March Challenge Update

I have a confession to make. I am a big fat cheater. I’ve been holding back for some time now, flirting with the idea and then pulling away at last minute. But on Monday I couldn’t take it anymore. And I dabbled in the dark side. And I admit it, it was glorious. Once I crossed over there was no turning back, and I let go of all my inhibitions as I fell head first and got satisfaction out of all I was missing. The worst part is that Mr. W doesn’t even know. I mean, how can I possibly tell him that I had an affair with Facebook?

But it was just one day that I caved. I mean, how could I help it? I kept getting flirtatious emails that someone wanted to be my friend or had sent me a message or had commented on my wall. And I missed the faces of all my Facebook friends. What were they doing right now? Were they drinking coffee? Were they working today? Were they commenting on the significance of a Froot Loop? Did they post pictures of what they did every single second of the weekend (Kristin, I’m looking at you)? I needed to know!

(Why am I giving up Facebook? See the forums for details on our March Challenge.)

So yes, I caved for one day only. And I even got called out by one of my friends who noticed that I had accepted a few Friend Requests. But I am back on the wagon….for now. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. And I really do mean it when I say that I miss all my friends. But it has also made me realize that I relied on Facebook way too much for my socializing needs. Sure, it’s a convenient way to socialize when one is so strapped for time. But it had become a full on substitute. So I have been using this time to talk to more friends on the phone or schedule lunches. And I discovered that I actually missed these friends and was glad that I had given up Facebook for the month, as hard as it’s been. I don’t think I would have discovered this truth any other way.

Because I kind of figured that I would probably cheat with Facebook, I have also been using this month as a get fit quick month. I have been shredding with Jillian Michaels in her 30 Day Shred. Mostly it’s for the selfish reason that bathing suit season is coming up and I want to look my best. I figured that I would hate it, but have to stick with it if I ever wanted to show myself in public. So on March 1st I popped in the DVD. By the middle of the workout I was cussing out Jillian while she had me keep moving. Every time that I thought of sitting down, she called me on it. And I had no choice but to keep moving. But the nice thing is that the workout is only 20 minutes long, even if it felt more like 45. I’m happy to say that I survived. The next day I was a little sore, but I invited Jillian back into my living room and together we did butt kicks, ab curls, and static lunges till I was sweating puddles on my living room carpet. The third day I couldn’t move. So I took the day off. But the next day when I popped the DVD back in, I realized that it had gotten easier. I could actually do this! And more than grueling, it was fun! By this time my kids were even joining in with me, and together we all did clumsy push ups and jumped up and down like fluttering birds (that’s what the “double jump rope” exercise looks like). By the weekend, I was noticing that my stomach had gained a little definition when I wasn’t looking, and my arms were looking firmer.

Of course, there is the problem with my neck. I threw my neck out a month ago and have been seeing my chiropractor, Dr. Kyle Yoder,  to help me fix it. He has done an amazing job in getting my neck to heal. But this past week I am afraid to say that I may have overdone it with the exercise when I switched from 3 pound weights to 5 pound weights. Now the pain is radiating from my neck and down my arm, which probably isn’t a good sign. So I had to tell Jillian to meet me in a few days when I could lift my arm again. Nevertheless, I feel awesome and have a bit more energy than usual. I wholly recommend this exercise DVD to anyone wanting a quick fix in a short amount of time.

How about you? Have you given anything up for the March Challenge? If you haven’t, it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon.

What if you win something in return?

Just think, you could change your whole life in a matter of a month. You can change your diet, you can give something up that you have toyed with giving up for awhile. You can help out the community every weekend in March. You can give up TV now that the Olympics are over. And the cool thing is, you only have to give it up till March 31st.

The first 10 people that respond to this blog entry will automatically win  a pair of tickets to the Sonoma County Home & Garden Show for March19th, 20th, or 21st at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.  Just be sure to include your real email address when responding so that I know who to email.  (If 10 people have already commented, don’t be discouraged from also commenting.   You never know, someone may not want the tickets, but they just have something to say.)

So what will you be giving up? And if you already have given up something, how’s it going? Are you doing better than me?

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There are some cool events being posted over at Santa Rosa Mom. Santa Rosa Mothers Club is holding a seminar on Positive Discipline tomorrow, March 10th.  The Rohnert Park-Cotati Mother Club will have guest speaker Heather Hammer talk on how parents can help teach their preschoolers language and reading skills on March 16th.  And the Petaluma Sunrise Rotary will be hosting their 5th Annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 27th. To learn more about these and other family friendly events, be sure to visit SantaRosaMom.com!