Well Thanksgiving has come and gone... and now with  just weeks away from Christmas, there seems to be so much going on (as if we don't have enough on our plates this time of year)....The week prior to Thanksgiving started off with the unexpected arrival of our 20 year old needing to "move home" for a while, what is a parent to do and especially at holiday season..So we made a space for him on the floor of his younger brother's room, then squished all the clothes that came along with him into the now shared closet...I never knew a 20 year old man had so many clothes! Then it hit me, even though our two younger children who still live at home (ages 11 and 9) have their own bathroom, they never use the tub or shower in there, they use ours...(why would I want to clean an extra shower)? Well so much for only cleaning one shower...

Being the "control freak" that I am, I have now taken on the extra task of feeding and cooking for another person, packing lunches for him to take to work, and doing his laundry ( I know, I can hear the words from you now) but it must be that high energy I have and the need to be the "do it all" mom and wife syndrome...

So moving forward, Thanksgiving came and went....I woke early like all of you, and went to work to create my famous "Gourmet/Food and Wine" version of a Thanksgiving meal...this is my one meal a year that I take complete control of, and love it...I research the recipes weeks prior, and sticking with the Fitnessmom theme, I make sure they are healthy and low cal enough to be able to enjoy the meal without the quilt and wanting to fall into a coma afterwards.  I carefully cut and paste every item to match the picture, creating my version of a work board.  Of course the house is always open to the neighbors and visiting friends to pop on over for the ohhhh so needed Bloody Mary's...(after all the family will arrive at some point)...and then it's time, we all gather and the hours pass, the day has actually gone off without a hitch this year...

Moving to current time, another new addition to the home (and family) Stryker, our new 7 month old Pomeranian/Chihuahua...You see one of the other things I had taken on, was walking this sweet little guy once a day for a friend, who after 2 months had asked my husband and I if we would like to give him a home...you know, since we have kids and I am home all day anyway, instead of leaving him in his crate...He has been here two weeks and this coming from a cat person, it has been so wonderful, he is a great addition to the home and we just love him (and his small size).  We take him everywhere with us, I have now become one of those people who drive around with their small dog sitting next to them in the seat....Good Lord...

All this and keeping up with Fitnessmom (my facebook page) ....not only reminding people to take care of their bodies, but also how to eat "real food", eat healthy, this is the time of year that we get completely carried away with all the goodies around us, my job is to hopefully help those out there that are listening and following me...

With everything that has gone on in just a few short weeks, I have had to really learn to keep reminding myself to find my "mentally happy"...it has been tough and stressful, a few meltdowns and anxiety attacks, but nothing like a good workout at least once a day to help fix that, whether it is a run, yoga, kick boxing, weightlifting, working out to a DVD, etc. we need to remember to stop (especially during the stressful times) and take care of ourselves....being "physically healthy" and "mentally healthy"...that is the key to successful living :)