Monday Funday

Started off Monday morning like a speeding bullet!  5:30am crossfit workout, cooked (yes, no cereal today) breakfast for the kids, made some fantastic coffee, dressed for the office, zipped the suitcase, packed the laptop and then…..received the notification on my Delta app that my flight was so delayed that there was no way to make my connection.  So I changed to jeans, made more coffee, unpacked the laptop and commenced to work the first half of the day in my home office before heading to the airport for a later flight.

 

Not complaining (even though I had an additional delay in Atlanta) because I’ve learned to make the best of travel whenever possible.  First of all, there are worse things than being delayed at home.  Also, I was upgraded to first class for my entire trip, had a long enough layover to eat a decent meal in Atlanta (international terminal has better food) at Ecco in Concourse E.

 

Squeezed in a little more exercise by walking between terminals instead of taking the train.

 

And killed time in the Delta Sky lounge; wifi, wine, and clean restrooms – what else could a girl ask for while spending time in the world’s business aiport?! But why are there lounge chairs in the bathroom?!

 

Finally arrived at my hotel to discover I’d been upgraded to a newly renovated suite.  So as I said, no complaining.

 

 

 

Mommy Brain

Happy Monday!  I kicked off the week in super-productive mode.  I was up at 5am for a kick butt CrossFit workout, came home and made breakfast for the kids, dropped them at the bus stop, showered and deep conditioned my hair, had breakfast and was ready to sit down at my laptop at the normal time I begin my workday when I received a text.  It contained a picture of my son receiving his honor roll award.

Noooo!!!! Mommy of the Year forgot!  Dang it!  Given the fact that I travel A LOT for work, it is really important for me to attend the kids' events when I am home.  So needless to say, I feel like someone took a gigantic pin and popped my balloon of productivity.  My perfect day is now clouded with a bit of Mommy Guilt because I know my son is not going to be happy with me.  Bring on the Menchie's bribery!!!

Anyway, hope your week is off to a great start.  Happy Monday!

Mommy Unplugged

This time last week, I was relaxing and laughing on the French side of St. Maarten with some of my dearest friends.  The occasion.  My closest friend from B-school was turning 40!  The outcome.  Partying. Relaxation. More Partying. More Relaxation.

It’s important to have some adult time to reconnect with longtime friends.  And it is even MORE important to have some kid-free time with my hubby.  A key part of “the basics” is nurturing the relationship that existed pre-kids.

We had so much fun that I cannot begin to describe it here.  However, we were already planning our next trip on the flight home!

A Day of Firsts

So today marked the official end of summer vacation.  It was the first day of school for the kids and the first time that they have been at the same school.  It was also the first time that this sad mama didn’t get to walk them to class.  Not that I didn’t have the opportunity.  I am not traveling for work this week for the sole reason of being fully present for all the ups and downs that go with the beginning of school.  The reason I didn’t walk them to class is because they really wanted to ride the bus and get back into their routine.  A part of me was elated at their independence while another (small) part of me shed tears  and mourned the end of hand holding and goodbye kisses at the classroom door.

The good news is that the school year is off to a great start and promises to be extra challenging for my sixth grader who managed to make it through the past two years with straight A’s.  It will also be challenging for my 3^rd grader who is not longer the big man on campus at the K-2 elementary school and now part of the youngest group and the 3 – 6  intermediate school.

Today was also the first time that I did sled pulls in CrossFit. Yes! Sled. Freaking. Pulls.  Physically and psychologically challenging and one of the best workouts ever!  Go me! 

Whirlwind Week

Sometimes I feel like I travel more by plane than by car.  Even though this past week was technically a “work from home” week for me, I managed to travel to/through at least 3 airports.

Actually, last weekend’s travel was for pleasure since I went to visit a close friend and her gorgeous newborn.  It was also a mini reunion of sorts since a couple of other friends from business school met me there.  It’s always great to spend time with some of my favorite peeps. 

We all met up in Charlotte on Friday night and started off Saturday with a super hard spinning class at Flywheel.  Ten minutes into the 60 minute class, we were looking at each other like WTH have we gotten ourselves into?!  This is from two women who do Crossfit, marathons, and any other challenging activity. 

Luckily, we stopped by a fantastic juice bar prior to class and each had an amazing juice blend or we would have both been on the floor.  After class, we met up with our two other girlfriends for lunch, laughter, and wine (of course!)

Fast forward through the flight home,  a great Sunday afternoon with the family and a kickoff to a week of working from my home office.  That is, until I received a request to fly to Kansas City for an impromptu presentation.

Wednesday was a whirlwind of travel, brainstorming with execs from company, meeting with a new client, and more travel.  It was an exhausting but productive day especially since I had connecting flights both ways.  Thank goodness I know where the good restaurants are in the major aiports.  I stopped at Cafe Intermezzo in Atlanta for a veggie omelet for breakfast.

And Beaudevin in Charlotte for a Greek chicken salad on my way back home.

The rest of the week was business as usual and I am especially proud to report that I was able to squeeze in 5 days of Crossfit between Monday and Saturday.  Maybe a bit excessive but it does wonders for my stress level!  The great thing about Crossfit is that the workouts are always challenging and my gym/box feels like home. 

On to the next one….

Today was a travel day which means I was exhausted as usual I was also hungry all day. Fortunately I had packed egg muffins, sweet potatoes cooked in coconut oil,  and blueberries for my in-flight snack. 

After being inside all day I needed some fresh air so I took a walk through the University of Dayton campus to get some exercise and to get out of the hotel room. 

I am trying to eat clean because I have a vacation coming up in St. Maarten and I want to feel confident in my bathing suit. So I went to Dorothy Lane market which is a local fresh market and bought grilled wild salmon, a large salad, and some fresh fruit for dessert. Now off to bed and ready for tomorrow.

Fresh Veggies

OK, so maybe I'm a bit nerdy but I truly get excited on produce pick up days.  I belong to a Florida Fields to Forks co-op and every Thursday I pick up my produce share. This week's share included fresh organic kale, red-leaf lettuce, red chard, rainbow carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, avocados, cauliflower, and mangos.  

It takes a few days to get through all of the produce so I try to make sure it is properly stored so it remains fresh.  I discovered a great trick to keep lettuce fresh for over a week (seriously!)  Just wash it, spin it dry and store it, wrapped in paper towels, in an airtight container.  A week later, you'll still have fresh lettuce - no that slimy, funky smelling stuff that it usually turns into after a week.

I travel next week, so I will cook most of these veggies over the weekend so my family can enjoy fresh side dishes in my absence.  More on that later...