Month: March 2020

Get it Together…

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I feel like I am in a groove. I am making progress. I tracked everything I ate and continued to keep a photo journal. I used 28 SmartPoints for the day:

A challenge for working from home is that I am here and so is everyone else. They all understand that I’m working, but since I’m right there in the dining room, I am very available to them too. I am going to clean up my office and move in there. It’s a more removed part of the house and I think that will help the situation.

Here are some things I am missing today:

  • I already miss spending time with my sister.
  • I miss being able to go to spin class and my in person workshop.
  • I miss feeling secure walking around with other people.
  • I miss dropping off my son at school – his last year of High School.
  • I miss working in classrooms of students.

Being afraid takes a toll and today I am feeling it more today than yesterday. I am scared for myself, my loved ones and friends, and for everyone else. Acknowledging how I really feel helps. Uncertainty is all around but the best thing I can do is be real with myself.

Keep trying. There is something powerful about naming this as grief. It helps us feel what’s inside of us. 

David Kessler 

My Home Office…

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There are no boundaries for my life these days. My work has infiltrated my home, and kept me busy all day and into the evening. I am happy to be of service but I feel out of whack. I really need to get a schedule and stick with it. So that is something I am going to focus on.

On a positive note, I am very grateful that my husband colored my hair today. There is a sentence I never thought I’d write. He really did a good job, now maybe he has to learn how to cut hair?

My view from my at home salon.

Another good day on plan, I tracked everything I ate and even kept the photo journal like the one I shared yesterday:

I did put back one of the chicken legs. 26 SmartPoints for the day

Little victories, and small moments of gratitude – this was today.

Our House…

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I was working in a quiet corner of my bedroom when the phone rang. It was Dave’s sister needing to talk. I put the computer aside on the ottoman and left the warm yellow embrace of my room, and went into the hallway past the blue lights seeping out of a gaming consul in my son’s darkened room. Down the wooden steps past the stained glass windows into the living room where Sadie pawed at a ball and did that cute growly bark I so adore. Then through the kitchen, where my daughters were playing Asian music, cooking tofu and vegetables. “Where’s daddy?” I asked. “I dunno upstairs?” Hayley offered, “No, I was upstairs…” I said as I headed down another set of stairs. I past the washer/dryer and walked into the office. There was Dave, laying on his back stretching out his back on a mat on the floor. “It’s for you.” I handed off the phone and thought for a moment, there is so much life in the house.

Comfort is waiting there in plain sight, all I have to do is to notice it. I really want to remember this moment I want to appreciate how it made me feel. I am home with my family – I love them and for this I am filled with gratitude and I want to make that feeling linger.

I took a picture of everything I ate today because I am putting in the effort to build up my healthy habits:

I used 31 SmartPoints today

Here are somethings I did today to help me :

  • I tracked my food and planed ahead
  • I ate my meals without distraction
  • I wearing jeans, not sweatpants or workout clothes
  • I put on makeup and did what I could with my hair
  • I danced in the kitchen with my kids just for fun
  • I played with Sadie
  • I am appreciating my husband and all that he does for us

What are you doing to help yourself mange this crazy time in our lives? If you are looking for something engaging to do – here is a fabulous opportunity, The Science of Wellbeing:

Yale University is offering a free course online,
The Science of Well-Being, that teaches you how to be happier.

It is a really interesting course, and if you sign up, let me know. I’d rather spend my time finding comfort and thinking about personal happiness if I am able to.

One last thing, I got lucky today look what I found with my school books:

Finding this in my book bag felt like winning the Lottery

Keep it Together…

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Long Island isn’t visible on most maps of the United States. It is a small outer island, belonging to the state of New York. I live in a quiet suburban town on the north shore of western Suffolk. This is a place of tree lined streets, local schools, houses of worship, shopping malls, and big box stores. Driving down any given street you will see local contractors, landscapers, and delivery trucks.

If you’re an “Islander” chances are good that commuting is part of your life. The Long Island Rail Road bustles with people heading into Manhattan. The LIE is always backed up traveling west bound and there are usually speed traps along the Sunken Meadow Parkway heading north. I am one of many people living on this vibrant busy island trying to navigate my way through life.

Cow Harbor, Northport NY

Today I went food shopping for my neighbor. She emailed me her list and Dave and I went to the food store. While I checked off her items, I was careful to keep my distance from the others. Some wore masks, others gloves, and I just kept my head down looking at her list. I thought about her living alone in the house right next door to mine, I worried about her and I felt a little heartbroken that it took a disaster for me to feel so much for someone who lives so close. As we checked out, we bought her a bouquet of flowers and placed them in her bag. That would be cheerful.

When we got back home we left the bags on her porch, rang the bell, and briskly walked down the steps to back into her driveway. She cried when she saw the flowers, and so did I. There was this flood of gratitude mixed with an underlying sense of dread at the same time. This is not just happening on my little island, this is the whole wide world.

What Can We Do?

We will do whatever we can. We will take care of ourselves, and each other. We will share our feelings and be honest about what we need to get through this terrible time. We will nurture hope and be courageous. If you don’t believe that yet, it’s ok there are no rules for how to cope with this, it is surreal. In the meantime, don’t eat a lot of sugar, get some rest, and stay hydrated. Go outside when you can, and move your body. I will be posting, so if you want to share feel free to use this space. Make yourself at home, I’m scared too, we are all in this together.

There’s No Place Like Home…

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Writing this post feels a little like coming home. Circumstances have made it difficult for me to find balance. I certainly have not been practicing self-care, or paid much attention to my health goals. The truth is, I have been struggling for a while now. This post is my small attempt to scratch out a little time that is dedicated to my own sense of wellbeing.

I went to my WW Workshop this morning and vowed to participate in the “Blue Dot Challenge” Day one is in the books, and I’m happy to report nothing but blue skies over here:


Monday – Friday were on and again off again tracking days that’s why you don’t see “Blue Dots”

I am going to track all of the foods I eat, because I know that is how this program works for me. I know that will feel more confident as I continue to make up for some lost ground when it comes to weight loss. There have been long stretches of posts on this blog where my weight loss journey hummed along at a good clip whereas this post is a baby step to help me start again.