Tag: #fitting_it_all_in

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We eat what we eat, repeat, repeat.

I’m not a doctor. I don’t purport to have a lot of knowledge as it pertains to the medical field, I’m not a nutritionist…I have degrees in psychology, but not the kind that pertain to food or physical health. All that said, I do have a fair bit of observational skills and something I have always known about myself is something I’m now seeing in others during this Great Sequestering of COVID-19. The observation I have made is that whatever we eat at the beginning of the day will determine what we eat for the rest of the day. If we start with water, we’ll drink a lot more water. If we start with coffee, we’ll drink more coffee. This seems logical with beverages since we get a taste for whatever that first drink is, but the food piece is where it gets interesting.

What if you start your day with a donut? Am I saying you’ll eat more donuts during the day? Well, I suppose you could but it’s more about the likelihood that you’ll now eat more sugar – or more sweets. What if you start your day with green beans (don’t judge me, I can eat green beans at any time of day)? Well, I have experienced more likelihood to eat more veggies – or at least avoid sugary treats.

While I know this about myself and try to start my day according to my goal for the day (related to food), it has been fascinating to see it in my daughter and husband. As such, I’m generalizing to the entire population – because that’s how the best advice happens right? 🙂 If you are someone who is looking to make a change in your eating habits (or your health in general), I think a really easy, small change is to start your day how you want to end it. If you want to end your day healthily, start it that way. Don’t start with the donut; start with a spinach and egg omelet. If you think you drink too much coffee, start with WATER in the morning. I know a lot of you are trying to come out of COVID fitter than you started, but fitness is also made in the kitchen. Small changes in how you start your day can have long-term effects on how you end your day – and your long-term goals.

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There’s 104 Days of Summer Vacation…

…’til school comes along just to end it!  Or so Phineas and Ferb have taught us.  If you ask my daughter summer was too short.  If you ask me, it was too long.  I suppose the real answer is somewhere in the middle.  This summer was a test of patience for both myself and my daughter.  She was home with me full-time while I also worked full-time.  Oh, and we went on vacations and got two new puppies.  To say my schedule and routine were thrown out of whack would be an understatement.  As such, I thought I would share with you my top ten learnings from this summer:

  1. Mackenzie needs a schedule.  She did very well having academic things she had to do throughout the day which earned her time on electronics.  This also helped her complete one book report per week off a fourth-grade reading list.
  2. Mackenzie will sleep until 9:30 regularly if she is allowed.  She is my sleeping spirit animal.
  3. The ipad is the only negotiating leverage I have.  She isn’t motivated by food or money.  Only the ipad.
  4. Despite the fact Mack did all her academic work over the summer, there is no way to convince her this was actually good for her.
  5. Sleepovers are awesome (in her opinion).  And they happen a LOT.
  6. Having ingredients for slime on-hand and having a pinball machine make your house very popular.  Adding two puppies doesn’t hurt either.
  7. Girls actually travel in packs.  As long as all our neighbors have chicken nuggets and popcorn, all the girls will survive.  
  8. Having a kid home all day does not ensure you will have assistance with new puppies.
  9. I receive a LOT more requests for random Amazon purchases when Mack is home.
  10. My house is MUCH cleaner with Mack home.  This is because she has to clean things to earn ipad time.  See #3 for the power of the ipad.

Despite the disruption to my schedule, and the occasional disagreement, I am glad Mack got to have a summer where she could sleep in and live her best life.  I still managed to accomplish most of what I wanted each day and she got to really enjoy herself.  Sometimes that makes the disruptions ok.  That said, I’m SUPER excited for school to begin tomorrow.  🙂Â