A Mom’s Reflections

Today I used my Turbo Fire band for my 43 –

I did a combo move consisting of a seated row, bicep curl and reverse crunch.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unyz49-LDgA’]

I liked this 43 a lot!!! I leaned back enough that I was working my core the entire time. During the rows I tried to really squeeze my shoulder blades together so I could feel it deep in my upper back. The reverse crunch was just a slow move back with my upper body (without ever resting my back on the ground) and a slow trip back up. This was a great way to work a variety of different muscle groups!!!

There are so many stages to this journey of motherhood and, for me, each stage has been better than the one before it. Here are some of my thoughts/memories of motherhood:

* I spent years (junior high, high school, college, grad school, and a couple years after) saying that I was NEVER going to have kids. It wasn’t until after Chris and I were married that I decided I really did want to have children – I guess it just took being married to the perfect guy!!!

* From the minute I found out that I was pregnant with Jordan, I was in love with him! (and again a couple years later when I found out I was pregnant with Hunter!)

* The baby stage was hard for me! I hadn’t spent much time around babies and they made me a bit nervous. Thankfully, Chris was very calm and relaxed and knew exactly what to do!!

* Toddlers – what a fun stage!! I made MANY mistakes and went to bed beating myself up for my lack of patience many nights but those sweet boys just loved me anyway!!!

When Hunter was about 20 months old and Jordan was barely over 4, the boys were playing in a sandbox. Hunter had a little pocket on his shirt which he filled with sand. He wanted it out so being the “uber smart mom” that I am, I picked him up and dumped him upside down. Jordan said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Hunter of course ended up screaming and with sand in his mouth, nose, eyes. Of course, the other mom’s (yep, this was in front of a group) were all appalled and thought I was a total buffoon!!!

We made it through without anyone being scarred for life on that one!!

* Preschool years were a major time of learning (on my part!!). Jordan was always pretty easy-going and we didn’t really go through the terrible 2s or 3s. On the other hand, when Hunter was 3 I wasn’t sure that we were both going to make it through whole!!! Thankfully, we did and now I can look back on those days and laugh (or at least not cry)!!!

* I was not the type of mom who cried when either of my boys started kindergarten. However, the first day I dropped Jordan off at the middle school (7th grade) I thought I was going to have to be medicated. That was a rough day for me!!! Thankfully, he loved it!! (I don’t know what I’m going to do in August when he starts HS and Hunter goes to middle school!!)

* When my boys were little, people always told me that it only gets harder to be a mom as your kids get older. For me, that hasn’t been the case!! Every stage we have come to I have enjoyed more than the previous ones and my life has gotten so much easier!!

* Today I can truly say that I wouldn’t change a thing about the past 14.5 years since I became a mom – even the millions of mistakes and rough times – because they have all led me to where I am today!!!