Blame it on covid. Blame it on being a mom of two who are in very different stages in life. But I don’t know where I fit right now on my career path. Last year was amazing for me, this year I feel lost. In an effort to get back to feeling like myself & knowing where I’m going, I’ve made two priorities for the rest of the year: one is to get back to doing mini fitness challenges- the other is to get back to hand lettering. These two things help keep my creative juices flowing & make me a better mom & trainer. For the month of October I will be posting mini challenges 6 days a week in a rotating booty, arms, abs format- (baabaa) with one day of rest. The videos will be posted here and on my instagram stories.
One of my most favorite things to make is a sweet potato hash with brussel sprouts & bacon. Here’s my how to!
In a wok start by frying up some bacon. Now we looooooove bacon in our house so I do a whole package. I’ve played with doing less & it’s just not as satisfying. I fry it up with a little garlic & butter in the pan & Trader Joe’s everyday seasoning generously put on top. When it’s almost done cooking, i drain out some of the fat- not all. Then i chuck in 2 sweet potatoes cut up. Once they’re almost done, i toss in cut up brussel sprouts. For both the potatoes & sprouts, the smaller the chunks, the faster they cook. Once everything is close to done, i whisk up soy sauce, honey & shiracha. I get a little more liberal with the honey & hot sauce depending on mood. That gets poured on top & stirred up for a few minutes & boom! It’s amazing on its own or i love it as leftovers with a fried egg on top♥️
Ive never felt so torn about where I’m supposed to be. Drawn to work because it’s what I’m passionate about but with so few clients coming into the building still, it feels….. lackluster? I want to be with my family, cook them delicious meals, talk & play, be there for bed time & snuggles. But what about the human part of me? The part that doesn’t fall under the mom category? The part that craves human interaction, drinks with friends, quiet time alone? Can each piece of me be torn away in turn to have itself fulfilled? Or is now just the season of the mom. The season where I sneak away in tiny bits to satisfy the part of me that needs something other than the love of tiny humans. Don’t get my wrong, watching them grow is incredible. But to be a good mom, I need to feel strong (workouts), I need to feel at peace (quiet time), I need to be fun (adult adventure), and I need to be centered (organized). These are difficult things to do right now. Moms are being forced into a real SAHM role- there’s less help from friends & family, less interaction outside the home, less play dates, less child centered adventure that helped to ease some of the anxiety & isolated vibe that is being a mom right now. Corona took & keeps taking things from us. I didn’t choose to work so little- but it works well for my son. I didn’t want to send my daughter to school with a mask on- that shouldn’t be her kindergarten experience, but she is so damn excited to get on that bus every day. Corona is taking people’s lives, their livelihoods & changing life experiences. I did not think I would see something like this in my life. And I don’t think we will know the full ramifications of it for a very long time. It’s effect on mental health, and physical. I have been dealing with a health saga but getting someone to watch my son so I can go to appointments starts to feel crippling. When Rowan was his age she just came with me everywhere. She would nurse wherever & we would have grand days. Because Arthur has only know pandemic/quarantine life, he has decided he really only wants to nurse at home, in the comfort of our rocking chair, with the white noise on & no distractions. None of those baby phases will last long. I know that. I will stop feeling trapped, isolated & lost eventually. But right now, as much as i do my best to focus into the good, positive & happy, these memories will also be tainted by anxiety & loneliness.
There’s a woman at the gym that i cross paths with often. And by often i mean pretty much daily. Our daughters are similar in age. We both nursed until they were 2. She is so dedicated, constantly training. We talk in passing about her workouts, and in a non professional sense- i just listen usually because she has methods she likes to stick to. But she came to me a few months ago burnt the fuck out. Life & training had her down, and she wasn’t getting the results she wanted. I listened. And i said, you are someone else inspiration, take a break or make a change if you need it, but don’t you spend your time comparing yourself to someone else’s results. We parted ways and went back to our normal exchanges. Yesterday, as we swam with our girls out of coincidence, she made a point to thank me for my words. Because it helped remind her to keep going.
Confidence is something we build from the inside. It’s not in a high heel or a new lipstick or perfect arms. It’s in you. Your light shining through. No one else’s. We are all so different and it needs to be embraced, not fought.
After i had Rowan, i learned to care differently. Not less or more. Just a change in direction. I no longer cared as much what i looked like, but rather how i felt. I no longer cared as much who i was with, but how they treated me. I lost my ability to give fucks about things like sleep, no matter how much i miss it, because time is different now. I hope to high heaven that i live to be a hundred and get to watch every part of her life unfold, but if i don’t, i care about her so deeply, that she will always know how much she is loved. I don’t care about going places, as much as i care about the experience we have while we are there. I don’t care so much about perfect pictures as i do about capturing moments i want to keep forever. I just care differently now.
Our world turned upside down last June. It’s been almost a year and i am overwhelmed with emotions. Grief is so consuming. My heart is broken for the loss in our family. I am sad and so very angry. My husband will never be the same. I’m overcome by selfish pain because my focus has been to care for my husband and sweet girl. As we come up on the anniversary, i am so filled with fear. Of losing my own husband. I spoke this weekend with a dear friend about how fucked up it is that i would never fear to lose him to another woman, but instead to the hands of death. I need him here. I still don’t understand how any of it has happened. I want to write a book called The Outsiders Grief. My loss is nothing compared to my sister in law, my mother in law, my husband, his sister. But it is here. It is a weight that flipped the world upside down. My daughter won’t know one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever met. I want to lay on the floor for a week. I want to turn back time more than anything. But i can’t. And it so consuming. Maybe if i wrote the book this summer, it would allow me some peace. A cathartic release about this journey. Life will never be the same. But i have to do something. I cannot sit and let it fester. Our lives have got to continue forward. Our marriage has become stronger. We have learned to speak, to understand, to ask for what we need. To give each other space but still hold on so tightly. It’s so consuming right now. I keep feeling like i am on a train track running next to the rest of the family- trying to keep mine running smoothly (and struggling to) while i race along next to them. I can see them all struggling as well, but i never have the right words. Are there “right” words after death? Is there any salve to calm such an extensive hurt. We have the ability to be so thankful that we were given the chance to know someone so wonderful. To carry them with us. To honor them. My donut obsession is an homage to my grandfather who made my life so wonderful. He died over 15 years ago and i still cry for the loss. That was a different kind of traumatic death. Not like this. This is different. Being a wife, a sister, a daughter in law is a journey in itself. But to struggle through loss and never feel like you know how to act or know what to say is….. something that drives my anxiety to a point where my body feels electrified. I will continue to do my best. To breathe. To find ways to be there, and care in my own way. Even if it feels like I’m on the outside of the window…. somehow it’s raining on both sides, and it feels like my umbrella just won’t open right now. The best i can do is the best i can do. I’m sending love to those falling through grief, struggling to breathe. Get up again, find joy after the tears. Let the water wash away the pain and then honor the life. Keep going.
Why does dinner have to be such a thing? Like planning it, shopping for it, making it, cleaning up after it. Such an ordeal. I’ve been trying to make it a little easier because I’m not always home for it and I don’t like leftovers. I found at least one recipe that reheats well for a spring pasta:
And added goat cheese & pasta to this mix of chicken, mushrooms, asparagus, and tomatoes. I know I’m not the only mom out there struggling. Not just with food. I know I’m not the only woman out there struggling. And it’s not just dinner. It’s a bad anxiety cycle right now.
One positive thing I’m going to do for myself is get rid of all my jeans that make me feel bad about myself and go thru the horror of buying new. I never wear them, partially because I have none that flatter me. Is that because there’s something wrong with me or my body? No. (Alright there are lots of things wrong with my body but they are pain related not butt 😂) the world makes jeans for my shape. I just have to find them. So if you’re out there and have a brand of jeans you love, tell me. If you have a recipe that’s making your week, share it. 💗
Hi hi! I posted the video to insta and can always post again but my favorite series to open the rib cage is:
Childs Pose -walk hands to each side, push into the hip as you reach away.
Cat & Cow 3x each- wiggle and play to find the space you need.
Thread the needle- think about drawing your shoulder blades away from your spine as you twist.
Down Dog
Sphinx (with belly lift) use your cat/cow mentality but with your hips and legs staying on the floor. Your navel should lift away as you tuck your chin, pressing your spine up between your shoulder blades and then press the hips down as you lift your head back up.
Scorpion chest release- your leg becomes your scorpion tail, do this one once with the arms straight and once with elbows bent at 90 straight out from shoulder or slightly below.
Childs pose
Take your time, breathe deeply 3 times into each pose. Listen to your body and modify where you need!
It’s May first! I’m using it as a chance for a fresh start. Tomorrow, I will not only make food for my daughter. I will do more than drink coffee. Even if I’m not feeling well (I don’t usually do well in the morning with food) I will make myself a smoothie. I will get myself to eat and eat healthy foods. They are right here in the house. There is no reason I care for everyone else and then just leave myself to the wind. I deserve to be cared for too. So that’s what this is about. This challenge is to better care for yourself. If your long term goal is to lose weight, maybe that means you choose to eat out less during this challenge. Or drink less alcohol. One big thing? Get some better sleep. No laying in bed with the TV on or your phone being checked. Let your body have some down time this month. Be kind to yourself! Don’t worry, I want you to choose to workout too- so if that’s where your motivation is lacking, make that part of your month. Let your choices be driven by your hopes and goals. Take a picture of yourself today. Send it to me. When the challenge is over, we are going to compare the people, the one you were, and the one you became through better habits, and more happiness.
wellnessbyirish 