The month of fitness that wasn't

I'd really hoped that February would be a month where things came together for my fitness. I started off by being sick, which meant almost no working out. Then that ended, and a ton of stress meant I turned to treats, which I'd done a good job of avoiding. I'll have more details on the stress, but that's a full post of its own. We have house stress, & M's job's work stress, plus a full restructuring of my current team, and more. . . In terms of fitness, I did manage a big hike on Sunday, but pulled a muscle in my leg - the soleus? I'd never heard of it, but let me say, it's painful just to walk around the house.

So, I'm a little afraid of what's happening with my health & fitness, and I really, really need to get out of the cycle of turning to treats to reward myself during times of stress. Yes, I need to also find ways to eliminate the stress. :-)

I think I can do yoga today, and have that on the agenda. My body is craving activity (finally!), so it's very frustrating to feel limited by a muscle strain. For those of you who have been pregnant, remember the muscle cramping/charlie horse? It's like that, but permanently in a very specific muscle in your lower leg. Youch!

Life, of course, doesn't stop during stressful times, so here's what's on the agenda. Sam had a friend over last night for a birthday sleepover, and they didn't get much sleep, so I'm starting off the day with A LOT of coffee! On the bright side, it's a three day weekend. Woohoo!

• Nick has an age group soccer scrimmage this morning, as part of the final tryouts for teams.
• Sam has the same, but 8 hours later.
• I need to make a menu, and a Costco list.
• Yoga is a must
• I also need to plan my schedule for next week, including work out time. I haven't been accomplishing this, and it's very obvious
• Pack
• Get rid of the things that haven't sold on my Facebook group & donate them to Goodwill
• A trip to Costco, the produce stand, and my local grocery store
• Make muffins
• Start moving things to the new house (the garage, as we are still doing flooring & painting)

On a more personal note, I'm usually a VERY positive person, but have struggled a bit with this over the past few months. It's a combination of factors, but I'm not enjoying this new phase & need to practice better self care. More baths, more walks, more yoga, less junky food, better work stress management, and less constant influx of news (because. . . that's just an opportunity for frustration).

There have been positive things that have happened, so let's celebrate them a bit, shall we? What good things have happened over the past week or so?

1. My manager was so impressed with my efforts over the past few months (I covered for multiple people for almost a quarter during our busiest time of the year, including her) that I received a $500 bonus. Typically, it's cash. In this particular case, it was a gift card to a spa. She wisely knew I wouldn't use it on myself unless it was a gift card. ;-) She has also insisted that I take a few comp days now that everyone is back in the office, & treat myself to a spa visit. Win/win! 
2. Sam had a buddy over last night, and rather than getting pizza delivery (typically around $30), M picked up a Costco pizza. We still have almost half left & the kids loved it). M had the remainder of another dinner, & I had bits & bobs of each. I also made homemade popcorn for the movie, and gave each child a small bowl of my favorite chocolate (a birthday gift for a coworker). Best to give it to the kids. A frugal celebration at home!
3. M is handling the house stuff amazingly well. Basically, he's pulling together all of the house projects, timelines, supplies, etc. I'm so grateful that this is something he can cover, because I'm terrible at it, and it stresses me out.  
4. M & I have been stressing over the house situation - the move, finding new renters, the housing projects, timing, etc. In the car yesterday, Nick told M, "I'm so proud of our family. We worked together & accomplished something really great - we bought a house & now we can stay in our same school." Sometimes the impact of a situation can get lost on kids, so it was a nice reminder that it is a HUGE accomplishment, despite all of the stress. ;-) 
5. I have a bunch of fun stuff coming up in April! My parents are coming to hang with the kids over spring break, and they are awesome. And, I'm going to the beach with my sister & best friend for a very much needed girls trip. Just having that to look forward to is putting a spring in my step.

Lots of rambling in there. ;) What are you up to this weekend? And, tell me one good thing that happened to you this week!