Snow Days. . .

If you watch the news, read the paper, listen to the radio…you've heard that the East Coast has recently been pummeled by snow storms. I live in Richmond, VA in the heart of the pummeling zone. Yesterday morning my kids got in their carpool vehicle and proceeded carefully to school (on the OTHER side of town), a light snow was falling, but no accumulation was expected. Uh-huh. On the way to school, light snow turned into a full blown BLIZZARD. Snow was falling heavily and quickly. The wind was gusting 30-40mph. Upon arrival to school, my kids' carpool was denied entrance into the parking lot and told to "turn around, school is now closed." Therefore, putting my two 10 year olds, another 10 year old, a 6 year old, a 7 year old, and an 8 year old …along with their 30-something driver, BACK on the roads that the school was saying was too dangerous…..WTH? Those kids cover 3 families…..not only did we have to go into emergency mode to find care at 8:15am in the morning when EVERYONE in Richmond was losing their minds (the local public schools pulled the same trick, once kids were ALREADY on the buses)……but it put all the kids on the road AND their parents back on the road to come get them….in the heart of the storm. Well, needless to say, 2 hours later, and after a brief stint in a ditch, I arrived back home with 6 kids in tow. I remember now why I couldn't be Catholic…..sorry, but its true. They were all good and no big deals BUT 6 kids is A LOT of kids! And a lot of noise, and a lot of disagreements over what to do….and they couldn't go outside because they were all in school uniforms (no appropriate boots)….they were are great kids. I'm just not a great parent. I'm a good parent but obviously not a great one. Six is too much for me.

Okay, so 'nuff of that. But you had to have the back story to get the reason I write about Snow Days……they suck as far as my being able to "manage" my eating. Yesterday I had 1500 calories. So you're rolling your eyes right? I religiously watch my intake and stick around 1200. 300 calories difference. I'm not beating myself up. What I am doing is recognizing that I eat when I'm bored. Now….what to do. Of course, don't get bored. But there's a backup plan too….when I do get bored. The rule is nothing that I wouldn't eat away from home…. Yes, HOME is my weak spot to speak. At work, I plan my meals…I bring breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and even my beverages (hot tea mostly but occasionally a Coke Zero). Its all I have available…what I bring. At home, its like a buffet. It's a self control issue. I need to control that urge to stand in front of the pantry and see what's good and then think I will just walk away……so NO MORE standing at the pantry (or fridge).

Its amazing how posting like this works for me. I'm all worked up…and yet just typing it is what I need to move the plan into motion…..The stress, the concern all dissipates as I spell out what I'm going to do different. It's a huge release.

I will highlite the positives of yesterday though……..because I could have been worse. So I will applaud my accomplishments but I will also recognize my weaknesses….. I fixed the kids a deep dish DiGiorno cheese pizza….. PIZZA is my all time favorite food…..in a previous lifetime I would have said it is a perfect food….grains, veggies, protein(meat), dairy….how COULD it be bad? LOL…we all know it can and is mostly bad. I didn't even take a taste, no licks of the sauce off the pizza cutter, no drip of cheese…NOTHING! I had fish for lunch. But then again, I had an ice cream sandwich later when all the kids had one………… I had salad and chicken for dinner. And a small piece (2 oz) of tuna for snack.

We stumble, we fall, we get up and do it over until we learn how to not stumble. Wiping myself off today and not looking back.