MomOhLogue

 What makes you feel inspired?  Such a great question from my Mom journal for the August 26th 2022 writing prompt.  Many things this year so far have made me feel inspired. My kids' kindness, my husband's love, my mother's devotion to her family. My friends and neighbors and family for showing me so much love on my birthday in July. So. Many. Things.  But... thinking of my inner inspiration coming from myself,  I wrote this in that moment and want to share how my heart was feeling on August 26th: Question: when you look back at this past year,  what makes you feel inspired? What does this inspire you to achieve or do? My answer: I feel inspired when I look at my 1 mile benchmark time at Orangetheory Fitness. I was able to run a mile in 8 minutes 46 seconds. I ran a mile in less than 9 minutes! A couple months ago in May, I was at my healthiest! This proves I don't need to smoke cigarettes, that I am athletic and can accomplish any goal I set my mind to. This benchmark t

 To love everyone but don't be a pushover. Be strong in your convictions. Don't judge others on the surface because you never know what somebody is truly going through on the inside. There are many values I want to teach my kids but I feel like love is #1. Love for God, self and others.  See the image below for one of the reasons why I picked this value in my Mom journal.   

What's something that your children would be surprised to learn about you? Why do you think this would surprise them? My children would be surprised to learn that I worked, had an amazing career making lots of money, went to college for 6 years and traveled to Italy at age 20 right after 9-11.  They'd be surprised because all they see and remember is me being home! They never knew the working woman I was, they were too little to remember.   I bet they'd be surprised to see me as a brave independent traveler. Imagine your Mom going to a foreign country all alone at age 20 with no parents,  friends or family?  They might know stories but my kids don't really know me as that independent person. They see me now as a dependent stay at home Mom who just does chores.  What would your kids be surprised to learn about you?

 Beautiful weekend celebrating my husband! A Father is instrumental to a child's life. Billy,  you're one of the best... I thank God for blessing us with you. 

 I'm pretty happy with how this year is going... I've lost the 20 lbs I wanted to, school seems to be back to normal for the kids, and we all been having fun.  I found a great workout program in Orange Theory Fitness that I love and it's helped encourage me to eat healthier consistently too. I think I should stick with this as a lifestyle. The workouts constantly change and help me get stronger and its motivating. Hopefully I won't have to keep gaining then losing... just want to stick to it and continue to get stronger. Its finally Spring and the warmer weather means we get to do so many fun outdoor activities.  I'm looking forward to a great summer! Can't wait to post about the fun things we do!

 Ahhh, it's so interesting and funny actually to look at women in their 20s writing and vlogging about all they know or think they know in life. They start exploring eastern and western philosophies in college and beyond and read topics in psychology and science and history, etc. And... form opinions on things as it relates to their own lives right now.  I was that 20-something woman too. I did all that reading, thinking,  searching and questioning.  I thought I knew a lot...  But now that I'm almost 40, yes will be 40 in 3 months exactly,  I've realized that I lacked actual experience and perspective in my 20s... and what I thought I knew, I really didn't.  From 22 to 40, I've graduated college, had 4 children,  been through major career changes, had some serious mental health challenges that couldn't just be brushed off by a vacation, I've lost close people in my life like my Aunt, Godmother,  and most recently,  my Dad. I've had to go through tough li

 Today is my 7th year blogging! Yay for consistency. Consistency is the key for any type of transformation in life. If you have a goal, you must be consistent in your efforts towards that goal. This year, my health has been a priority and I needed to work on my consistency,  so I joined a new gym and a dietbet. I signed up for transformation challenges that focus on showing up consistently because if you don't,  then you won't achieve. I am halfway through the Orangetheory 8 week challenge and feel amazing- I been taking 5 classes a week, eating right and putting in 100%. I hope i lose a good amount of body fat and whether I come in 1st place or not, I'm still winning because I'm stronger, healthier,  and learned that if I truly want something,  I am capable.  This gym challenges me on a daily basis which is something I need as a stay at home Mom... I used to have work goals to reach and have always been an achiever in college, sports, work... but when your life is focu

 I am now part of this family and love the workouts! I invested in myself because I know that I need the encouragement from a coach in a small class to get my butt moving! I'm gonna be 40 and need extra motivation.  I ran over 7mph today on an incline! I've never done that before and I been going to the gym forever.  I'm so committed to losing this weight once and for all and to being in great shape for my 40th birthday!! I can't believe I'm not 25 anymore,  lol... what a fun time it was in my 20s! I often miss those days and yet I believe the best is yet to come.  I loved OTF because: 1. Trainer/coach encouraging you personally  2. Excellent treadmills  3. Great music 4. See your stats posted on screen to push you harder  5. Cardio plus toning is an excellent workout  6. I felt like a sexy strong woman after!

 I really don't know what to call this blog or where to begin... I'll just write my thoughts and hopefully it comes out eloquently enough. I often feel like I'm missing out on a great career I would of had if I didn't have kids... or maybe it's just me wondering where I'd be in my career right now if I never left the corporate world... and then I think... who cares? What's the point anyway?  Would having a longer corporate career with more money and higher title have made me happier? I think- are my friends who are still in the game any happier? Does an extra vacation a year or bigger house or extra money equal a happier life? To me those things would not have made me happier or more satisfied. Would having accolades and bigger titles made me feel more of a person and more of a success? Absolutely not! They never did to me even when I was working. I tried to hang in the corporate world while raising 3 kids and it just was not working for me. I never wanted t

 Is it just me or do many brilliant people have some sort of mental health issue? If you research you will find many famous artists, scientists, actors,  etc. all have had some sort of diagnosis.  I didn't know about Van Gogh until watching Emily in Paris on Netflix... but it made me think of how incredible it was for him to create Starry Night from an asylum.  People can do amazing things regardless of their disabilities.  On another notes, Emily in Paris is a fun show- definitely check it out. Xo, Kerry

 I am trying diet bet- win money if I lose weight and I'm trying WW- aka weight watchers. I like to try new ways of motivating myself to lose weight.  I'll check in weekly to see if it's working.  I sure hope so because my jeans are getting a little too tight!!