Clean Shirts and Diets

Becoming a mom, I didn’t give up much. At least, not anything of significance that wasn’t totally worth it. Over the past fourteen months I’ve realized that I definitely gave up my ability to wear a clean shirt. Right now, I’m sitting here writing this and I look down to see yogurt mouth stains from breakfast. Add in some milk mustaches that ended up on the bottom of my shirt from after breakfast. Oh, there’s some puff stains. Yeah, I definitely gave up clean shirts.

First it was breast milk. Then it was formula (which stains…bad) now it’s milk. Whether in the form of spit up or drool, people will forever know that I’m a mom. Everything ends up on my shirts.

When I wake up in the morning, I probably could put a lot of thought into what I am going to put on. The truth is, what’s the point? It’s just going to get wet, pulled, spilt on, spit on, drooled on, or wiped on. At first, I would change my shirts multiple times a day. Now, by the time 5:00 rolls around I take a look at it and if it isn’t so bad, I’ll keep it on until my shower.

That’s the thing about motherhood. You adapt. You adjust. Things that probably would’ve bothered me a year ago, yeah now? Not so much. Now I just get the shout and pour in some Oxi-clean and call it a day.

The other thing I have definitely given up? My ability to maintain a healthy diet. I used to watch what I ate ALL THE TIME. In the last few weeks, the kids have been drinking less and less milk and eating more and more real food. For the past six years, I’ve grown accustomed to making meals for two. In my mind, cooking meals for five will be easier. Recipe servings are usually for four and I always have way too much food.

Dinner has definitely gotten easier. They eat while we’re eating, basically off of our plates. It’s during the day that is the problem. I’m cooking breakfast and lunch for the three of them. Once I’m done doing that, I really don’t feel like making a different breakfast or lunch for myself.

That’s why, today, I ate waffles for breakfast and chicken nuggets and Mac n cheese for lunch. Lord have mercy, I’m going to gain, the ninety six pounds that I lost, back in a week! If anyone has any thoughts on how I can make this easier on myself, please help! I’ve tried meal prepping. By the third day, I’m sick of what I’ve made.

I’ve also had many days where I won’t eat because I know it will make me grow as big as my house. Don’t get me wrong, we’re super active, I just really don’t want to have to try and counteract my meals with working out. I would prefer my workout to count toward making me healthier, not balancing out what I’m eating.

I don’t have time to add in an extra workout at night and I certainly don’t want to do that because we just ate bread all day. (That’s my children’s favorite meal) Literally, they love bread, French fries, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, chicken nuggets. I know that if I don’t start catching it early, that is all I’ll eat until they’re old enough for me to tell that I need to have five minutes to make myself something different.

I’ve prepped salad for the week in my salad Tupperware. Once again, by Wednesday, I’m over lettuce. Sometimes, if we have leftovers, I’ll eat that for myself, but then it’s like eating dinner twice.

It also doesn’t help that my husband can basically eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound. Although, he did go through a sympathy pregnancy which is another story in and of itself. Talk about hilarious. He has an extremely high metabolism, though, so he doesn’t want or need me to cook only healthy foods in the house. It’s a good thing my vitamins give me all of my fruit and veggie intake for the day!

I try to make dinner as healthy as possible but by the time dinner rolls around, I’m starving and could eat five helpings. Again, not good. So what to do? For now, I’ve decided if I put chicken nuggets into salad at least I’m stepping in the right direction. Right? Haha (Only half kidding)

I guess I just have to hope that the kids keep me busy enough to work off all the extra calories I’m not used to eating. Instead of sitting here staring at these animal crackers, I’m going to go do some squats! 😀