So Much Energy

I already mentioned that back in December we joined the YMCA and now I am totally addicted it to. At the beginning of the month I was trying to come up with a plan to actually use the membership, it is not cheap even with the discount and I want to get all the ban for my buck that I can. My first thought was after Skyler got off to school I would pack up the other three, drive over there, drop them in childcare and workout for an hour. I think every other mom is South St. Louis had the exact same idea as me. I know it's January and E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E and their mom are at the gym but seriously, I could not even park, it was nuts. That morning I called a friend, met at McDonald's and let the kids play in the play area (no, I did not eat there). Epic fail. I also realized doing all that with three kids under the age of 5 on my own was not going to happen consistently, I needed a new plan. I pulled out my welcome packet and started looking at the classes. I had forgotten that there were tons of classes offered that happened to be free for members. Key word, free. I love a good deal and since I am already paying to go there I shouldn't have to pay extra for anything else, in my mind. I have been doing some aerobics kick boxing on a DVD at home and with my CG girls once a week. It just so happened there was a kick boxing class on Tue and Thur mornings, early, really early, 5:15 am early. OK, I told myself, I worked at Starbucks for a bagillion years and got up at 4:30 and I could do it again. I signed up. My friend joined the Y and signed up too. We were committed. I mean, when there is a class with an instructor and a friend all expecting you to get your butt up and show up you are gonna be there. At least I will be. I don't like to be a disappointment and that is highly motivating for me. We have been doing it since the second week of Jan. and we love it. Not only do I love the class and instructor, I get to see my friend and chat (motivation), and when I get home the house is quiet. Can I get an Amen from my mom friends out there? A quiet house? Does this seriously exists?! I have spent my married life with kids like this:
Get out of bed when the kids get you up
Grumble, grumble, make coffee
Rush around
Off to school
Disorganized mess trying to get things done
Picking kids up from school
Frantic making dinner
Baths, bed, chaos, exhaustion
Crash for 3 hours a night watching TV 
Go to bed way too late
Repeat
It wasn't working and after years of doing it it was really starting to get to me. I kept making excuses about it though. But finally this year I am doing something about it. Before Skyler was born and after he was born I was an active person. I never exercised on a regular bases but I was always doing stuff. Walking, biking, playing tennis some, my job always had me on my feet. After Nevin I was still active but it was a little harder with two. When I was pregnant with Gavyn I was determined to not gain a lot of baby weight and lose it all plus the extra 15lbs I had kept from the last two pregnancies. After he was born and got so sick I did drop all the baby weight from him because I barely ate while he was in the hospital (not healthy). When he came home I fell into deep depression and not only gained the baby weight back but plus some. I was the heaviest I had ever been and really unhappy. It wasn't until right before I got pregnant with Gideon that I had excepted my body for who I was and knew I needed to change but in a healthy way. Then I got pregnant. Yay! haha... I was really good though and only gained 20lbs with him and lost all of it before my 6 week check up with my doc. I was on a mission. I asked a friend who is a super inspiration (she has lost well over 100lbs on her own) about calorie counting and nursing and how that all worked. I had my mom ask her personal trainer about exercise after a baby and "baby belly". We started walking, I started counting calories, I slowly added in the kick boxing and I have lost another 20+ plus pounds. I stalled out over the last few months and that was another push to get the Y membership. I knew I needed to step it up a notch. And now here I am, a few weeks into it, a few pounds lighter and my life is suddenly not feeling so crazy. I am surprised to hear myself say it but, I love getting up early to a quiet house, thrown on some clothes, drive to the gym - alone, workout, come home and it is still quiet. I am getting dressed and showered, reading my Bible and praying, drinking my coffee all before everyone is up and bustling. I have my command center that is helping keep me super organized. Once a week I fill out the menu, the cleaning, the to-do list and all I have to do is check it every morning. I am totally staying on task. It has freed me up to do so much more with my day. The only sacrifice is going to bed early, but even that doesn't feel like a sacrifice. I knew I needed to stop watching so much TV as it was and now I'm almost forced to. It's the new me and I love it.