger text and adjusting portion size to more accurately reflect what one might actually eat.

At the same time, Canadian officials are considering requiring chain restaurants in Toronto to put nutrition information (mainly calorie and fat grams) on the menus.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been following these stories, utterly fascinated by the you-know-what storm erupting on social media. Fat shaming, some are saying. More evidence of the government wanting to control every aspect of our lives. The nanny state trying to take over. A waste of time and money. And…anyone who cares already knows this information.

And I’m like…wow. This is not a political issue. This is a health issue, and I want to know. I want to know what I’m buying, what I’m eating—what I’m feeding my family. And maybe some of the information is already there on the labels, but any effort to make the information easier to read and understand,  more accurate/realistic, I see as a really, really positive step. Information. How else can we make intelligent choices?

It’s no secret obesity is a significant problem in this country, and the food choices we make are a contributing factor. And I firmly, deeply,  passionately believe that a lot of people want to make good choices, but they have absolutely no idea what they’re putting into their body.

A few years ago I was in New York for a writer’s conference, and my agent took us out to eat at a fantastic, ritzy restaurant. Among the possible “side dishes” was lobster macaroni and cheese.  Now, of course, anything in the mac and cheese family is not going to be a low cal/low fat option. Most of us know that. But there are many, many shades of bad, and fortunately New York City has already passed the law Toronto is considering, and chain restaurants must put nutrition information on the menus. That lobster macaroni and cheese? You know the “side dish?”  Yeah. 1560 calories and 65 fat grams.

Let me say that again. 1560 calories and 65 fat grams.

I almost fell out of my chair. That’s close to an entire day’s worth of calories, and it exceeds a healthy fat intake. All in one side dish. And you know what? I might have ordered it. I might have ordered that, had the menu not been required to disclose that information. Because never in my wildest imagination had I considered it would be that bad. (Incidentally, we ended up ordering one side of the lobster mac and cheese for the whole table, and we each ate one bite.)

That’s one example. Everywhere you look you can find others. Recently I discovered the truth about lemonade, and again, I was horrified. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered lemonade as a “healthy alternative” to soda. But recently I discovered that Minute Maid lemonade is nothing more than glorified  sugar water with a tad bit of lemon flavoring.

Photo Credit: http://www.nutritionnews.com/conditions/conditions-diabetes/sugar-shock-9-drinks-worse-than-a-candy-bar/

I was crushed…and really, really annoyed. That 20 ounce bottle that I have routinely thrown back without a second thought has almost as much sugar as three –THREE!- chocolate bars. OMG.

And salads. How many people go to a restaurant and order a salad, thinking it’s a healthy choice, when what they’d really like is a burger or steak? I’m pretty sure they’d be shocked to discover that many, many so-called healthy restaurant salads are nutrition landmines. Consider this:

Wendy’s BLT Cobb Salad with Croutons and Avocado Ranch Dressing

740 calories 
50 grams fat (15.5 grams saturated) 
2,140 milligrams sodium

       Calorie equivalent: 2 Wendy’s Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers (700 calories)

Quiznos’ Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad (with bread)

920 calories 
66.5 grams fat (20.5 grams saturated, 0 grams trans fat) 
2,090 milligrams sodium

       Calorie equivalent: Three White Castle Bacon Cheeseburgers with 3-piece Chicken Rings (860 calories)

Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

1,310 calories 
93 grams fat (15 grams saturated, 2.5 grams trans fats) 
1,470 milligrams sodium

       Calorie equivalent: Almost as much as a McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Medium Fries and Medium Coke (1,330           calories)

California Pizza Kitchen’s Waldorf Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

1,570 calories 
30 g saturated fat 
2,082 mg sodium 



       Calorie equivalent: Wendy’s 1/2-Pound Double with Cheese, Medium Fries and Medium Chocolate Frosty (1,570 calories)

T.G.I. Friday’s Santa Fe Chopped Salad

1,800 calories

      Calorie equivalent: Burger King Double Whopper, Medium Fries and Small Chocolate Shake (1,800 calories)

How sad is that? How horrible?

I could go on, and on, and on. And I probably should have put a disclaimer at the beginning, that this is more of a rant than a blog. But nutrition is something I’m incredibly passionate about. And I’m convinced that so many people are being misled, lulled or lured or outright tricked into consuming food that is doing significant damage to their bodies. Ignorance is not bliss. Its dangerous.

So yes, to the Food and Drug Administration,-and yes to Canada. And PLEASE to other states out there. Please give us more information. Please require nutrition information to be placed on menus.  Please make food labels easier to read, more informative, and more accurate—no one eats ½ cup of ice cream, and that can of chili is not going to feed four people. What we need are facts—real facts—so that we can make informed choices.  It’s not fat shaming. It’s not political, the government trying to take away personal liberties. It’s smart. And honest.

Couldn’t we all use a little (or a lot?) more of both?

The Joys of Affection

I remember being pregnant and sitting in the rocking chair in what would be my daughter’s room and imagining rocking her, snuggling with her, holding her. I even ordered her a onesie with the words “Snuggle Bunny” because I was so looking forward to lavishing affection on her. I didn’t know a lot about babies. I didn’t know how to swaddle them, for example, or how to deal with reflux, but I had been around babies. I knew they liked to be held and cuddled. I had held and cuddled any number of them.

Imagine my surprise then when my daughter did not want to be held or cuddled. It seems strange that a baby would not want to be held, but she definitely pushed away from me more than she ever leaned into me. She seemed to grudgingly accept that she had to be held, though she wanted out of my arms whenever she was awake. Sleeping was a different story. I remember being somewhere kid-friendly with her when she was about 6 months old and trying to register for a class or pay for something. My daughter was trying so hard to escape my arms that the receptionist suggested I put her down so she could crawl. I was like, “She can’t crawl yet!”

14 months: Notice how she tolerates me holding her. She doesn’t put her arms or legs around me or lean close.

It was a mystery to me why she wanted to get away. I mean, what could she do once she escaped? Nothing. For a while I thought I was doing something wrong, and then I just accepted that was her personality.

Fast forward four years and imagine my surprise—again!—when my independent, no-hugs, no-kisses child all of a sudden started wrapping her arms around me for fierce hugs, butterfly kisses, and hours of snuggling on my lap. All of a sudden, I have my snuggle bunny!

Just yesterday morning, when I dropped her at Sunday school, she paused before going in and said, “Hug! Kiss!” I gave her a big hug and she gave me a kiss on the cheek and I gave her one on the forehead. Then she whispered, “I love you, Mom.”

4 years: Loves to give hugs now.

Were sweeter words ever spoken? They certainly melted my heart. It makes me wonder, is affection something that’s learned or is it innate? I feel like my child leaned it. She certainly didn’t seem to possess the capacity for it the first three years of her life. What about love? Is that something we learn to feel or are we born loving our parents and close family members? I’m a romance writer, so I think about love just about every day of my life. My characters fall in love. They’re helpless to avoid it because of the strong connection they have with each other. Is that what happened with my daughter and me? Was she destined to fall in love with me or did she love me all along? I loved her from the very beginning, but did I really love her or was I just conditioned to love her because that was the role society gave me as a mother?



Whatever the answers, this phase of my daughter’s life is sweet and to be cherished. I know all too soon, she’ll be too big to hug her mom in public.

Shana Galen, Multitasker Mama

I’m Shana Galen, AKA Multitasker Mama (and aren’t we all?). I’m a wife, mom to a four-year-old daughter I call Baby Galen. My parenting motto is, “Keep moving. Don’t pass out. Don’t throw up.” Or maybe that’s my fitness motto? http://www.shanagalen.com

 

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Traveling With Parents – Or What Are You Waiting For?

We’ve done some posts on traveling with kids here on PBK, because traveling with kids is very often our reality. This past week, I was traveling with my mother!

Fortunately, my mom and I get along very well, we always have. So in terms of drama, we don’t have to worry about that.

As many of you know, the past year for my mom was spent recovering from surgery and chemo. I’m happy to report she’s very healthy, and her recent checks have been ALL CLEAR. Unfortunately, I think it sometimes takes a scare for us to mobilize and ask ourselves what the heck we’re waiting for.

Well, that’s what happened to me. I’d been wanting to go to the UK (the Harlequin editorial office I work with is based there, (in fact, there I am in the picture feeling fancy in said office!) and of course, London is a dream destination) and everything we’ve been through over the past year inspired me to want to bring my mother, who had never been to Europe either.

So we went! We met up with some friends of my mom’s who flew in from Texas, and for the past week, we took London and Paris by storm.

It was an amazing trip. A trip of a lifetime. I’m glad we jumped in with both feet and decided to go for it. (Even if that did put us in London in February which…well, you know, it’s not exactly the place to go and catch sun.)

I guess the question is…what are we waiting for? Not just to take trips or anything (because I understand that’s not necessarily possible for everyone, so I’m not advocating accruing mass credit card debt or selling your car or anything…unless you want to.), but to do the things in life we want to do. To follow a dream. To work less. To travel more. To stay home more. Don’t wait for health scares. Figure out what it is you want to do…and find a way to do it.

I know we’re glad we did.

 

The Big 4-0

vision page in my health planner

So it’s almost March which means we’re getting pretty close to May which is when I become an official adult. I realize I’ve technically been an adult for years, but 40 just seems adult in a big way.

Needless to say when January hit and I recognized this was the big year I decided it was time to make some significant changed. I’ve put us on a budget, it’s time to pay off some debt. I’ve been working pretty diligently at my health – trying to eat right and exercise. I get it right some, but I’m still a work in progress.

I’m trying to simplify our lives to some extent – putting the girls on a toy rotation (for another blog), cleaning out closets and getting rid of a ton of stuff. In other words, I’m trying to take control and be responsible and all that adult-like behavior.

How about you? Have you ever made any big changes before a significant birthday? 

I’m Robyn DeHart, AKA Basket-Case Mama, but not because I’m crazy (though really, what mom isn’t?) but because I have a slight obsession with baskets, well containers really. I’m a bit of an organization nut and I love to containerize stuff. And yes, I’m authorized to use words like that because I am also a writer. But back to the kids, so I’m mom to two ridiculously beautiful little girls and I can say that without bragging because I didn’t actually make them. The Professor and I adopted said little lovelies from the foster-care system here in Texas and now we’re a big happy forever family. Busybee is five and so full of joy it just oozes from her. Babybee is a three and is too smart for her own good.  www.robyndehart.com