It's OK!!

If there's one thing I have learned as I get older, it's that guilt must be a female thing. Or perhaps it's a mommy thing. Either way it is something that I deal with on a daily basis. Why is that? Why do women (me) beat themselves up over needing to take care of their self first? Why do women (me) feel a gut wrenching pain sometimes over needing a couple of hours alone? Why do women (me) feel guilty over wanting to have some time with girlfriends that can totally relate on a female level? Is it simply because we are born with that need to be a caretaker for everyone else? Is it peer pressure to have that perfect family so we work ourselves to death to make it appear that way and in the process forget about keeping our self healthy and happy?
As things change and I get older I realize that it is so important to take care of myself on so many levels. I need to be physically healthy, for myself and for my family. If something happens to one of them how am I gonna take care of their needs if I am sick or exhausted? I need to be physically fit, for myself and my family. How can I go outside and run around with these beautiful girls of mine if I can't literally run around? I need to be spiritually healthy, for myself and my family. In the event of something tragic, how can I stand strong and be a light for people if I can't even hold myself upright and not be heap on the floor asking why? And I need to have peace and joy. When it comes to that mommy guilt, peace and joy are the most difficult for me. Guilt can suck the joy right out of the moment.
Ladies, it's OK to have some "me" time!! It's OK to take time away to go to an exercise class that you love to go to a couple of times a week. It's OK to go out with a girlfriend or two, with no kids or husbands, just to laugh and catch up. IT'S OK!! It's OK to find some quiet time in your house to read a devotional or to have some quiet prayer time. It's OK on your day off to walk away from the laundry so you can go get a pedicure! The laundry will always be there, trust me :) IT'S OK!!
Guilt is no fun and to get rid of it is a work in progress. I am a work in progress and IT'S OK!!

Why Women Cry

My dear sweet cousin that lost his wife a couple of years ago dropped this off to me at work and I came across it and wanted to share....

WHY WOMEN CRY-

A little boy asked his mother, "why are you crying?"
"Because I am a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.
His mom just hugged him and said, "and you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father,
"Why does mother seem to cry for no reason at all?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little bot grew up and became a man,
still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God.
When God answered, he asked,
"God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said:
"When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough
to carry the weight of the world,
yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength
to endure childbirth
and the rejection
that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness
that allows her to keep going
when everyone else gives up,
and take care of her family
through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children
under any and ALL circumstances,
even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband
through his faults
and fashioned her from his rib
to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know
that a good husband never hurts his wife
but sometimes tests her strengths
and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally,
I gave her a tear to shed.
this is hers exclusively
to use whenever needed."

"You see my son," said God,
"the beauty of a woman is not
in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries,
or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes,
because that is the doorway to her heart...
the place where Love resides."

Author Unknown

Tough Mudder Virginia 2011 Official Video

Lord help me!! This is a goal for 2012 and I WILL BE A TOUGH MUDDER!!! We are putting our team together for this fantastic cause and I must admit I am excited and scared to death all at the same time :0
If you don't know about this event I encourage you to check into it. This is not a race, it is a personal/team challenge and no mudder will be left behind!!

Zumba!!

I have been going to zumba for almost a year now and I love it even more now than I did then. It has become such a stress relief for me to go 2-3 times a week and get in a good sweat while having a fantastic time. It is so much fun to me and the hour goes by way to quickly. If you haven't been you should give it a try. I will admit it takes a few times to really feel comfortable and to learn some of the moves. Even as much as I go, I still mess up and miss some steps but it's no biggie. I would love to go even more than I do now it it were possible but for now I will take what I can get. You should give it a try and "turn that booty up"!!

Details in the Fabric Lyrics

I've been listening to a new favorite of mine lately, James Morrison. I posted a couple of his videos on Facebook and then someone said to check this one out. Who doesn't love Jason Mraz?! And then put a little James with him and this is what you get. I love it!! And really isn't that what a revolution is all about...holding your own.

Living not wasting

Mind, body, house, style and attitude....they all need a major overhaul and are about to change. That was my post on my Facebook wall today and I had a bit of a light bulb moment when I really sat back and read it. So this is it, this is my journal of how things are going to change in those ways. I have been blogging for several years now about our family and different aspects of our life. But things for me personally have been a struggle for some time now and it is time to make some changes. Even baby steps can be difficult but rather than sitting back and wasting time, life and opportunities, it's time to start living.