5/13/2011

She Works Hard for the Money...

So hard for it, honey. She works hard for the money so you better treat her right!

And now that that's out of my system...

Wednesday marked the 1-month anniversary of being at my new job! I have to say, it is very challenging and very fulfilling. I definitely made the right choice in accepting that position. Everyone is great. Aside from all that and everything being great, we have been BUSY. So busy that I come home at least a few times a week and crawl straight into bed for a short nap. I's tired.

It's definitely been a transition, going from working at home to working in an office...8-5. It's a job in itself to get out the door and to work on time, but I'm making it work! I like being around people and it's nice to get out of the house.

HOWEVER...I must say that I can't help but feel behind in every other area of my life. I've been trying to do something to keep the house up at least every day, but like I said, I's tired. I'm so thankful to have a husband that keeps up with MORE than his share of the housework. I'm truly blessed, indeed. Also very behind in the blog world--reading and writing. But, as I check my Google Reader for what seems like the first time in weeks, I also notice that some of the blogs I subscribe to have only posted 1 or 2 times in my absence, so I try not to feel too bad. And then I decide I'll take a page out of my friend Jill's book and just subscribe to the belief that good enough is the new perfect. Fine with me!

One thing, however, that I'm happy to report that I'm NOT behind on is my health/fitness/weight-loss goal. I officially kicked Tony Horton out of my sandbox and invited Jillian Michaels over for a visit. And now we are BFF for real. I've been following the meal plan on her website and am on about a 1,250-calorie-a-day plan that was the result of a little quiz on the website. She breaks things down into different oxidizer groups (Slow, Fast, Balanced) and that determines what you eat and the breakdown of carbs, fats, and proteins of each meal. I was surprised to discover I was a Balanced Oxidizer and to find out what all that entailed since I was sure carbs would be banished from my life forever. I haven't really touched pasta or much bread since I started, but I eat a LOT of fruit. Fine with me, though. I'm always satisfied and the meals on this plan are GREAT! Most of them are 5-10 ingredients and take less than 30 minutes to make. We do our best to prepare at least breakfast, lunch, and our snack the night before so there is no guess-work the next day. I've discovered that, left to my own devices, I make horrible food choices. This plan has been great. I work out a couple times a week (JM 30-day Shred), follow this meal plan....and I've lost 8 pounds so far, and 2 inches off my hips! A steady 2-pound-per-week weight loss. Color me a happy camper. I have a ways to go, but I've finally found a program that I love and that works for me, so I'll be sticking with it.

BG is pretty much eating what I eat, not working out, and has lost about 15 pounds so far. What an a-hole.

The garden is going well--still waiting for some things to mature a little more since most everything is being raised from seed. Billy brought home some blackberry plants the other day, so I'm excited to see if those will work out. Blackberries are my faaaaaaaavorite. Some people I know are already harvesting squash and zucchini, but my zucchini plants are not quite there yet, so I'm just trying to be patient.

And finally, not sure if you've heard, but we are having an emergence of the 13-year cicada. A cicada is a gnarly-looking insect...kinda like a grasshopper that doesn't jump, with wings. They come out of the ground every 13 years, mate like crazy, lay eggs, and are LOUD. They are all over the place here and it is GROSS. There were two in our house tonight, which led to my drinking two extra glasses of wine just to calm my frazzled nerves. If they're not dead on our driveway, their shells have been shed and are everywhere, and they are all in the trees. I contemplated relocated myself temporarily for this 6-week period. Why Nashville, why must you do this to me??

Time for bed. I's tired.