Strawberries, We Be Jammin' and Motivation

I'm taking a break to sit down and reconnect to myself for a moment while Music Man has the cherubs off to the library to get into their summer reading.  It's been a very busy month for me thus far, and it doesn't really look like it's gonna slow up at all until fall...and of course, then it's school and all it encompasses.

Last weekend Music Man and the boys went on a camping adventure with the scout den.  They had a great time, came home very tired and battle scarred (Maestro's legs looked like he had chicken pox scars all over them from playing in the woods with the other little leprechauns).  A nice way to start the summer and they had a lovely time at Old Orchard Beach.  Music Man's most favorite part of the weekend may have been getting pier fries (which are no longer located on the pier) at Ken's.  When he was a boy he used to go with his grandparents to Pine Point every summer when they rented a house there, so he was anxious to check it out and see if the pier fries were as good as he remembered them.  They were, no doubts.

While they were away, I stayed home and had a very well deserved rest and weekend with the house all to myself for the first time in almost 8 years.  I kept quite busy the entire time, and it was a very nice break from the constant noise and mayhem that is 2 young boys and a chatty husband.  Love them all dearly, missed them, but really appreciated every moment to myself, too. Saturday morning the power went out here (it seems to do this quite frequently in our little town) and woke me up at 7:00 when the fan I use for white noise went quiet.  As most of you know, 7:00am is sleeping in for me, so I decided to get up and go strawberry picking before the heat of the day set in.  Had 4 quarts picked by 8:30am and came home to make jam.  I decided to make freezer jam this time around as the stove I have now doesn't get hot enough to can.  A very gentle rolling boil is all I can manage to get out of it.  The jam is pretty yummy, if I do say so myself.  The boys will love it on P B & J's in January, it's always such a great burst of summer to taste the real deal picked by my own hands in the dead of winter.  I'm looking forward to blueberry picking again.  A new friend tipped me onto some organic ones a few towns away, so I'm going to try them this year. 

This week, I had a disturbing visit to my new doctor.  I've had blood pressure issues in my past, which I was able to eliminate by losing 35 pounds...which have since found me now that I'm sitting on my bum 8 hours a day most days. Not having even stairs in our current house, my exercise level has greatly diminished.  I used to climb the stairs no joke of a lie at least 30 times a day chasing after boys and doing laundry and using their playroom, which was in the basement. Lots of exercise built into life that I don't have here.  I was upset to learn that my blood pressure was in the "dangerously high" range again.  I suspected as much since I've not been feeling my perky self lately.  So, back on medication I went.  Ugh...I sincerely HATE being on any kind of medication.  So, yesterday, I dove back into the South Beach plan and on day two of that, I've already eaten more vegetables then I have in the last 2 weeks.  I also walked/ran on the treadmill this morning, which I will continue with until I get myself back off this medication.  I am physically able to do the exercise and it will be done.  I understand deeply that the older I get the harder all of this is becoming, but with weight and health issues in my heredity, I feel this is the time to make it happen.  It's gotta be now.

So, all that being said, I've gotta add the preoccupation with changing my lifestyle to my already way too busy lifestyle and fit in exercise.  I'm pretty good at taking care of everyone around me, but not so good at taking care of my own needs.  I figure before I have a stroke or heart attack, it might be a good time to start doing that a little more often.  So, I will learn to better balance that with all else because it's necessary for me right now. 

A little nudge in the right direction for me, ~Peacemom