What About Me?

What is the biggest challenge for moms in the whole world? It is trying to figure out who you are, apart from your children. That is a crazy idea, but, even if you have a baby, it's something that we all have to think about. You know why? Some day, if we do our job the right way and circumstances allow it, they will be on their way, and we will be "us" again. Yes, we'll always be their moms, but we will once again be on our own, with free time, (hopefully) some extra money, and we will be of legal age to do almost anything!

                                                                  Yup, even that.

So, let's start making a list of the things that we want to do now, but we know that if we were caught it would look bad and you would probably be labeled as a degenerate by the Parent Teacher Council (unless,of course, you have them in on the activities with you).

So, what will we be able to do when we are able to be ourselves? We can travel to exotic, not necessarily kid friendly locations

 I hadn't noticed old people crossing the road with their hands up each other's asses before. I'll be sure to look for it now.






We can try new and exciting foods, we can listen to as much hardcore, Gangsta rap as we want with our windows down and our systems up because you know what? We won't give a ___sorry, can't say it. The kids are still in the room.

You get the general idea.

We'll be older, but not too old, and we'll be ready to reclaim some of the youth we were so eager to put on the back burner in order to raise our children responsibly. This doesn't mean, though, that we have to get stale, boring, bland and overly mature. We can still laugh at potty humor. We can still get a little wild with our friends, we can still be us because, in the end, that is what our kids are going to remember. They are going to remember our little idiosyncrasies and the things that made us special to them. They're also going to remember all of the things that you did to permanently scar your children (mine are going to remember because I am keeping a running log for them-so that they can just hand that sucker over to their therapist some day). Just be you. Don't worry about being a super parent. be the best parent you can be. Because, when they are grown and on their own some day, you are going to be left with yourself. Isn't it easier to act a little foolish if you've always been kind of a goof ball? I think there's less to explain that way. They'll just say "Oh, that's mom, she's a little crazy," instead of "Goodness, Muffy, Mother seems to have stepped off the deep end, perhaps we should have an intervention. She is eating her ice cream before her dinner!"

This picture has nothing to do with anything, but it makes me giggle. And that, my friends, is why I am a good, authentic parent.

Sibling Rivalry

So...it's been nearly a year since I have done anything with this blog, and I have missed it. However, life has been busy, I've been busy and I haven't been able to get going with my writing again...until now. You see, my sister started a really good blog. I mean really good. It's here. So, naturally, I had to start blogging again, because God Damn it, she CANNOT beat me at something else!

Me and my sister, before it all went to Hell.

You see, my sister, whom I love very much, is also my nemesis. She is my nemesister, if you will. I am older than her by 2 1/2 years, and ahead of her by one year in school. We are friends, we are sisters, and we HATED each other when we were growing up. Now, I hear you asking, "Why did you hate such a talented, smart, wonderful kid like Stephanie?" Do you really want to know why? We hated each other because we were always competing. Not only were we always competing, but she always won! In my eyes, that was just not right. I was older. I was tougher. But, somehow, she was smarter and just plain better at everything.
This wasn't like a friendly competition. Oh, no. This was a no holds-barred, balls out, two will enter and only one will leave type of competition.

Actual D'Orsay Family Christmas Photo

My favorite (translation: most mortifying) experience happened when she went to some math class in High School and her teacher (who had been my teacher the year before) told her that he didn't think that she belonged in that class, that it was too hard for her...because he thought she was me! It turns out that he would have been right. I can see that now. I laughed at the time but it wasn't that real laugh. Now I laugh about it for real...uh-huh... sure I do.

No, really, I do. You know why? A few years ago, I figured out that my sister wasn't the root of all evil. She wasn't even the root of a little bit of it. She was just a cute kid who worked a whole lot harder than I did on most things. She was always studying. She was always practicing. She was always working. I was not. I made a choice in school to do fine but not to really push myself because, honestly, my social life was much more important to me than anything else. It's just one of many lessons I wish I could go back and slap my stupid self silly in high school. I would say "Look, stupid, you have chosen to go out, have a lot of fun, goof off and do your best in school-as long as it doesn't interfere with your social life. That's okay. It's going to work out just fine for you. But don't get mad at your sister because she is willing to work harder. Be proud of her."

Now I am. I also have two children. Two little daughters who are 3 1/2 years apart. I see the seeds of sibling rivalry starting to germinate. I know that it's going to raise it's ugly head soon, and I hope that we can all make it without too many cage match type fights. Until then, I'll just prepare the cage, set admission prices, and get ready to RUMBLE!

Love you, Steph. And, since you love clowns so much, this one is for you.

I'm sorry I was such a bastard to you for so many years, but at least we can laugh about it. Now, look at those clown faces again.

Home Made Whole-Wheat Thin Crust Pizza-From Scratch- For LAZY People!

I love home made pizza. I love thin crust pizza. I hate recipes that require a lot of hard work.
That is where this recipe comes in. It is easy, tastes great and makes a great pizza. It is a basic KitchenAid pizza dough recipe but with a few additions.
You'll need:
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 cup warm water
2 1/2-3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1-2 tbsp. Olive Oil
Garlic and Herb seasonings (or fresh, diced garlic and herbs if you prefer) to taste.
Possibly 1-2 tbsp. warm water if the dough looks too dry.

Let the Yeast "bloom" in the Cup of water (I usually warm up the mixing bowl a little bit by running it under the warm tap for a few seconds. Then I put the yeast in the bowl, add the warm water, and let it sit). Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour and mix on low (again, I use a Kitchenaid Mixer because I am lazy) but you can mix or knead by hand. Mix for a few minutes. Add in Garlic and Herb seasonings and olive oil. Mix until dough until the dough forms a ball around your dough hook. I generally have to add a tbsp. of warm water to make sure the dough is just sticky enough to form a nice ball but not too wet. 90% of your dough (at least) should be attached to the ball around your dough hook.
Voila! You have pizza dough! Let it rise in a greased bowl with a lint-free towel over the top for an hour or until doubled.
PUNCH THAT DOUGH after an hour. It feels good and my daughter loves helping me with this part. Coat your pizza pan or cookie sheet with a little bit of olive oil and some cornmeal. Roll your dough out as thin as you can. Top with sauce (or, my favorite, a little bit of olive oil and some finely chopped garlic) and cheese/other toppings to taste!

Why First-Time Moms Lose Their Minds

It's the truth! This video (courtesy of Mompetition on YouTube) so perfectly lays out the path for first time moms to go absolutely insane! Watch this one-and then watch every other video she's done-they are all brilliant.

Yoga Pants or Sweat Pants?

Isn't that the great question for so many stay at home moms? I know, when I go to the bus stop there are three groups of moms.
1. People who work outside of the home during the day. You can tell they do because they are wearing real clothes. You know, clothes that look clean, make an outfit, and make the people look like professionals, adults, not slobs.
2. Sweat Pant wearing moms (this includes people in pajama pants, too). Generally they are wearing some sort of large sweat shirt (typically a Men's size) and a T-shirt with a Disney character on it.
3. Yoga pant wearing moms: (also other types of athletic pants not to include wind pants.) Usually work out or like to give the appearance of working out right after the bus leaves.

I am not a sweat pant wearing mom because I don't like sweat pants. I am, however, often times a yoga pant wearing mom and occasionally a real clothes wearing mom. I am always amazed by how much better I feel if I actually get ready, have real clothes on and feel "put together" for my day when I go to the bus stop. Sometimes, I'll change into jeans and a nice top just for the bus stop (because, let's face it, as a stay at home mom there are some days when that's the only time I get out of the house or see other adults all day!) just to come home, change into my workout clothes, and get my sweat on.

It's interesting how, when I was working outside of the home, I never would have gone "out," even to the bus stop, in my yoga pants. I really put much more emphasis on feeling and looking good because I felt more like it mattered. And, in some ways, it did matter more. I'm not going to be written up because I look like a slob when I'm cleaning the tub or changing diapers, but I would at least be talked to if I showed up to facilitate a meeting in a dirty t-shirt, un-showered and wearing yoga pants.
However, that's where I am now. In some ways, I like my new "uniform," and I love this job. I like wearing comfy clothes, having the relative freedom to structure my day, do my work in my pj's if I want to, and to play with my youngest daughter while the oldest is in school. However, a part of me yearns for the "old" me-who wore makeup and jewelry, had nice work clothes, did my hair, and got raises. Maybe that's a new part of my goals for 2011. Keep working out, keep eating healthy, get more organized, and wear real clothes to the bus stop in the morning.

My Dog...

My dog is not a genius. I've known this from the beginning, when she was a puppy, but I never really realized just how dumb she is until a few weeks ago.
Now, to preface this story, my dog is really sweet, excellent with the children and generally well behaved. She was house trained really quickly, doesn't bark a lot and makes us happy. She's also 8 years old and
A few weeks ago we bought a stake to put in the ground with a 30 foot leash attached. We decided to do this so that she could go out, do her business (which is getting more frequent as she gets older) and come in without me having to take her out all day long.
Our house sits in the middle of what we affectionately call "the moat." Our house is on a raised plot of land with woods around it. The woods are lower than the house and in the spring they tend to get very wet. Our dog run is long enough for our dog to get into the woods and around a tree or two. These are very small trees.
So here's the situation. Last Sunday I let my dog out. She quickly twisted her leash around the trees and started barking for me. I went out to get her. I pulled her back around the tree and she was completely amazed that I knew how to get her out of such a horrible predicament. We did this three more times that afternoon and each time, she looked at me like I was a wizard as I brought her around that tree.
I looked back at her, after my third rescue, completely flabbergasted. "Ellie!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air, "I love you but I don't believe you can really be that stupid!" She jumped around, wagged her tail, and ran inside.
My husband got home, let her out, and she tied herself around the tree again. He was the magician this time.
Since I started writing this blog entry, about a month has passed. Ellie still is getting tied up around the trees, rocks, pieces of bamboo, you name it. I've now given up the hope that if I show her how to free herself, she'll figure it out. I still love her, I just won't be relying on her for any rescues or great demonstrations of logic in the future.

Addressing Excuses

Since starting with P90 in January, moving onto P90X in April and now working through Insanity, I've had many people ask me what I do. When I tell them (I eat a healthy diet, work out 6 days per week and keep pushing through and challenging my body) they either say

1: Cool, I've wanted to try (insert program here) for a while. How do I get it?

or

2: I could never do that because (insert excuse here).

1. "I don't have time to exercise." Then I say: Yes you do! How much time do you spend sitting on the couch every night watching TV? If you cut out one show per night (30-60 minutes) you could make major changes to your life and energy level.
2. "I don't have the energy to exercise. I'm so tired when I get home from work." Then I say: The amazing thing about changing your diet to be cleaner and adding in regular exercise is that you find energy that you didn't realize you ever had. You will sleep better at night, you will be able to focus your brain better, and you will reduce your stress levels.
3. "I could never follow a diet plan. I'm too busy and/or I have kids" I say: You do have time. Not only do you spend more money on your fast food lunches (that rob you of precious energy and leave you feeling more lethargic than before) but you spend time getting to the restaurant and waiting for them to deep fry your food and remove all semblance of nutrients in them. You can easily prepare a nutritious, tasty, balanced meal in advance and even save money. Best of all, Beachbody programs come with nutrition plans which lay out for you all of the options, recipes and even have guides for eating at restaurants. If you really want to make it simple on yourself, try Shakeology. You'll get amazing results, it tastes great, and it's actually good for you. Also, your kids will eat what you give them if that is their only option. Don't give them the option of junk food. Give them two or three healthy choices and tell them that's what they can choose from. They will eat better because they'll get hungry eventually ;)
4. "It's too expensive." Small picture here: Eating at restaurants, monthly gym memberships, constantly feeling tired/depressed/unhappy with your body, spending money on "gadgets" to fix the problem for you, and so many other aspects of being unhealthy are far more draining on your wallet and your psyche than simply pressing play in your own home, working out and eating clean. Big picture: In the long run, you will save money because you will imporove your health. Therefore, you will be at a lower risk for Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. You will have more energy and feel better about yourself. You will sleep better, you will get more regular and you'll want to keep the momentum going. Also, you can become a Team Beachbody member and get 10% off or become a Coach and get 25% off. So, it's really not that expensive after all!

Trust me- once you get past your own objections (these were the excuses I used to make to myself all the time) you'll be able to help people overcome theirs, too!

Have a great day and let's get active!