Thank You Summer

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread."

-Mother Teresa
What an amazing summer it was! I feel like a lot of progress was made towards reaching goals both personally and as a family! I cleared some clutter and shed almost 15 pounds in the process! I kept having the soundtrack from Hairspray playing in my mind. The song, "Good Morning Baltimore" starts with the line "I wake up as always, hungry for something that I can't eat." And I realized this summer that the song had a deeper meaning in my life than just a catchy beat. I kept thinking I have everything I want, what is it that I am hungry for?? Is it really pasta, bread and peanut butter cups??

The last 6 years of my life have been about babies. Trying to get pregnant, trying to stay pregnant, gaining weight with each pregnancy and miscarriage. Sleepless nights and endless days following the arrival of each child and adjusting to being a family. I have been putting every effort into my motherhood, it is the very core of of who I have become. It dawned on me this June that I need to be putting in quality in order to get quality out of myself. So to be the best mother I am capable of being, I need to be the best person I am capable of becoming. I took inventory of my life and tried to target the key areas that are essential to my new life as wife and mother and to the ME that is now a 35 year old woman who has some life experience and has known love and heartbreak and the unconditional bond that comes with bringing 3 lives into the world. I know that I can function daily and get dressed and feed everyone, but I want more than that. I want my children to have more than a watered down version of life. I want to live an inspired life. I want it to be about more than the material goods that can be bought and consumed. I want it to be about the sacred, the Divine, the miracles. When I really thought about it, I knew in my heart of hearts that I had lost my Center. I had not focused on spirituality in a profound way in a long time. I attend Mass when I can, I pray at meals, bedtime etc. with the kids. But, my own spirituality had gotten lost in the shuffle. My soul's health and my body's health had been tossed to the wayside. It was an empty feeling. So I needed to build myself back up to full strength!

I did a major overhaul of priorities and started focusing on being healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually by clearing out junk food from the cabinets and negative energy from my life. It is unreal how a positive attitude towards life can be so effective.

Hubby and I really worked as a team to make sure we were all eating healthy and having fun as a family. We made a concentrated effort to buy more whole grain and organic foods, cook meals at home and eat dinner as a family as much as possible.

We also took a break from a set schedule, but still kept our balance and routine so we still had the same flow of the day for the kids, but in a relaxed way that makes summer such a special time! We took Road Trips to Sesame Place & Vermont. Hubby took each of the boys to Yankees Games individually for some Guy Time! The kids and I spent summer days going to amusement parks, beaches, museums, the zoo, and other fun Field Trips with various family and friends. And I spent a few days here and there getting in refreshing breaks and even attended a retreat!! It was energizing! And I have made a real commitment to attending Weight Watchers meetings.

Around the house we made some real strides in organizing the clutter than can easily take over a small house with 5 people in it. We designated areas for each person and rearranged some rooms to maximize the space we do have. Just by changing the furniture around in my bedroom it cleared away a lot of the mess and chaos that was stressing me out. We cleaned the garage out and reorganized the playroom. And the other day the kids were all playing. In the playroom. With toys. It was nothing short of a miracle!

We have had more Pajama Days, more Family Movie Nights. Summer life was good for us. It gave us all a chance to spend more time together. It also gave us a chance to reevaluate what is important to us as a Family. Now that we have 2 Big Kids and a baby, our needs are different. The boys are not little babies anymore and need more independence and responsibility and time on their own. They have dreams, imaginations, concerns and hopes that are now a part of our considerations when we make a plan. They have gifts, talents, personalities that enhance each experience! Isabella has her own unique set of needs and qualities that she adds to our family dynamic. She has a brand new outlook on life, everything is exciting and wondrous! She allows us to slow down, to stop and take breaks to enjoy life and take in our surroundings. When she needs to be nursed the world stops for 10 minutes. It gives us all centering time to regroup and breathe a bit no matter where we are.

I am happy to have taken 14.4 pounds off. I have lost the weight I gained with Isabella and the weight I gained with the boys. I still have a lot more to go, but I feel good. And I know it is not about food or pounds. I am surrounded with Love, with good people: my husband, my kids, my family & friends. Life is good!!

I will miss Summer! It was good to us. I want to hold onto it forever!! And as I go into the Fall and Winter I will keep reminding myself of a quote that I read:

"There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart." - Celia Thaxter