Stolen Post

I saw this chart on Pinterest a while back, and am officially deeming it worthy to share.  It absolutely amazes me how much sugar we consume.  It's in pretty much every single thing we eat and drink, but the truth of the matter is, the more we eat, the more we want.  Yes, sugar is very addicting.  Yet, as is the case with everything else, it is fully within our control.

 And just to prove one more time to you that I am in fact on this journey WITH you... this post is coming to you at the end of a day where I *drank* about 600 times the amount of sugar that any normal person should consume in any given day.  Ah yes, it started with Splenda in some coffee at the beginning of a very long day of meetings (Splenda=fake sugar=no calories, but totally weird).  I then downed a Snapple with lunch, and followed that up with some hot chocolate at the end of the day.  I vow to drink nothing but water tomorrow and hope that it all evens out. Blah.

So for those of you who are like me and enjoy a visual aid, here it is in all its glory:  the disgusting amount of sugar we consume in everyday foods and drinks. And for those of you skeptics who enjoy a disclaimer, here it is in all its glory: I have literally no idea who the original creator of this chart is.  I'm choosing to believe it is truth, but I guess unless I take the time to do the math, I will have no real way of knowing.  If you are math person and enjoy that kind of thing, please feel free to figure it out and let me know.

And on that note... ENJOY!


...and now you know. 

Have a healthy day,

J

Organic Bandwagon

One of my friends on Facebook just posted a video, which in his opinion, pretty much sums up why he is a vegetarian. Why in the world I thought to watch it is beyond me.  I will forever be scarred.  But, as I always say, now I know.  Ughhh... I wish I didn't....

This video was put out by PETA, which always highlights extreme situations, but to think that these sorts of things are happening to any animals anywhere is really disturbing. And I'm not even an animal lover! But how any decent human being can watch a video like that and then bite excitedly into a nice piece of steak is beyond me. 

Ok, I'll stop.  This is in no way my plea to get you to become a vegetarian.  Meat can provide our bodies with lots of protein and iron.  All I'm asking you to do is become more aware.  Because after all, once we learn about it, we can make more informed decisions, right?

The *very little* research I've done has pointed out tons of reasons why organic meat and dairy is the way to go.  Here, in random order, are the top 5 reasons why you should consider spending the extra cash on these things next time you are in the grocery store:

1. Organic animals are given access to grass pastures with room to walk around.  This may sound like a no-brainer, but is unfortunately not the case on many large-scale farms (Awww, poor cows...)

2. Organic animals are never injected with artificial growth hormones (Oh, so you mean the chickens can actually stand up? And my children won't go through puberty at the age of 7?  Cool!)

3. These animals are not treated with antibiotics.  (So next time your kid gets an ear infection, the prescribed medication will actually work!!!  Hooray for not building up an unnecessary tolerance to antibiotics!)

4. The meat from grass-fed animals is lower in fat and bad cholesterol than the meat from factory farm animals.  (A low-fat burger? Yum!)

5. Organic farming takes care of the earth.  No harsh chemicals getting poured on the plants means no harsh chemicals seeping in to the soil, or getting blasted in to the air we breathe, or ultimately ending up in the water we need to drink. 

So here's my last plea: Find out where your food is coming from!  Pay attention to what you are putting in your body!  Read labels!  Educate yourself! Trust me, meal time will be a thousand times more enjoyable for you if do.

Have a healthy day,

J

PS- The stuff I wrote about is pretty easily accessible with a quick Google search, but in case you want to see it firsthand, here are some of the sites I've looked at:

 http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/
http://www.stonyfield.com/why-organic/humane-animal-treatment
http://www.novativemedia.com/green-articles/organic-milk.php
http://eatwild.com

Farmer's Market Pasta

You guys- I made the BEST dinner ever over the weekend. It was fresh and healthy, and I didn't even follow a recipe!  So so so good!!  (And I'm totally getting hungry right now just thinking about it. Not kidding.)

Anyway, it has been so beautiful around here lately that I decided to pack the boys up on Saturday morning and head to our big public market to see what we could find.  The highlight of their time there was watching a live chicken go crazy as a woman pulled it out of its cage by the feet.  If you see my children any time soon, please tell them the lady was taking it home in the box, cutting the duct tape off the feet, and keeping it as a pet.  Now... on to the best VEGETARIAN meal I've ever made...

Among some other culinary treasures, I came home with asparagus, onions and broccoli. The thing about the Public Market is that while the food is fresh and cheap, it also needs to be eaten within approximately 5 minutes because it's not contaminated with all of those crazy pesticides that you'll find on the stuff at the grocery store.  So I needed to come up with a plan, stat. This is what happened:

Oh yeah, I added some carrots, too.  Are you salivating yet?

And then this:

Yep, just threw some cooked spaghetti right in there. Cuz, you know, why wouldn't I?



Voila!!

You too can recreate this meal of fresh deliciousness.  Here's the recipe:

Farmer's Market Pasta

Olive Oil

Garlic

A sliced onion

Some sliced carrots

A bunch of asparagus (cut each stalk in half)

Some broccoli (cut in to large bite-sized pieces

cooked spaghetti (or other kind of macaroni)

A couple pats of butter (optional)

parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1. Cook the asparagus and broccoli until they are tender-crisp.  (Put them in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then quickly place them in ice water to halt the cooking process)

2. Heat the olive oil and garlic, add the carrots first since they take longest to cook

3. Add the onion, broccoli, and asparagus. Coat all vegetables with the oil and garlic.  Saute until heated through, yet still a little crisp.

4. Stir in the spaghetti, add the butter if you'd like for a little flavor

5. Coat the vegetables and pasta with a generous coating of parmesan cheese and add a little salt and pepper

6. Serve immediately. You will probably want to eat this right out of the pan because it will look and smell so good.  Try to make it in to a bowl.  Because, you know, you're classy.

Let me know what you think of this dish.  I loved it so much that I made it again last night. This time I omitted the butter, used farfalle instead of spaghetti, and only added asparagus and broccoli.  It was still amazing.

Hi! I just got home from the gym, and now I'm about to stuff my face!





Have a healthy day,

J

Analysis Paralysis

Have you ever had the gut feeling that something needs to change, but you don't even know where to start?  So you sit and think, and dream, and create a million possibilities in your head. And then you imagine yourself in your new role, and you start to love your new (yet fictional) life. But then something switches in your brain. Suddenly, you start thinking of every possible thing that could go wrong. And ultimately you end up staying exactly where you are. Because it's safe; predictable. Yet boring; unfulfilling. And nothing changes.  Sound familiar?

In the sales world, when people are stuck in a cycle of what-ifs, they are diagnosed with "Analysis Paralysis" (thanks to my hubs for that one).  What  a perfect term, right?  So concerned with trying to make it perfect and trying to eliminate every single possible negative outcome that ultimately, nothing happens.  Life goes on without you. Other people get the cool jobs, the commission checks, the recognition.  And you always remain on the outside looking in.  Has that ever happened to you????



Making decisions can be so scary.  I mean, what if you make the wrong one and end up even less happy?   And what you're currently doing is comfortable, familiar.  So what's the point of starting all over again, right?

Well, I'm not asking all of these questions tonight because I have all of the answers.  No, I'm actually asking them to myself just as much as I am to you. This is such a wonderful time of year as a teacher.  The time of year when we start to reflect on what the past 6 months have looked like.  Yes, we still have almost 3 months left (9 and a half weeks, to be exact, not that I'm counting).  Yet we're already looking ahead to what next year will look like.  And, as scary as that is, I don't know the answer to that just yet.

But I'm determined not to let analysis paralysis hold me back.  (How about you?)

Have a healthy day,

J

Supermarket Savvy



This is CLEARLY not my family.
My children are neither helpful
nor calm while grocery shopping.

If there's one chore I've learned to hate, it's grocery shopping.  There is literally no convenient time for me to accomplish this task. Before work is inconvenient. After work is not an option because the boys are taking naps, at night when they're in bed is impossible because every weeknight is spoken for in this house. So that leaves the window of time between the end of naps and dinner.  Also known as the worst time of day to try to get young children to behave.  Ah, I love my life. (check out my other blog about my true feelings on my life: http://naptimeisthenewhappyhour.blogspot.com/).

What kind of shopper are you? Do you make a list, use coupons, have a plan?  I don't.  I mean, I try to.  I want to, badly.  But by the time I get in there, sedate the heathens with something relatively healthy yet still appealing (today is was the store's leftover green bagels), I have little choice but to grab and run and hope that I am collecting enough to put together at least a couple complete meals.

My all time fav- chocolate peppermint stick

I hope it worked. I'm not even gonna lie- I am already looking forward to eating tomorrow.  Does that ever happen to you?  You go grocery shopping and then start fantasizing about the deliciousness that you will consume in the days to come?  (No, you don't do that?  Wow, ok, I'm embarrassed.) I just can't help it, though.  And yesterday two of my favorite things were on sale: Luna Bars and Greek yogurt.


The yogurt was mixed with some granola after I ran another 2 miles this morning.  So delish! And the Luna was the mid-morning snack.  I am loving my meal plan so far today.  What have you eaten today?  Are you as happy with your choices as I am with mine? 


If not, what are you gonna do about it?

Have a healthy day,

J

Trying something new

I know you've all been anxiously awaiting my follow-up to Thursday's cliff hanger.  Just WHAT did she do the other day when she was so stressed out she thought she was about to jump out the window?

Welllllll..... in case you haven't figured it out yet, after an entire night of not sleeping, I dragged myself out of bed before the sun came up and I... drum roll please... RAN. Yes, that's right.  I, who never ever runs, went running.  I've done this little running kick before as I was training for a 5K last year (which I never even got to friggin' run- I've mentioned that before, right?) Anyway, I haven't actually gone running in about a year.  And the other day, I did.  I ran 2 miles in exactly 19 minutes. Which, by the way, is the fastest I've ever done that.  What's that term that runners use? PR? :)

I recently read somewhere that a great way to stay motivated during a run is to chant something positive to yourself as your feet hit the pavement.  (Stay.Strong. Go. Long. Stay. Strong. Go. Long...) I don't know whether it was that, or the perfect weather, or the ridiculous stress I'm feeling; but my feet never stopped.  I might actually do it again tomorrow! 

6 AM (ok, it was closer to 6:30) is brutally early, but I had company out there. I passed dog walkers, shopping cart pushers, and teenagers moving slowly to bus stops. And every time I approached someone, I felt like shouting, "Look at me! I'm running!!" Don't worry- I didn't. I just smiled and kept to myself. But I did return the quick wave from the fellow runner. Ha, I was a fellow runner!

 I'm not a runner. I'm a very slow jogger at best. And I certainly don't do it consistently.   But I ran (well, jogged).  I actually kindof liked it.  So there it is.  This is so WEIRD.

And on that note...

Have a healthy day,

J

Stressed. Out.

Those of you who know me know that being a good teacher isn't good enough for me.  I want to be great. I strive every day to be the type of teacher good enough for my own children.  So when things don't go as planned, and I have an off day (gasp!), I get stressed out.  Like, REALLY stressed out.  And I don't handle my stress well. 

Those of you who don't know me don't know what happened to me last year.  So here's the condensed version in 1 sentence or less:  I worked my butt off, got put in what I thought was a very unfair situation, felt as though my boss turned her back on me, started having some pretty serious anxiety attacks, started hating going to work, found out I had an irregular heartbeat, ended up visiting 4 different doctors,  spent 2 months in physical therapy because I could no longer bend my neck, and had to get massage therapy twice a week.  And here's the end result: the doctor told me to find a new job and to start doing more yoga.  So here I am a year later: a budding yoga-lover who works part-time in a new job.  I haven't had a single anxiety related symptom all year.  Until yesterday. 

Yesterday I revisited that ugly place that I thought I had left behind.  I had one of the worst days I had had in a very long time.  It was new and all-too-familiar all at the same time. And it sucked.

So I went home and did what I always do when I'm stressed- I ate. Whatever what was in reach.  Some Pringles, a quesadilla complete with sour cream (low-fat!), a few spoonfuls of chocolate ice cream. But something was different this time.  I was mindful for once of what was going on, and stopped myself dead in my tracks.  With my stomach still in knots and my mind still reeling, I headed outside and took it out on my bushes. (Hey, my yard needed to get ready for spring anyway.  Yesterday was as good a day as any to get it there.)

And by 11:00 last night, I was still a stressed out mess. (Yes, I realize it is neither healthy nor normal to let work affect me this way.  But I did tell you I don't handle my stress well.  I wasn't kidding.) After a night of not sleeping,  I did something mildly crazy at the totally crazy hour of 6 AM.   And I'm not gonna tell you until tomorrow, because it's an entirely different story.  But I'll leave you with these clues:  it did not involve unhealthy nutritional choices, and it is definitely NOT something I anticipated writing about.  But it happened.  And I felt SO GOOD afterwards! 



Have a healthy day,

J

Girl Gone Crazy

I used to think that people were making it up- that "girl" issue that happens every month.  I seriously thought that people were using "that time of month" as an excuse to eat like a pig and treat everyone like a piece of trash.  And then, right after my second son was born, something very weird started happening to me.  Every three weeks or so, I turned in to some weird, freakish, alien-type version of myself.  I would randomly start crying for zero reason, freak out on anyone in my way, question things that otherwise made me very happy, and eat as if I'd never seen food before.  I tried to explain to Husband that I had PMS, but he didn't want to hear it.  No, Captain Rational instead made me feel like a complete idiot for not being able to explain what was going on.  Thank God my doctor is a woman. I now take both a calcium and a B vitamin supplement every day (well, when I remember) to even out my moods.  And so far they're working.  Well, they were.  I haven't remembered to take them in a while.  (Read:  I am currently a raging, hungry lunatic). Wanna hang out?

I have done a little bit of research and have found that PMS is a very real thing that affects 85 % of women. Bloating, cramping, fatigue, mood swings, food cravings... yep, they're all real.  (Wow, we are so attractive).

Here are some things that the experts say that you ladies can do to help ease the symptoms:

1. Eat complex carbohydrates (whole grain pasta and bread, rice cakes)

2. Avoid sugar

3. Drink a ton of water (more than usual)

4. Stay away from salt

5. Stick to a low-fat diet

6. Avoid stressful situations

7. Say NO to both alcohol and caffeine

8. Get enough sleep

9. Exercise

Seeing as how I downed a piece of pizza yesterday and some chocolate ice cream over the weekend, I'm finding it safe to say that I am CLEARLY not an expert.  (But how comforting is this:  those exact foods are craved for a reason- it's all related to imbalanced estrogen, cortisol, and serotonin.  Even though eating those things for the instant gratification is probably the worst thing you can do.  Sigh...) But I'm not letting my current state get in the way of my workouts- it was a nice sweaty Power Body class last night, and a Zumba/Treadmill session tonight!

Have a healthy day,

J

PS- Since I missed GSM yesterday, here's the condensed version today:
Goal 1- Don't gain 10 pounds this week.
Goal 2- Keep the crazy B*#&* somewhere deep inside.


The source for today's info:  http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56732

TGIF!

Man, how happy are you that this week is over?!?! How'd you do with your goals this week? I set a few back on Monday, and I must admit- I did pretty well!  I wrote a bunch a lists (and crossed a lot of things off!) and workout number 4 is already scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9 AM.  (I REFUSE to be shut out of yoga tomorrow!) The only thing I didn't do is finish my book....

I can't wait to set new goals for myself on Monday.  It really is amazing how much more I get done when I write it all down.  And I know I've said it before, but nothing can beat that feeling of accomplishment when I get to look at my list of crossed-out tasks.  I could get used to this!


So what's on the agenda for this weekend? I am doing the single mom thing until Sunday afternoon. There is a wedding happening all the way across the country and it just didn't make sense for all of us to make the trip. So the boys and I will be doing some bonding. Last night was our first night alone, and so far so good. (But I'm sure I'll be ready to rip my hair out by the time Sunday rolls around. Pray for me! haha!) But in all seriousness, I'm looking forward to a weekend of yoga, chick flicks, and a break from my getting-crazier-by-the-minute job.
Whatever you do this weekend, I hope you enjoy yourself! Do something fun, something healthy, and something that's just for you! I'll be back Monday with another round of GSM!


Have a healthy day,

J

The good hurt

Have you ever been so tired and sore that when you sit down on the couch you actually FEEL relief?  Ha! That was totally me last night.  I actually didn't even realize how tired and sore I was until I sat down! After my brutally early treadmill/free weight workout, I spent the rest of the gorgeous day all hopped up on energy.  We were running errands, going on walks, and playing outside for most of it.  By the time I sat down at 8:00, my feet and legs were already sore.  And as soon as I said it out loud, Husband looked at me and said, "Are you bragging or are you complaining?"  Hmmm.  I had to think about it for a second, but then realized that I was actually bragging!  "Well, then good for you.  You must've done something right."  Wow, that early morning jumpstart to my day was actually worth it!!

Today, my calves are tight.  My hamstrings are tight, and my obliques actually hurt.  Going up the stairs was actually a chore.  I haven't felt like this after a workout in the longest time, and I've missed it!  You see, I tend to THINK I'm working hard in the moment, but sometimes by the time I get home, I feel like I could go do it again.  And I'm usually sore at night OR the next day, but hardly ever both.  That's definitly proof that I need to work harder!!! 

It's painful, it's time consuming, and it's frustrating sometimes.  But you know what?  IT'S ALL WORTH IT. It's the Good Hurt, and I want it every time!! 

And there's no rest for the weary.  Zumba tonight.  Yeah! I hope your workout is good today, too!  Do it till it hurts!!! 

Have a healthy day,

J

Early morning warrior

Hi!  Sorry I didn't post yesterday. (You missed me, didn't you?!) I actually had a really busy day: work, lunch meeting about some different stuff, and back to work for another meeting.  I know that a lot of people work those kind of hours every single day (I used to, too), but ugh, I was so tired by the time the boys went to bed last night! It reminded me how lucky I am to have such amazing hours this year. (Even though the job itself leaves a lot to be desired... but that's for a different time...)  And it really sucked cuz I wanted to get to the gym, but felt really bad about packing the boys up the second I got home, only to leave them again.  So my Mama Guilt got the best of me, and I played about 14 rounds of Superhero Memory instead.

Anyway, I did something this morning that I haven't done in SOOOO long... I went to the gym for an early morning workout.  My alarm went off at the blissful hour of 5:15, and I was out the door by 5:25.  I used to think that people who did this were insane, but then working full time last year pretty much left me no choice.  By the time I got home at 4, actually saw my children for 5 seconds and started dinner, it was practically time to start the whole bedtime routine.  I was freakin' exhausted! After really thinking about what was important to me, I realized that I wasn't willing to sacrifice working out.  So I started doing it before work.  Yes my days felt never- ending a lot of times, but I started them filled with energy.  And once it became part of my routine, I actually enjoyed it! 

Now that I'm only working part-time, I've switched it up again.  It's working out just fine, but I'm usually at the mercy of someone else's availability to watch the boys.  (My gym has a very annoying daycare policy.  Sometimes it works out for me, and sometimes it doesn't).  But anyway, after looking at today's to-do list, I wasn't sure when I was going to have time.  So I made time.  This morning.  And I ROCKED it! I was home before 7 with tons of energy.  And I could already cross something off of today's list!  How great is that?!

So what are you going to do today?  When are you going to do it?  It's up to you to decide what's important.  And for all of those things, you'll find time. 

Have a healthy day,

J





Goal Setting Monday (GSM)

 Are you a "lister"? I'm a wannabe. I work so well and efficiently when I make lists.   When I was working full time, I was a major lister.  Every afternoon before I left for the day, I would jot down 5 action items for the following day. (I heard somewhere a long time ago that a to-do list should never contain more than 5 items.)  Being able to cross them off as the day went on gave me such a sense of accomplishment!  My problem is that I (for some unknown reason) don't make lists when I'm home.  Instead of crossing things out throughout the day, I end up cramming a bunch of random chores in right before I go to bed.  I get some stuff done, but not nearly as much as I would if I would just write it down.  Additionally, I never feel a true sense of accomplishment.  So here it is- goal number one for this week is to write a to-do list for each day of the week. Pretty easy goal, right?

Goal number two is to get 4 good workouts in.  After taking Friday off (yeah, I totally didn't even walk like I talked about), I tried to make it to yoga on Saturday morning, only to get shut out AGAIN.  Ugh!  I tried to power through a workout anyway, but I was pretty irritated (and I was wearing the wrong pants for cardio), so after 20 minutes on the elliptical I just packed up and left.  And I never make it to the gym on Sundays.  Needless to say, I'm jonesing for a good workout today.  I'm teaching tonight, and I'm really hoping for a class full of good energy.  We're gonna get this week started on the right foot!

  

And Goal number three will probably make me sound like a total nerd, but I'm going to tell you anyway.  I need to finish the book I'm reading.  I've been reading Mockingjay for so long now.  It's not that I don't like it- I do!  I'm super excited for the Hunger Games movie to come out, and I need to have this book finished before I can go see it.  What happens is that I spend way too much time Facebooking, Pinning, and watching reality TV after the boys go to bed at night and not enough time reading.  My Kindle is telling me that I'm 30% finished with it.  So this week- get OFF the internet, and READ! 

 

So there you have it.  Starting today,   I will no longer hate Mondays.  I will instead see them as a great way to start fresh, to set new goals, and to make new progress.  HELLLLOOOOO MONDAY!

What are your goals for the week?

Have a healthy day,

J

Spring Fevah...

:

I've got it sooooo badly today, don't you?!?!  It is such a sunny day, and the birds are going nuts out there.  It's still pretty chilly (my car told me it was 50 as I was driving home), but it's coming, friends.  It's coming! 

He's figured out that if he
rides his bike fast enough, the cape
will fly out behind him like
a REAL superhero!

I CANNOT wait until we don't have to be cooped up inside anymore.  The boys are dying to get out there and ride their bikes, and I'm so excited for the long naps and early bedtimes that come with all of that fresh air! 


It's ALMOST making me want to get out there and go for a run (jog? walk/jog?)  But I pretty much hate running, and there is zero shot that I'm pushing the huge ass double stroller the whole time.  I'm hoping though, that I can convince them to accompany me on a nice long POWER WALK later.  The daycare at the gym is closed today, which means that Friday is usually my day off.  Getting out there to enjoy this day would definitely be an added bonus!

This weather is also making me cotemplate cleaning my gross house.  As you know, I'm on a kick to detoxify both my body and my home.  I found this awesome cleaner on Pinterest (Yes, I'm addicted to Pinterest.  I'm not ashamed.) It's completely homemade, and chemical free!  And once I looked in to it a little further, it turns out that it's actually a pretty well known little secret.  Here's the ridiculously easy recipe in case you're interested:

Homemade Disinfecting Cleaner

1 cup Dish Liquid (I use the clear Palmolive stuff)- heat it up for about 30 seconds

1 cup white vinegar

water

Essential Oil (optional. I used Lavendar so my house didn't smell like vinegar)

That's it!! How easy is that?  I diluted the soap/vinegar mix with water because I was planning on using it on my counters and basically everywhere else around my house, but you totally don't have to. In fact, my original source left the water out.  I will totally be using this from now on!

Giving some credit where it's due... here's the original source

(This is totally not my picture.  I stole it from my Pin).

Have a healthy day (weekend!),

J

The Little Things



When I bought my house 6 years ago, my grandmother gave me the most amazing housewarming gift.  It was a gigantic framed print that reads, "Enjoy the Little Things". The quote is surrounded by small vegetables and bunnies (it's very grandmotherly).  The best part is that it was completely hand-stitched.  And it took my lovely grandmother over a year to complete because the arthritis in her hands was so painful every time she picked up the needle and thread.  On Sunday, we will be remembering the third anniversary of her passing.  I continue to miss my Gram every day, and am reminded every morning I walk in to my guest room to get dressed (yes, I have my own dressing room. And no, it's not because I'm spoiled.  It's actually because my house lacks an appropriate amount of closets) to "Enjoy the Little Things". 

(I totally tried for like an hour to upload a picture of this thing in all its glory, and it just wouldn't work.  Boo.)

And so, in honor of Gram and her wisdom, here is what I'm enjoying today:

1. For the first time in MONTHS, the scale spit a number out to me that was 5 (count 'em, 5) pounds less than I'm used to seeing.  I'm 99% sure that it was just a fluke, but it was amazing.  I must have either had my ankles hanging off the edge, or I was dehydrated (probably a combination of both).  It gave me pure hope that this number will one day be the norm. 

2.  When I left my house at 8:30 this morning, my little one was still asleep!!!  If you've ever met him, you understand completely why this is something to celebrate.  I love both of my kids more than anything, but to say my little one is high maintenance is an understatement.  He is very fun and cute, but also makes it difficult to do anything calmly.  I'm usually a complete crazy mess in the morning as I rush around to get ready for work, and his sleeping in today was a very welcome surprise.

Hello! I drive my mother completely insane.

3.  When I got to work, I found out that one of my students was suspended.  I know, you're all thinking that I'm completely evil for celebrating this "Little Thing".  But when you spend your days working with teenagers who are effing crazy display challenging behaviors in an alternative learning setting, a day off from one of them once in a while is in fact a little slice of wonderful.

4.  It's finally March. Spring is FINALLY coming.  It's gonna be almost 60 next week!  Yes, in this gloomy city, these are little things that need to be enjoyed. 

5. Zumba tonight! Yeah! It's one little thing that I really freaking love.  I cannot believe that I actually look forward to going to the gym these days. 

What are you enjoying today? (I'd love to hear. Seriously!  Write me a little comment!)

Have a healthy day,

J

PS- I have no idea why my font is all messed up today.  After the frustration of not being able to upload my picture, I'm giving up.  I hate technology.  Sorry.