Confessions of a Mom

My three guiding words for 2013 are Health, Balance, and Serve. I’ve never really made resolutions or set specific goals for myself at the beginning of the year. This year I thought I’d try putting into writing three words that will guide my decisions in 2013. Here is my reasoning behind these words.

Health

In 2012 I made some significant changes in my health. We started eating very healthy and exercising. I lost about half of the weight that I intend to lose, so I need 2013 to help me get the rest of the way. I want to learn how to maintain my healthy habits and continue to role model good choices for my kids. I plan to run two extreme races this year, one with my two kid ages 14 and 9. My youngest is still too young to join in, but she’s watching what we are doing.

Balance

I need a constant reminder of the priorities in my life. I need to balance my time with my kids, my husband, work responsibilities, faith, and never forget about myself. Part of my weight issues I’ve discovered has to do with putting myself last. I need to balance the needs of others with my own needs so that I can be healthy, relaxed and happy.

Serve

One of my greatest passions is thinking of the needs of others. Helping those who can’t help themselves. Serving others rather than worrying about my “fair share” or what it is going to cost me. Part of my core beliefs and faith is that God calls us to love others without judgement or selfishness, never focusing on money or materials things. I want to use this year to serve others through my thoughts, words, and deeds. No small deed is too small. We never know what kindness starts a tipping point that changes someone else’s life forever.

So there you have it. What would you choose for your three guiding words for 2013?

I must confess that it’s been a long time since I posted an update. I’m still going strong on my weight loss journey and healthy lifestyle. I continue to lose weight, but it’s been much slower in recent months. I think I was a little unrealistic with my plans to lose 3 or more pounds a week for eight straight months. My goal of a 100 pounds down by December will get pushed out, but I’m happy to say that I’m very close to the 50 pound mark! I’ve run three 5K runs; one an extreme obstacle 5K so I’m very proud of that accomplishment considering I only started running in April. I have very little clothes that fit, so if you see me in the same outfit a lot, bear with me. I’ve dropped four sizes in clothes and getting close to another size. Between my husband and I, we donated 100 gallons of “too big” clothes. Speaking of my husband, he has lost about 70 pounds, and is gearing up to run his first half marathon tomorrow. I want to continue to encourage you to take whatever steps you can to embrace a healthier lifestyle. If it works for you to make major changes great. If not, every bit helps. Thank you for all the words of encouragement I continue to receive. It means a lot to me.

As I watched the debates, I had my Android tablet on my lap with a live Twitter stream. It immediately became apparent that the rather dry debate on television was going to be rivaled by witty American’s everywhere. For the first time I laughed so hard tears rolled down my face, so I thought I’d summarize “the best of” for you to enjoy. My apologies if anything is offensive, but darn it, they were funny. Add your own personal favorites in the comment section below and give due credit.

Debate Tweets

@gov: 17,000 tweets per minute for “Big Bird” and 10,000 tweets per minute for “PBS” #debates

@mattbinder: OCCUPY SESAME STREET we gotta’ do it for Big Bird! #DebateDenver #debate2012

@Howtobeadad: I will give either candidate a million dollars if they say the word “vagina” during debates.

@jillfilipovic: Romney’s American Flag pin is bigger than Obama’s American Flag pin. Crap. Romney clearly loves America more.

@lauriewrites: Yelling “He’s SUCH A TOOLBAG” just now where I am may have been inappropriate, but I couldn’t help it. I need a nanny.

@Firedbigbird: Somewhere Paul Ryan is kicking over trash cans in hopes of smoking out Oscar the Grouch.

@Vruno: I am hearing Charlie Brown’s teacher’s voice each time Obama speaks tonight.

@Chrisrockoz: I wish Mitt Romney could figure out how to smile without looking like he’s at his mother-in-laws house for xmas dinner.

@mommyologist: Next time, they should get a mom to serve as a moderator. Just a suggestion.

@chaddarnell: Can we book Clint Eastwood’s chair to moderate next debate?

@JerseyTodd: Let’s be honest, watching Biden/Ryan debate is going to be like watching nascar just to see who crashes in the wall first.

@kate_childs: What did we learn during #debate? If you run a brand account (like @KitchenAidUSA) always check 3X if tweets are from work or personal handles.

And my own favorite?

@confessionsmom: Angry Birds’ creators scrambling to get Big Bird in a sling shot aimed at failed moderator structure #debate