I wrote this today after fighting through a morning funk.
It’s HARD to wake up everyday get out of bed and start your morning off healthy. Yes it would be easy for me to turn on the TV, throw a pop tart in the toaster and call it breakfast. Are there days I was to do this? YES!! Are there days I come close, YES!
That’s why I don’t buy pop tarts. ;~)
It’s HARD to shut off the TV and come up with something the family can actively do together. I don’t want to say it’s hard but it is, compared to the mindless act of a family sitting in a room in front of the glow and temptation that energy sucker in the den seduces us with.
It’s HARD to make a home cooked meal almost every night of the week instead of choosing take-out or my favorite food, pizza. Yes, dialing the phone and having 20bucks ready is much easier then planning slightly ahead, dirtying the kitchen and cooking something healthy while entertaining a toddler.
It’s HARD to do what you say you are going to do, isn’t it? How many times in my own life I’ve said a lot of things with good intention but then didn’t follow through. How many in yours? It’s easier to talk a big game then to actually commit to something and perform the required tasks it may take to do that thing you set out to do.
It’s HARD to feel like you are the one keeping the wheel going. To feel as if you don’t continue to make these hard choices the easy ones will begin to slowly take over.
Why don’t I just give in? Why don’t I just take the easy road? Why don’t I just sleep in, run through the drive-thru, keep the TV on, and talk about doing things I’ll never do.
Good questions. Today I think I experienced the answer.
I spent this morning cooking zucchini bread and dancing with my son. But we started off slow, the TV was on, I was on the computer and as the toddler asked for breakfast I realized I was about to take the easy way out.
So I turned off the TV, put on the radio and we cooked together. We danced to fun music, rolled around the living room floor and just had FUN. I even did a somersault, something I haven’t done in 25 years! In the middle of our fun-fest the toddler kissed me and said "I love you mommy", unsolicited.
That, my friends, was all the motivation I needed to make the hard decision again tomorrow.
18 Responses to All the Hard work is Really Worth it!
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What's Cooking in my kitchen?
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Finally my first Farro idea! I have to say, I love this stuff! It's chewy and yummy and, well, fun! I tossed it with what I could find in my pantry and it made a wonderfully satisfying lunch. Filling but not heavy, tasty and quite nutrient dense. According to NutritionData.com this [...] -
I've seen it mentioned in a few of my clean eating and healthy cook books but honestly, I never even thought of Farro as an option for me. I refuse to shop at specialty stores and I try to use only common products that I can keep in stock and purchase from a typical grocery [...] -
I've never had a tuna melt. Is that weird? I guess that's what happens when you grow up not liking mayonnaise. I never ate tuna salad or egg salad or chicken salad. Honestly, they always kind of grossed me out. Then I realized.. hey.. why does tuna salad have [...] -
I have no idea where this idea came from. I was hungry. It was lunch. I had Brussels Sprouts. That was all the catalyst I needed.:) I decided to use a slice of real bacon to add flavor and little fat that would help sauté the sprouts. I'm trying [...] -
WOW was this good. I mean seriously good. It's not vegetarian so don't start throwing stones. I'm calling it a Garden Vegetable Burger because I use the new Laughing Cow Smooth Sensations Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread. It was this recipe on Allrecipes.com that inspired [...] -
I drink water 99.9% of the time but every so often it just doesn't cut it. I want something else. Something more. Something slightly sweet. Today was one of those days. I decided to make a refreshing drink based on the famous Arnold Palmer, half lemonade and half iced [...] -
The other day I made a whole chicken on the grill in pieces. It was delicious! Just a little BBQ sauce and an open flame is all I need to make The Husband happy in the dinner department. I also picked up a few ears of corn from the grocery store. They aren't in season [...] -
Let me explain so you don't think I'm making a chili recipe and just put it on pizza. I'm calling this vegetarian Chili Pizza because chili is what inspired flavors. I think I told you. Little Bean is really into, well, BEANS! We go through a can about every 2 days. Yesterday [...] -
I've confessed my inability to follow recipes here on GreenLiteBites many, many times. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I can barely follow some of my own and I wrote the darn things! I think most of my problem stems from not having all the ingredients listed and, [...] -
Leftover brown rice and leftover sauce meet in this quick lunch idea inspired by my favorite food of all time: Pizza. I swear I can turn anything into a pizza concoction. Have you seen all my pizza ideas? I've used everything from pumpkin to zucchini, polenta to wontons. Nothing is off [...] -
This isn't a recipe just an idea I had to share. I can't believe how good it was! I've never had grilled pineapple. Can you believe it? I just never really had the desire to grill it before. When you love something raw sometimes it doesn't occur to you to cook it. [...] -
I whipped this up for lunch on a whim today because, well, I have a baby who's obsessed with three things… Cheese, Beans, and Avocado. No, really. Look... It's my go to meal for him so I find myself with beans and avocado readily available. [...] -
You know that tradition 7 Layer Mexican Dip? The one with the cream cheese, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, cheese, green onion and olives? Yea. That's the one. Well I had a craving for it the other day. Well, not exactly for it as I can never make anything the way it's suppose [...] -
If you go through the archives of GreenLiteBites I have about 5 total beef recipes. Five. Compare that to the 80+ I have tagged with chicken/turkey there's a clear winner in the meat department on my blog and in my home. I don't have a beef with beef (omg The Husband [...] -
I'm a kitchen sink smoothie maker. Whatever I have on hand goes in the blender and viola! A quick breakfast or a healthy snack. Last year I posted an "Elastic Approach" to how I make smoothies but I still like to share specific combinations that worked really well. This was one [...] -
The other night it was just the kids and I home for dinner and I decided to make what I wanted to make no holds barred. Without The Husband home it's much easier for some reason. Hmmm wonder why? Ok, not here to husband bash.. really.. I'm not! I'm here [...] -
*sigh* I was really hoping to share an awesome turkey burger idea. I had grand plans for my leftover ground turkey. The results was alright but they could have been so much better. I added diced pineapple, red pepper, green pepper, oats and soy sauce to the meat and formed 2 patties. In hindsight I [...] -
I made this on a total whim yesterday having no idea if it would work. To my surprise it did AND the husband actually said he liked it... UNSOLICITED! Here's the story. I had only 4 tilapia fillets defrosted for dinner. I knew it wasn't going to be enough for us [...] -
This is a slight reboot of a recipe I posted last year simply called Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili. Staying true to my use-what-I-have-on-hand roots I, well, used what I had on hand and made a similar dish with a spicy twist. Topping the result with avocado added a cool creaminess that [...] -
Did you hear? The Laughing Cow recently launched Smooth Sensations a line of 5 cream cheese spreads. There's Classic Cream, Classic Cream Light, Strawberries & Cream, Garden Vegetable and my favorite… Cinnamon. It's a sweet wedge of creamy goodness! Today I decided to use my new favorite flavor [...] -
Confession time, I recorded a 30 minute video making this with both kids (partally) 2 nights ago. I miss videos. I really do but they seem so much more difficult with 2 children. I'm also having technical difficulties with my video recording and audio syncing making it VERY time consuming to edit. [...] -
A couple of years ago I shared a modified version of Sloppy Joe's I made for a party. Everyone loved it but I've been wanting to try to make something similar for the family on a smaller scale and without the pre-made canned Manwich sauce. I don't particularly have any issues [...] -
Yesterday I was dreaming about a salad. Not just any salad, but a chickpea filled, cucumber, and red onion salad with a fun, tangy dressing. Unfortunately, I had no cucumber or red onion. Well, that's a lie. I had a half of cucumber but it was a mushy mess and [...] -
Dinner meals are getting harder and harder for me to share lately. I've gone back to just whipping things up without really measuring anything (this meal was going to be one of those until I realized I still had enough light to take some photos.) I've also instituted a few brainless meal nights [...] -
Three years ago I posted a video called "Makin' Hard Boiled Eggs" where I shared my system for, well... making hard boiled eggs. Genius name, I know. I'm smart like that. Anyway, since then I've gotten tons of feedback and comments thanking me but all the information is locked in a long winded 10 minute [...]
About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
Totally agree. We all have these hard choices each day. Congratulations to you!
Oh i’ve had lots of those days ;) And you’re right you have to find the motivation to turn it around!
Isn’t that the best feeling in the world when the cuties say that unsolicited!?!?!?
And, thank YOU for motivating us not to take the easy road too. I have been too often this summer, especially with regards to my diet and health. Time to shape up and get it together…
This was so great Roni! As time goes on, I am finding some of these things to be a little bit easier, and it always surprises me when I consider all the possibilities, and I actually WANT to make the right choice.
Pick your hard!
Hard to make healthy choices, but it’s just as hard if not more “hard” to be overweight.
Glad to hear that you can make the hard choices. :-) Good for you.
I took the easy way out. Hit the alarm and went back to bed instead of going for my walk. Sigh tomorrow is another day right?
You are right on the money on this…this is what I have been struggling with for weeks…even wrote about it in my blog. (Blog to Lose of course!) I just couldn’t care less about program this past week. I am trying desperately to get back on track today…it is hard…but of course it is so worth it. When I read this it makes me feel so much better…thanks.:)
Roni you ARE right on the mark. It is so true.. we fall into the easiest and the fastest. and the Laziest.. i sure love your attitude. It helps me change mines. Thanks..
omg, Roni! I have been feeling exactly like this lately. Like, I am the only one leading my family to health. Hubby says he cares but puts the burden on me ;) It is hard to get motivated to cook on a rough day or get that exercise in. I need to turn off the tv more…….not for me but for the kids. I allow them to watch too much! Yesterday we spent the day doing fun projects. We made playdoh and mini pizzas. I will post pics tomorrow. Their faces say it all. At the end, my son said, “Mommy, cooking is hard work, but it’s so much fun!” That made me so proud ;)
What a great post … and it came at just the right time for me. I’ve been having a rough couple of days — ruined cell phone, car trouble, bum knee acting up — and this is just what I need to push me to go do some work with weights, even if I can’t take a walk or do any cardio.
Thanks.
This is awesome – thank you for reminding me why I am doing what I am doing! You are a superb example for all of us!
I can’t even tell you how much I needed to here this today! Because of you, I had a great day. My day started out slow, much like yours, but then I read this post. It changed my outlook and then my daughter and I took a really long walk in the park, then went to the pool and just stayed active! Thank you!
OMG – I got goosebumps reading this. SOOOO good for me to read today. In response to your “what will we do differently this week” I vowed to journal each day – should be simple, right? Well, so simple I failed to journal either day on the weekend. IT’S HARD! And now I am left with trying to make myself feel better (and not like I have failed) in saying journalling 5 out of 7 days is better than journalling none of those days.
ps. I love that you have included your toddler in this blog. I have a 16 month old and I now understand what unconditional love means – aren,t kids the best????!!!!
What a great post! I brought tears to my eyes. My 8 yr old son has gotten to wear he will wrap his arms around me and squeeze as hard as he can, sometimes it can be a little much. I even scolded him once or twice for being rough, because he does it when I least expect it. Then I realized that he can actually fit his arms all the way around me, something that he never could’ve done 120lbs. ago. Now I will saver those moments, but tell him to take it easy on me.
This blog is so touching, and so true!! I’m not even a parent and this part brought tears to my eyes: “In the middle of our fun-fest the toddler kissed me and said “I love you mommy”, unsolicited.” What an awesome example of how great the simple things in life can be :)
~Ellen (longtime reader!)
I’m not a parent, but a kindergarten teacher. I do put in a lot of effort not to stress the children up academically, but creating lots of fun activities in school that help them in their developments as well as let them enjoy their days in the school. When I was stressed up by adults in school, my child came to me said to me, “I love you!”. In one of the parent meeting, one of the mother told me, “My son came home one day telling me that Teacher Rosabel made him so happy that day!”. Those are the words that motivate me to do more for the children!