Yep, it happened--the move took it's toll, and I fell off the exercise wagon. The Bikini Body Mommy Challenge was left behind. But that's life isn't it--a series of choices and priorities we make? The stress of finishing school, working part time, preparing everything for the cross-country move, my childcare availability being cut in half (long story), the move itself, and the acclimation to my new surroundings definitely won that battle. Is that an excuse? Technically yes, but that's also how it happened. Work and school were both physically demanding (working as a trainer at Curves, and going to school to be a personal trainer which means lots of movement every day), being an acting-single-parent up until the move and holding down the fort, not to mention the physical demands of packing--bending and twisting and lifting, oh my! I was pooped, both physically and emotionally. If I had down time, I used it to zone out and just let my mind turn off.
So here I am, halfway across the country, and adjusting to a new life all over again. I'm going from beautifully green midwest to extremely hot and arid desert. On top of that, I am no longer an acting-single-parent (yaaaaaaay!!!!), which means I am adjusting to making daily decisions with someone else again, learning how to share the house with another adult, as well as reteaching the boys how discipline works (now when Mommy gets too stressed and gives in, Daddy takes over, and they are NOT getting a break, mwahaha).
I am trying to set up a new routine where I get the cleaning, unpacking/setting up house, exercise, and studying for my certification exam (*gasp*) all done as they should be. I have never been good with strict schedules, but I know if I don't schedule it out, it won't happen. Because of this, screen time is being actively limited, which is rough! However, I do not like feeling as if I am bouncing from one screen to another all day6. I went from watching 30 minutes a day and checking my email to watching an hour, checking my email and clearing facebook, moving back to the tv and playing a phone game while a show played, etc. And I wondered why my kids were screaming for my attention! This being the first time I have scheduled out my time so strictly, I know it is going to change as I learn what works and what doesn't. For instance, as the year goes on, I'll have to move my run time either earlier in the day or later in the evening because it will be too hot any other time, so everything will have to shift around that. Like a budget, the schedule is something that I will have to revisit on a regular basis and reevaluate to make sure it is still working as it should.
