Back into the routine!

Okay...so I was doing pretty well at working out regularly when I returned home from Europe at the end of August!!!  I'll be honest (I typically am here...duh...who would lie on a blog...and WHY?!?!?!), there were some motivators present to kick my butt into gear...

• my brother ran the Chicago marathon a few weeks back (finished under 4 hours...crazy runner dude!) and was way into the running habit 
• my "dress pants" aren't quite buttoning the way I'd like them too
• my arms are a little more jelly-ish then they were when I left 
• I didn't actually work out ALL summer
• Dave and I ate french bread (DAILY!!!!!)
• oh...I could certainly go on...

So, I was doing really well, working with a trainer and such (she's AWESOME and totally kicks my booty!!!!) and was losing the lbs and feeling better...and then I got sick...and then lazy!   

But lazy no more!!!

I've decided that I have a bunch of races coming up that I officially registered (AND PAID) for...I want to keep setting PRs and quickening my time!  And the best way to do that is to try and start a habit!  Just last night I was talking with a big time work out friend of mine and he said it takes about 90 days to form a habit...so looks like 1 down 89 to go before this working out thing starts to feel right and normal to me!

A sampling of my races:

• Hot Chocolate 5K (with the brother)
• Hoofin' for Hardy 5K (with co-workers...benefits a scholarship for a student that passed away)
• Palatine Turkey Trot 2 miler (with the brother...ran the 5 miler last year...going for a shorter race this time around...lots of family drinking to do that night!)
• Arlington Heights Rotary Santa Run 5K (with the brother)  

Today was a great motivator at the gym.  I hadn't been in a few weeks due to illness (and let's face it...laziness)...so to say I was nervous would be an understatement.  But Annamarie quickly got me back in the swing of things and I was pretty pleased with how well my body responded.  I'm much looking forward to take a few classes a week and just simply toning up for Christmas!  I was thinking...hmmm...most people set resolutions AFTER the holidays...well, not this girl!  I already set mine and I intend to keep them up to, through AND following the holiday season!  I'm hoping to come up with some workouts that I can a)do at home b)do on vacation (away from the gym) c)I enjoy doing so that I'll want to do them more.

The next step in my plan is to work on my diet...this will be my most difficult challenge! I LOVE SWEETS and fried foods...I think I may have to write out my meal plan for the week and go shopping for fresh fruits/veggies weekly and give myself a "cheater" day once a week so that I don't feel like I am cutting it all out at once!  Oh the decisions!  But I have some cute wintery clothes that I'd like to wear again this winter!

Motivation has begun...and now it's public...so I feel like I have to stick to it a little more!  :)  Thanks!!!  

Paid to do what I LOVE!!!

I truly feel blessed that I found a career that I absoutely LOVE!!!  I know that not many people can say that they truly enjoy or even really like what they do, so knowing that I wouldn't change what I do for anything is a unique feeling.  I know a lot of people who think teaching is easy or simple and that we get like 1000 random days off and don't have to work during the summer...but really...they couldn't be more WRONG!  Sure we get fun days off like Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, MLK Jr. Day, etc. off and we have 2 weeks at Christmas, a week in the Spring and 8 weeks in the summer but we (well the majority of us!) honestly work so hard when we are at work that those days are well deserved!  Think about the day in the life of a teacher for a second:

• Wake up...between 4-6am depending on the school/where you live in relation to the school
• Get to school (before it starts!!!) 7am
• Make sure you have everything you need (if you don't there's probably a 10-15 minute wait already for the copy machine because OTHER people didn't have what they needed either!)
• Start class (we start at 7:30...this doesn't mean get your coffee, check the news headlines, read the paper, chat with co-workers, check e-mail, etc.  This means we are up in front of 25-32 sleepy-eyed high school students...trying to get them involved in what we are doing!!!)  We go to extreme measures to get students involved at times!  :)
• Continue with classes on and off for the next 8 hours!  On a daily basis we have contact with over 120 students!  Each decision we make, everything we say, affects how the students will think/feel/respond/etc. 
• School ends at 2:45...then it's on to planning/grading/coaching/sponsoring/etc. well into the night for some of us!  (On Wednesday I got to school around 6:45am and left for the night around 8:30pm....long hours but I wouldn't change it...it was a great/productive/fun day!)
• THEN...some teachers have to go home to full time job #2...being a parent.  Although I'm not there yet, I plan to be some day...so that includes
• a little play time
• dinner
• walk in the park (okay I guess not EVERY night...but the nice ones for sure!)
• bath
• start bed time
• clean up from dinner
• couple time 
• And then we get to do it all over again the next day!

Teaching isn't a job that you can actually leave at the office!  It definitely comes home with you.  I am constantly thinking about my students and what some of them are going through while I'm at home.  We bring home grading, projects, curriculum ideas, etc. and spend some of our "home" or "family" time consumed with work stuff.  But we do it because we love it...not because we have to do it! 


Now let's talk about summer...it is NOT just a vacation.  (Hahaha...if you've been following my blog since it started you'd probably beg to differ...but really it's not!)  We do so much FOR SCHOOL during the summer it's not even funny.  We plan our curriculum, meet with teachers throughout the district for each course, rearrange plans, etc.


BUT I LOVE WHAT I DO!!!!!!  And who I do it with!  So, my FCS Family at FHS...I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!  (And those that don't teach at FHS but teach regardless!!!)

Finally Fall! :)

Again with the Fall posting?!?!  You got it!!!  That just goes to show how much I truly love this season!  That...and of course the fact that it is OFFICIALLY my birthday MONTH!!!  :)  YEAH!!!!!  We, in the midwest, have definitely been blessed with some fantastic weather thus far as far as the season goes.  I can't get over the fact that it's going to be in the 70s every day this week...thank goodness my gym's pool is open until 10/30.  I'll be hitting that up a few times!  


I've got to say...this past weekend was a perfect fall weekend!  The leaves are just gorgeous and only going to get better as the season progresses!  I was able to eat outside a few times and even managed to get a little end of the summer season color on my cheeks!  :)  Yeah!  


Last week was FHS's homecoming week...so fun!  I was able to chaperone the powder puff game which the Senior girls won by like a lot.  We had dress up days each day of the week (heck yes to dressing down for a few days!).  The week concluded with a pep assembly on Friday during which the teachers surprised the students with a flash mob...which I obviously took part of!  :)  


I finally broke out the new fall candles! YEAH!!!!  They smell SOOOOOO good!  :)  Plus being a Chi Omega I absolutely love the fact that Yankee Candle is all about the cutesy owls right now!  Super fun!  


Also...I finally broke out the cute fall boots this year!  :)  I love the fact that I finally figured out how to get my jeans to fit into the boots without having to wear "skinny" jeans all the time!  SECRET: Tuck them into your socks!!!  Who knew?!?!?  It totally works!!!  And now I can show off the boots and not feel awkward that I'm 28, somewhat in shape and rocking skinny jeans...yeah...not really my style (as much as I think they are!)   I have to admit...I love that boots are in the season!  Boots with jeans, a long sleeve, t-shirt, and a puffy vest...call my a happy girl!  


I promise I'll start posting about something OTHER than the season...soon...er!  :)