Weekend Fun + More

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Who has a candy hangover?

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Bonus of being a parent – you get to enact a “Mom Tax” on your kid’s Halloween candy!  Hah. 

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On Friday, we had an awesome time trick or treating. I had no doubts that Henry would be really into it, as his favorite things are 1) talking to strangers; 2) getting attention; and 3) candy.   I’ll admit that I put zero effort into his costume (or mine or the Husband’s).  In the past, we’ve rented costumes and gone all out in our dress-up, but October was so hectic that I phoned in our get-ups.  Henry’s fireman outfit was a dress-up costume that my mom gifted him last year.

 

The only reason the Husband and I ended up being “cats” is because BFF Nicole painted on our whiskers when we arrived at her house.  Nicole and her hubby, on the other hand, went all out and were super creepy skeletons.

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After roaming the neighborhood for a while, the kids started to complain that they were tired, so we went home and everyone ate a ton of candy.  I place no real limits on how much candy Henry can eat on Halloween, but I cut him off the next day (cause, you know, Mom needs chocolate, too…).

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On Saturday, we recovered from the previous night’s fun.  I ended up walking around the mall with Nicole while Henry napped – the mall was nuts!  I can’t believe people are already doing holiday shopping. That evening, I ended up not feeling too great {pregnancy-wise} and glued myself to the couch. 

 

I was super disappointed to miss my friend Sean’s big photography event.  He pulled together this awesome project in Uptown Charlotte – he organized 150 photographers to simultaneously photograph a mile-long section of a big boulevard, and he’s going to digitally stitch it together to create the world’s longest panoramic photo!  You can read all about the project here – it’s pretty cool!

 

Neat, huh?

 

On Sunday, I felt a bit better, so I went to the gym and walked on treadmill for 20 minutes – that’s pretty much what my exercise has come down to.  Short walks!  It’s no wonder when I look like this…

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36 weeks pregnant today!  Baby could come today… or in 5 weeks.  Hah. 

 

Also, I cannot let this weekend pass without mentioning the hell that Daylight Savings Time brought down on my schedule/life.  Whoever invented this shit did not have a toddler.  But there are SOME positives to the time change…

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Funny because it’s true.

 

Let’s see – what else?  Oh, here are the three best things that I ate over the weekend:

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#1 – Stir-fried potatoes and zuchinni, fruit, and eggs – because breakfast always tastes better when the Husband cooks it!

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#2 – An Udi’s GF cinnamon role with tea.

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#3 – A mish-mash of yogurt, granola, oatmeal, and fruit.

 

And today… It’s Monday!

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This is the daily animal traffic jam on my stairs – Ferguson runs down first and then refuses to move, and the dogs then stall out because they refuse to pass him because he’ll beat the crap out of them.  It’s pretty funny. 

 

Something Worth Talking About…

 

Matt from NoMeatAthlete.com wrote a HuffPo article entitled “The Not-So-Secret Secrets to Succeeding at Anything.”  It really made me pause and think.  One of his arguments is that “everything in moderation” doesn’t always work if you want to be successful. 

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I talk a lot about big, "unreasonable" goals. Their power is that they’re exciting. They create energy. They’re the last thing you think about at night and the first you think about in the morning.

But if you aren’t willing to obsess over them, you’re wasting your time. That’s the whole point of setting your goals so big.

The very nature of all-consuming obsession is that you can’t do it about very many things. So pick the three — or better, the one — that’s really worthy of your time and energy for the next few months or years.

Then go make it happen. Whatever it takes.

 

Do you believe in “everything in moderation” or do you think you have to be “obsessed” to meet goals?  Does it depend on the goal?

{ 32 comments }

 

  • Carrie (This Fit Chick) November 3, 2014, 10:56 am

    I think short term- you gotta be obsessed, but if its a long term goal…. balance 100%. Otherwise, you break down… you fall off… its not sustainable!

  • Gena @ Life FuelFilled November 3, 2014, 10:58 am

    Twenty minutes of walking on the treadmill at 36 weeks is quite impressive to me – way to go! I remember I didn’t want to do anything at that point. I also usually rely on dress up clothes for Halloween costumes – until this year my son grew out of his only dress up outfit.

  • Julie November 3, 2014, 11:10 am

    You look super cute in the skirt/sweater outfit!

  • Joy November 3, 2014, 11:17 am

    For me it totally depends on the goal but for most of my running/fitness goals I’m totally all in and love being obsessed about them for all the reasons Matt wrote…it’s such a big part of your life and they get me excited to train and work out.

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed November 3, 2014, 11:28 am

    How about a candy + booze + appetizer hangover?! Yikes haha. Time to get back on track. Btw Henry looks adorable and I love your purple sweater.

    As far as goals go… I do believe that “everything in moderation” doesn’t always work. I know when I’m trying to eat healthy, sometimes “moderation” can spiral out of control and I end up underestimating the junk that I consume. I definitely do better when I have strict rules. On the flip side, I do believe some people become obsessed with certain things in an unhealthy way. I think there are many aspects to living a happy, fulfilling life so while I think focusing on your goals is important, you can’t forget to nurture the other aspects of your life!

  • Kathleen Ojo @ My Ojos November 3, 2014, 11:43 am

    I am definitely NOT a “moderation” kind of person. I recently did a Whole 30 cleanse and it was really easy for me. Completely cut out entire food groups? No problem! But tell me I can eat anything I want, just in moderation and watching portion sizes? I really, really struggle with that. I guess I do tend to get obsessed with 1 or 2 activities at a time, too. Over the summer it was marathon training, and now that that’s over, I’m taking an oil painting class and working towards participating in a spring art show! I think it’s just a personality thing. My husband is a big “everything in moderation” guy and is successful at everything with that approach.

  • Miss Atomic November 3, 2014, 12:07 pm

    I miss Nicole’s blog! Love her! Tell her to bring it back!

    • Caitlin November 3, 2014, 12:08 pm

      She’s gonna do a guest post for me on her kitchen DIY soon, hopefully!

  • Julia Cassels November 3, 2014, 12:29 pm

    Regarding moderation, that’s funny, because just last night I announced I was all in on something. Moderation was never my strong suit. (Why are there so many playing card/poker references? I don’t even play poker! Except when I do. Point proven.)

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats November 3, 2014, 1:07 pm

    I used to be an “all out obsession” type of person, but now I’m getting a lot better at moderation. It may take me longer to reach certain goals, but it’s so much better for my sanity.

  • Maureen November 3, 2014, 1:40 pm

    This is super random- but do you remember your post about opting out of emails? You posted a website you could go to and manage all your subscriptions in one place. Can you tell me the name of that website?

    Thanks!:)
    Maureen

    • Caitlin November 3, 2014, 3:10 pm

      Unroll.me!!

  • Megan November 3, 2014, 2:04 pm

    I tend to start out obsessed, fall off the wagon and come back in moderation for the long haul!

    By the way, please don’t wish/say that your baby could come “any day now”. 36 weeks is still considered preterm. Late preterm infants are often born with respiratory and feeding issues. Babies are not considered full term until 39 weeks, from 37 weeks to 38w6days, they are considered early term. That is why ACOG does not allow elective inductions prior to 39 weeks exactly. Check out March of Dimes website for more info, somewhere on their website is an incredible graphic that shows the difference in a baby’s brain at 36/37 weeks and 40 weeks. (I do not work for March of Dimes but do work in a birthing center that has received national recognition from them).

    Your OB would not stop your labor at 36 weeks but it is not something to be encourage or hoped for, either!

  • nancy November 3, 2014, 2:10 pm

    I well remember the havoc time changes create when you have little ones. We had three kids in under four years and they were all very happy with their eating/napping/bedtime schedule. Throwing it off by an hour twice a year was a mess. We eventually figured out we could do it in increments and no one would notice. As I remember it we did 30 minutes one weekend and then 30 minutes the actual weekend of the time change. We just adjusted everything by that amount of time. Thirty minutes is much easier to manage than an entire hour. As they got older we found we could do it all in one weekend. Friday we would adjust by 30 minutes and then the second 30 on Saturday or Sunday. That way they did not even notice the change in their schedules and everybody was happy 🙂 If your kids are particularly sensitive you could do it in 15 minute increments every 2 or 3 days. It takes a bit of commitment to keep to a different schedule for a week but it sure is worth it to avoid the chaos a regular time change creates.

    • Caitlin November 3, 2014, 3:09 pm

      great suggestion!!!

  • Allison November 3, 2014, 2:57 pm

    I used to love DST in the fall and hate it in the spring, but when I had little kids I HATED the extra hour. It totally through them off their schedule and it was just another hour to entertain them while they got fussy. That sounds so bad when I read it, but it was true! Kids like their schedules. Now that they are 14 and 11, they just want to sleep like the rest of us.

  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine November 3, 2014, 4:28 pm

    I can’t believe all the Christmas commercials and holiday stuff! It is crazy!
    Thank you for sharing that article! I’m off to read it now, it seems like something I totally agree with!

  • Lisa November 3, 2014, 5:37 pm
    • Caitlin November 3, 2014, 7:10 pm

      Please actually re-read my post – I didn’t say that I wish the baby would come early. I took 12 weeks of birth classes on my last go around and definitely understand what constitutes a truly full-term baby. But at 36 weeks, my midwife won’t take medical steps to stop my labor if I go into labor naturally. Seems like a few people completely misread that sentence and jumped to conclusions…

  • Ali November 3, 2014, 6:18 pm

    I don’t think you have to be “obsessed” to be successful, but I think you have to work for what you want. I’m not a moderation person, but I know when to stop and take a breath. I’m trying to do my PhD in 2 or max 3 years and everyone thinks I’m crazy and will burn out (and I probably am and will) but at the same time, I do better when I have one main focus and goal. I need to get through it so let’s just go and do, you know? But, I have to do the work and do the work well (and all the extra stuff that buff up my resume and make me a strong researcher and teacher because my field is super competitive and there are very few jobs).

    It won’t be long until the baby is here! I know you’ve been talking a lot on the blog for the last month or so (can’t quite remember) about how the baby can come soon and how close you are to the end, but don’t rush it! My friend just had a baby 4 weeks early and she’s in NICU. It’s got to be hard, especially with a toddler, but having a healthy baby will be so worth it!

  • Jacquelynn November 3, 2014, 10:21 pm

    I can’t believe you are already 36 weeks pregnant! You look fabulous!

  • Jacquelynn November 3, 2014, 10:23 pm

    PS: I wish Nicole would blog again, I always loved reading her blog when she wrote 🙂

  • Mia November 3, 2014, 10:36 pm

    Moderation vrs obsession is actually something i really struggle with. I think moderation is key, and it’s the way i really want to live my life/fulfill my goals. BUUUUTTTTT it doesn’t seem to work for me. I often don’t meet my goals 🙁 I guess i don’t do moderation correctly? I don’t know. Maybe i just have to be obsessed. i just think good obsession can so easily turn into bad obsession, and it’s a slippery slope. Wish there was some way i could figure it out…

  • Keri November 3, 2014, 10:53 pm

    Ha ha! The daylight savings meme is so spot on! And I want your breakfasts. Thanks for the Monday inspiration!!

  • Tricia November 4, 2014, 6:25 am

    I think that’s totally true when it comes to work. I’m a school psychologist and spent 4 years in grad school, including two unpaid field placements. If I hadn’t put the time in and been obsessed with all school psych things, I wouldn’t be good at my job. I’d get by, sure, but teachers/administrators wouldn’t seek me out like they do.

  • kristin November 4, 2014, 10:46 pm

    love love love udi’s gf cinnamon rolls!

  • Trott November 4, 2014, 11:18 pm

    From the photo you have shared, your baby has dropped!!!! Down. I carried right under my boobs at 36 weeks, but your baby’s low in there! That’s a good sign.
    Ok, that’s all I had to say. I’m a weirdo.

  • Kenda November 5, 2014, 3:49 pm

    ‘It’s no wonder when I look like this…’ This kinda makes me sad, so many women probably wish they look as good as you pregnant.

    • Caitlin November 5, 2014, 4:03 pm

      I meant like I had a forty pound bowling ball strapped to my front 🙂 I feel glorious otherwise hah!

  • Sarah November 7, 2014, 4:22 pm

    totally random, but can you tell me about the baby gate in your last pic? I’m dying to find something that doesn’t scream “daycare” to put in our new house.

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