Last weekend found me fairly occupied with my Picadillo Empanada Cookalong on G+ and the kinds of parenting issues that tend to take over the entire household for a while. The days following were a much needed decompression from all of it.
As the two older Monsters are getting too old to call Monsters anymore, I realize that those kinds of issues will be visiting our household more often, and I need to keep reminding myself that we often don't reap the rewards of the difficult life lessons we teach our children for years, sometimes decades, after they've caused us many episodes of heartburn.
Possibly the most challenging thing about parenting teenagers is remembering what it was like to be one - empathizing with what they're thinking and feeling, tempering that empathy with the knowledge that they need to be reigned in and refocused, all the while trying to relay your message in a way that will impact them positively, and then coming back to the realization that your mouth is moving, but they don't understand a word you're saying...
...and probably won't until they're 30...
...if you're lucky...
...but at least the zipper has moved up!
Day 8:
Day 16:
And since there are too many things on which I need to move forward, I'll not be moving backward to fill in the past 5 days. If you'd like to see what I've been eating during that time, I rarely miss a meal posting to my G+ albums. Still eating whatever I like, just less of it, and plating maybe 2 or 3 bites of food less than I was before I began this project, leaving the milk out of my coffee, having 2 or 3 drinks a week instead of 4 or 5...
BREAKFAST
I really couldn't be bothered to care about food yesterday morning, but I also hate feeling hungry, so I had two handfuls of almonds and raisins.
LUNCH
was an improvised Loco Moco with kimchi on the side.
DINNER
was Roast Lemon Herb Garlic Chicken with Heirloom Tomato Panzanella with a couple of glasses of our favorite cheapest of cheap whites.
I think I've probably had about 2 hours total of some kind of physical activity over the past 5 days, mostly leisurely strolls through downtown Carlsbad and Encinitas, punctuated by occasional sets of 25 squats while rocking Izzy in her sling and a few sporadic sessions of flamenco manos y brazos, also while slinging Izzy outside for some fresh evening air.
I often find myself missing flamenco these days, which is kinda silly given that my zapatos are right there on the top shelf of my closet, pretty much waiting for me to put them on and stomp the shit out of some footwork whenever I want.
Not so easy with Izz in a sling, but possibly entertaining for her in a swing.
Last night's dishes call. Don't judge. :P
shinae
Vamos a bailar flamenco manos y brazos any day amiga ;) I'm obviously (English, too white, too clumsy and noooo gitano fire in me) RUBBISH at flamenco. But I'm willing to have a try with you and burn a few calories together
ReplyDelete¡Vamo'!
DeleteCAN'T WAIT TO VISIT YOU!!!!