The First Law of Life (as a Consultant's Wife)

Let's just acknowledge the First Law of Life as a Consultant's Wife. And that is if ANYTHING is going to go wrong at home base, it will happen the moment your husband's plane loses touch with the runway. You will find yourself alone. Alone with that clogged toilet. Alone with that freak radiation experiment sized cockroach in the shower. Alone with the kid who's eardrum chooses to burst the week that you also don't have a car to drive. ALONE.

If you can get in touch with your husband, he will be sympathetic, ask if everything is ok. then say he will call you after his luncheon at some very exclusive restaurant with the client.

click...dial tone...FUCK.

But do not despair. This is your moment. This is when true strength is discovered. It is time to spin around in your best Linda Carter imitation, and feel yourself transformed into a daughter of Isis (strapless one piece not required, mega toilet plunger helpful). When it's just you and the toilet, there is no point in crying. it's time to roll up the sleeves and dive in.

the not so glamorous life of a consultants wife

this is the working title of my first book. It will include important chapters like:

* How to unclog a toilet.
* Killing giant spiders and wood cockroaches
* AND using a power drill.

Also you won't want to miss:

* Puke your guts out and still make dinner for the kids!
* What to do when your husband is stuck in NYC for the weekend due to a cancelled flight, and you get spend the weekend taking kids to various activities alone!

And the always helpful chapter on what to say when:

* someone says "wow, that must be hard" when they hear how much your husband travels.
* a 2 parent family asks you to carpool their kid to practice, because their schedule is "busy".

This book will be available soon! As soon as I find the time to write it.

kayaking the hudson

It's never an easy thing finding cheap deals in the city, but this summer we are on a QUEST. Easily one of the most fun find has been kayaking on the Hudson. There are 3 push off points, and we went to the one over on Houston. The Kayak club provides life vests, kayaks and paddles for FREE!!! and you get to paddle around in the relative safety of one of the little pier inlets. When a big boat goes by the river - the waves come into the little pier and create a little thrill :) I kept my eyes on the skyline to keep from getting sea sick - crazy how much a kayak sways in the water. And before you leave and head out for the pier just know that you have to know how to swim in order to participate. go, it's a cool experience, there were no lines and did I mention it is FREE.

home sweet Homage

went to the Smith street festival this weekend. It looked way bigger than last year - lots more vendors. We saw a couple of our favorite vendors there, Brooklyn Revolution (Z got a Bob Marley and a Frida Kahlo shirt) and an artist that we all really like - sorry, don't know his name. But he makes paintings of little monsters in jars. Z has a small collection of his work.

One of our most favorite shops on Smith Street is Homage Skate Shop. This place is like home and the people that run it, treat you like family. Both my kids and BD got their skateboards there. The kids had theirs made specifically for them. The Homage shop sells all the gear you need for skate boarding, has a shop to assemble boards, and a juice bar to keep you hydrated and healthy. My kids took skate lessons there last summer. Homage continues to do awesome things in the community. If you are in NY I would highly recommend checking it out and meeting the family :) http://www.homagebrooklyn.com/

winners rule! losers...freeze to death.

Big Daddy's is having a special today and tomorrow - buy a breakfast get one free from 9-11a. AND they are showing the world cup! we showed up just in time for the breakfast schedule and watched the italy slovakia game in mixed company of both Slovakia and Italy fans. pretty intense :) It was so much fun watching the game with other people. The excitement was palpable (or maybe it was a chocolate high from that super yummy frozen hot chocolate concoction i drank?)I think we will head back tomorrow!

After the game we swung over to the American Museum of Natural History. We went into the Journey to the End of the Earth exhibit. We got to follow the Norwegian and British Polar teams as they raced to be the first to get to the south pole. the exhibit was well done and kept us in suspense as to which team reached the South Pole first. Personally, I really enjoyed the exhibit and it kind of reminded me of playing Oregon trail but with real people. Check it out -

ny transit authority

the kids and i ventured into downtown Brooklyn today. We stopped into the NY transit museum which is located right off of the Hoyt Schemerhorn stop on the G line. The Museum was small but so cute! i think it would work for a wide variety of ages. You entered the museum as though you were going down into the subway. The first level contains the tranist museum store, and a section i really enjoyed on the history of how the subway system was created. the lower level has the coolest display of antique subway cars. train cars from the early 1900's up through the 1960's were on display and open for exploring. the kids really had a great time going into the trains and checking out the differences between the years past.

the transit museum is a definite must visit when exploring brooklyn. check it out.

day 12 - did i miss a day???

ok. i'm going to be honest. i totally spaced day 11. i know it was there, but wtf. i did make spaghetti, but was so tired from work and writing this paper that i did not make a sauce, in fact i had 2 bites of plain spaghetti noodles then went to bed. i know, i didn't get all of my vitamins and good leafy greens and stuff. but i was wiped. and so day 11 passed by without much hurrah.

day 12 started off not so great either. i got to work and realized that my yogurt was bad. i tried to eat it anyway, but it was gross. and i forgot to buy strawberries, so i had 2 sausage links for breakfast. i know. i suck at this.

BUT ----I'm cutting myself some slack - because i've been eating a TON of veggies. I snack on celery and peppers daily. and i've laid off the sweets.

you know what i need that would REALLY make this work for me? my own private chef. and a nutritionist. i'm ok with a nutritionist/chef combo. maybe i should quit subbing and just prepare these meals for people. that will be my job. i'll prepare these healthy meals for people and deliver them to your work. then you can eat healthy, and i can eat healthy and you can pay me. win win win. love it.

i accept paypal. thanks.

day 9 & 10

i know...i'm behind a day. but I have been working my patooti-ta off on my paper for history. so cut me some slack. :)

yesterday and today - i'm actually doing really well. it's becoming second nature to pack a quick snack of veggies. i'm not obsessing over sugar. i think that i have been "reprogrammed", at least for now. Do i think this experiment was worth it? absolutely. do i think you should try it? you have nothing to lose, except some bad eating habits :)

my update - i have not lost any more weight since the first 3 days, but i do seem to be losing inches. to be honest, i did not work out my first 3 days, because i felt like CRAP (carb/sugar crash is not something to take lightly). i did get back to a regular activity level by the 4th day. i did a little research last night and learned that i may be turning my "fat" into "muscle". the lack of sugar and carbs in my diet have forced my body to burn fat. i guess when i was eating so much sugar my body was burning the excess glucose and not fat. so depriving my body of sugar is helping my body to burn the right stuff :) SCORE!

day 8

i'm proud of myself. i am subbing today and before i left the house i made my breakfast, snack and lunch. ofcourse, i did not do exactly what is on the menu - but i did prepare things that were on previous menus. chopping up veggies is pretty quick and I'm glad i took the 20 seconds to do it.

i've been feeling good. i haven't lost any more weight, but I am good with that. my clothes fit with a little more room and my energy level is up. what is my greatest accomplishment is that i am able to say no to sweets much more easily now. i have also started to recognize all the places that we consume sugar that aren't obvious - in our cereal, condiments, marinades etc.

the kids eat many of these meals with me. they have some favorites. this healthy life experiment has been good for them too. while cutting out carbs is not really an option for them right now, since they are growing and so active, it is beneficial for them to acknowledge just how much sugar they consume when eating snacks or having that occasional soda. i don't want to make them food obsessed, but i do want to make eating healthy a natural part of who they are.

day 7

ok. since friday i have done a crappy job of eating all the food i am supposed to be eating. i've been skipping meals/snacks and not eating in the correct amounts (more veggies than protein etc). i have not gained any weight (for those of you that are reading to see if one will gain weight once off this diet) but i also have not lost any. so take from that what you will. but note that while i had not been eating all of my meals/snacks I continued to make healthy choices when i did eat.

ok. day 7 - let's do this...


holy cow - how am i going to eat all this food?

day 6

went out for brunch today. made another great choice - a salad with chicken and vinegar and oil as a dressing. :)

not feeling hungry, but still had a snack of celery and cheese (not what was on the menu - but i'm doing an awful job following it right now so i am just trying to make some healthy choices on my own until tomorrow when i'm back on the prescribed plan).

i can't believe it's day 6 and this experiment is half over. I'm feeling great and am excited to see where I am at the end of next week.

Stride gum has become my ever present companion. It helps when i'm having a carb crash in the afternoon. And if i ever get hunger pains (honestly, this has only happened today when I am not on the prescribed menu) then i know that a handful of almonds will quiet my tummy and i won't feel bad about it afterwards.

the menu plan as prescribed by myhealthylife really feeds you ALOT and at times i wondered if i was overeating, cuz i would spend the days stuffed. but my sugar cravings were lessening and i started to drop weight. so weird. i can eat a lot of the "good" foods and get full and still drop pounds.

rode my bike today. love being out.

day 5

it's getting easier. woohoo!!! I feel good, my energy level is back up and I'm starting to notice the times I crave sugar - under stress and late afternoon.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

a healthier me

so the question has come up as to whether or not I need to lose weight. and i thought i would post my answer here, because i think it's an important topic.

Diabetes is prevelant on both sides of my family, and has been declared by the CDC as an epidemic in the hispanic population. Type 2 diabetes is preventable, through diet and exercise. At my last check up i noticed that my blood glucose level was dangerously close to 99 which is the level to be considered prediabetic. I spoke with my doctor about my concerns and decided that i needed to change my eating habits.

my decision to try out "my healthy life" came about after a chat with my cousin Melissa who explained the program to me. The idea of changing my eating habits, and getting rid of "white" foods had been on my todo list for years, and she was offering me that opportunity through her new program. i figured i had nothing to lose, and so went for it.

to focus on weight loss would be short sighted. I understand that by reducing the amount of refined foods in my diet that weight loss could result. But that is not my ultimate goal. I will never be 97lbs again, but then I will never be 24 years old again, and i'm ok with that. I just want to live a healthy life, and I'm taking steps to make that happen.

thanks for your support.

xoxo- me

day 4

I spent most of last night and today obsessing over my paper which is a change in the positive direction.

I did have a minor panic attack when I was asked out to lunch today. I decided that i would not be that girl sitting in the corner counting her weight watchers points, so I dove in and tried to make a healthy choice all by myself ( like a big girl - yay!). I think I did a pretty good job. cuz really, I have to learn how to do this on my own. can't spend the rest of my life having Missy tell me what I to eat ;).

did I mention I'm typing this on my phone? Internet is still down. ugh!!!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

day 3-

woke up in a much better mood today. headache seems to be gone and I feel a little more awake. yay!

this mornings breakfast was ok. I thought yesturday's was better.

when I was in yoga teacher training we would do "cleanses". and one thing I remember is that going through a cleanse could bring up lots of shit. this detox is doing the same. I've had to really face bit only my bad eating habits, but the emotions and feelings that come along with those unhealthy choices.

the hardest part has been bringing my "monkey mind" back into control. interesting how the mind will try to rationalize bad behavior.

going to do a little yoga now. :)

----around 2p I crash and start craving sweets. whenever a stressful situation arises I crave sweets. hmmm....

----Zoe's club practice was cancelled tonight :). that meant I was able to make dinner earlier than usual.

I'm feeling a ton better and I am hoping that I start getting my energy back. I miss kickboxing and really want to get on my bike.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

day 2

laugh if you want, but i don't know how to boil an egg. thank goodness for google.

last night i had a dream that i was eating lemonheads, and baking cookies. it was the most lovely dream ever.

just looked at todays menu - argh. ok. gonna give it a try.

----breakfast. yum! who would have thought? i am aware that part of my issue is that when i like something, i eat it until i'm sick. having other people with me on this healthy living journey puts on a little peer pressure to stick to the allotted serving sizes. ok - now for my water...

----did I mention that I am in the crappiest mood ever??? I have had a headache since yesturday, and I'm highly irritable. I've been a little snappy (read as a little more than snippy) and not my usual self.

I went for a walk today at ayr mount in h'boro. not a far walk and by no means difficult, but I had a hard time with it. I didn't have the energy and struggled with any inclines. I usually have a pretty high activity level and like to bike and hike but I just don't have the energy. ugh. there has to be a better solution.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

day one

----noon - not hungry so that is good since i have to go to the market to get my afternoon cheese snack. drank a whole bottle of water which makes trips away from home a little challenging. will i pee my pants in the checkout line??? maybe i'll wear a skirt to the store.

---- just had my snack. not sure if it's cool to lick the cheese wrapper. i did it anyway.

----lunch: none of my veggies fit into my pita. either i had too much turkey, or too small a pita. in any case, it was a substantial lunch consisting of mainly veggies. i'm full, and a little worried that i haven't felt really hungry yet.

- not hungry but craving something sweet so bad!!!! ugh!!!

- right about now i'm thinking this detox thing is a stupid idea and i should just make some cookies.

broccoli was SUPER yummy tonight. forgot to make the rice - so didn't have my grains.

yay!!! one day down!!! i better get to bed before i am tempted to snack.

my not so healthy life

it wouldn't be too far fetched to say that I love sweets. always have, and always will. but it's time for me to gain some control in this relationship, cuz right now, i am sugar's bitch, and that's not a good thing.

this morning i ate an omelet with veggies and toast. a change from my usual banana and yogurt. i need more veggies in my life, so this could be good. :)

i'm dreaming about a spoonful of cherry preserves.