Reason Why I Have Been MIA

So I have been MIA from blogging for a bit now. Have lots of posts to catch up on. Nathan turning 5 his birthday party. Nathan's first field trip. Life in general has been busy. I have been working way to many hours last day off was Sept 20 next full day off is Oct 25, well Oct. 21 but that is to go sit in a waiting room for the day at a hospital while a friend has surgery.

I work again this weekend so I hope to upload blogs with photos until then here is a recap of what has been going on.

Work work work and more work while normally it don't get to me the last 6 days about did me in. Last Thursday night I went in to work at 9pm to cover for a EMT who needed to go work his other job as a deputy until midnight (knew it would be later but gave him benefit of doubt) I got to go work and do what I love he got to go do what he loves and got some criminals off the street win win however he didn't return until 2am.
Friday sucked I was tired end of story. Then I worked ambulance for football standby well good ole Missouri weather changed and it was COLD and windy at the game I froze.. Was still froze at 4am. Clue one I should have seen that I was coming down with something.
Saturday morning helped with an auction it was still COLD and windy and I couldn't get warm left auction headed to ambulance to work from 2pm on. Fell asleep on the couch. I was exhausted and never have I fell asleep like that with coworkers around because this will happen:

The caption my nice coworker put was: Shelley earning her $ today , watching a movie , and not falling asleep ... Woke up to my phone going off showing me the picture and then I realized it was on FB at least it was a good picutre ha.... 
Here are the comments that followed the pic: 

• Dirk Digler Good time for some ice cube therapy.

  October 4 at 5:59pm · Like
• 

  Lenox Jones Lazy bum, i have some firecrackers and a metal bucket you can borrow!

  October 4 at 6:04pm · Like
• 

  Shelley Allen Guess you just can't take a nap anywhere lol.

  October 4 at 6:35pm · Like
• 

  Lenox Jones After this morning we deserve to pick on someone to make us laugh!

  October 4 at 6:36pm · Unlike · 4
• 

  Scott McWhorter Ask Mickey Boles what happens when you fall asleep at the ambulance while I was working...........LOL

  October 6 at 10:02am · Like
• 

  Shelley Allen Scott McWhorter So I am guessing I am glad I don't work with you... LOL

  October 6 at 10:24am · Like
• 

  Scott McWhorter Yes

  October 6 at 10:27am · Unlike · 1
• 

  Mickey Boles Yes be very glad! You would've been woke up very abruptly. Lol

  October 6 at 12:12pm · Like · 1
• Got to love my friends... 

So Sunday I worked at 24 hour shift and my partner was also an EMT which usually means we run our tails off because the other crew with Medic only goes out if its paged as a call that needs him.. I felt like death body aches fever head pounding and clogged with sinus crud and elephant on my chest. We ran our butts off and in between every call I was in my room under my blanket trying to stay warm and trying to rest. Lucky for my the rest of the guys working that day all stayed in their rooms so no one noticed I felt like crap. Usually I am not one to stay in my room all day by nightfall my partner noticed I hadn't ate much and was prying as to what was up. We ended up with 6 calls in our 24 hours! 

Monday wasn't any better I went to my office job home to shower fed kids and headed back to work for a  12 hour shift luckily we only had one call around 9pm. So I got to stay in my room and rest, Tuesday well wasn't much better but several friends told me to go buy some Mucinex DM and I forced myself to the store and got some. Sure enough its slowly starting to work. 

Wednesday was a bit better not much and today well I think I may survive which is good since I work again this weekend. Now if I hadn't already worked a 100 hour week, had I gotten sleep every night last week I probably wouldn't have felt as bad. Any smart person would have went home but I am stubborn and stuck it out.  Monday morning at the ER we helped another ambulance get some patients unloaded and my best friend was working thankfully she didn't see or hear me on radio long enough to realize I was sick she would have caught on quick.

The last few shifts I have worked with another EMT Nancy we have a great time and we are both hard headed and stubborn. We always seem to get patients that are either 3 times our size or live in a house with steep steps to get them down and out. We are both about the same height (short). Our first shift together we joked we were Wonder Woman because we each had to lift about 250 pounds a piece on one call. I found this on pintrest and it will be printed in color and hung on our lockers at work. 

Ok that's enough rambling from me but thought I owed whom ever may still read my little blog a update on why I have been MIA. 

Weekly Catch Up and Goals

Last week flew by... Not sure I got much accomplished but I didn't have a total meltdown either (just a minor one)

Goals for last week were

1-Drink more water still drinking at least 80oz but would like to up that some. Did good with that averaged at least 60 at work and usually 20-40 more at home

2-Continue to spend time with each of the kids nightly. The nights I was home  yes I spent time with them, and let them stay up late Saturday night so I could see them both. 

3- Since I have become used to tracking food time to add in workouts even if its just wall pushups and squats each trip to the restroom while at work. Yes and no when I remember I do them last week was so busy I was lucky to even use the restroom. 

4-Eat enough calories each day and don't use empty calories just to be able to log calorie intake. Fair I think I only had one or two days that it told me I hadn't ate enough. 

Goals for this week:
1-Continue to drink more water

2-Log all of my food. 

3-Providing weather stays cooler get some lunch time workouts in or maybe some walks after work with the kids. 

4-Not let the lack of sleep make me crabby with everyone. 



Last week was crazy busy I only had 3 days of work since Monday was a holiday. I was off Friday for my cousins wedding in St. Louis. Since I was the one bringing our grandma (from my dads side). I worked the night before the St. Louis trip so I was tired to start the day. Was a good trip my grandma had fun I do believe she was pretty darn wore out. She hadn't been out from home that long in the 9 years since she had a stroke and hadn't been to the city in over 30. 

So I worked Thursday night from 5pm til 8am. Hair appt at 8:30 drive to the city do wedding stuff and then drive home. We didn't stay for the after wedding dinner as it would be really late when I got her home and knew it would be to much for her and could possibly risk getting her sick. I will do a separate post about the trip with Grandma. 

Got home Friday evening after dropping Grandma off didn't even get in the house when I had a chance to go to work and do a call in transfer (extra bonus $$ for those). So I changed clothes at work and we went I got some odd looks walking in to the ER with my hair all fixed fancy and makeup on.. We dropped that patient off and then got another call and offer to take another transfer which was more bonus money. So heck ya me and the girl I was with jumped on that. We ended up working from 10pm until 4:30am! Saturday had to be back at work by 9 to do the parade home for a couple hours then back from 6:30 until 11:30 for the demolition derby standby. Got home at midnight back up yesterday morning to work a 24 hour shift. Was lucky and got to take a decent nap yesterday afternoon! 

I work again tonight then I think the rest of the week is boring and no plans... I do have appt to get my hair colored tomorrow at noon and not sure what color I will aim for. 

Saturday night's standby was a lot of fun we had the best seats in the house down on the track, my partner brought two friends with him that had never been to such a event and they LOVED it. Was fun watching their excitement and the million questions. 

Weekly Recap

Last week seemed like it flew yet time didn't move. Work was crazy busy and super stressful. I worked at ambulance Monday night and  it was one of the most fun shifts I had in a long time. We played a card game cards against humanity and I forsee it becoming a regular thing on those days where we aren't busy.

Wednesday thru Saturday was the Maries County Fair. This was the first time in several years our fire department wasn't cooking at the fair. It felt super strange knowing we could go at 7pm for the events and I could sit and watch them instead of being busy cooking. However by Saturday I was tired of just sitting there watching but the kids helped that we had to take a dozen trips to the concession stand as well as the bathroom...

Sunday was a lazy day for me and the kids. My sinuses had kicked my butt and between them and the going non stop for weeks it all caught up with me. Nathan's sinuses were also giving him issues so we did a lot of movie watching. Both kids took naps and by evening had perked up.

Yesterday Grandma wanted to take the boys out to lunch and had me go along. The kids LOVE Buffalo Wild Wings because they have tablets the kids can play games on at the tables. I like the boneless chicken wings so its a win win. Grandma had never been there so of course thats where we went. Afterwards they had talked her in to taking them shopping they decided they needed new cowboy boots (actually they both did but I was going to try and hold out for Santa). So after a long trip to Family Center both boys had new boots from Grandma  and since picture day is coming up this week I let them pick out a new cowboy shirt. Funny thing is they both picked the same shirt.

Ok on to the goals from last week and  how I did:

1- Eat healthy 85% of the time for all meals and snacks. Finding that I am craving crap less and less which is good but now need to find some variety of foods to eat so I don't burn out on the few things I like. Did really well with this one. Still haven't found any "new" foods but still not craving junk foods either.

2- Spend time with the kids find things to do with each of them every night. Pretty successful the fair was fun for the kids all 4 nights. I made sure to take each one separatly at least once to the concession stand or to walk around so we had some one on one time. Sunday Nathan fell asleep first so Blake and I had time together then Blake fell asleep when Nathan woke up so it worked out well.

3-Continue to stretch and research some new stretches and some yoga poses. Not as much as I wanted to never did get time to research but still taking time to stretch during work a few times a day. It has really helped the tightness in my shoulders and hips.

4-Track all foods and exercise in myfitness pal. 100% success with that! This may have been the longest I have tracked. However I am finding I am eating less and less calories a day and when I complete my entry for the day it tells me I am not eating enough. Even though I am not hungry or skipping to many meals.

5-Try and find ways to manage stress better and not end up broke out in hives each day at work. Not much luck in that department. A good friend told me to just let it go in on ear and out the other. Some days thats easier said than done.


Goals for this week:

1-Drink more water still drinking at least 80oz but would like to up that some.

2-Continue to spend time with each of the kids nightly.

3- Since I have become used to tracking food time to add in workouts even if its just wall pushups and squats each trip to the restroom while at work.

4-Eat enough calories each day and don't use empty calories just to be able to log calorie intake.


Have a busy week coming up which I will write about soon so 4 goals will be enough to keep me busy busy.

Weekly goal recap and new weekly goals

The week went pretty well, I am still tracking food on myfitness pal and having some decent success. I saw a slight loss on the scale this week would have been more had I got some more workouts in.


1-Log everything in to myfitness pal this week. I have had good and bad thoughts from this app over the years but I am going to give it a try again. I found a couple friends on there who I know will be supportive and deleted the negative from there. Logged food every day I didn't log food last Saturday or Sunday I watched what I ate but didn't need the extra stress of hang on while I log this during a day shopping with my cousin and then attending her bachelorette party.
2-Continue staying away from soda I have made it 15 days. Last week tested that with stress I really wanted a soda. Still soda FREE YAY!!!!! Stress levels were all time high with my office job this week but I still refrained. In fact it doesn't even sound good any more. I have my water all day, coffee in the mornings and then spark in the afternoon if I need a pick me up.

3-Get in a couple lunch time walks this week. Got in one on Tuesday before summer made an evil return and temps were 100 with heat index of 105 by noon each day. Saturday I did take the kids swimming and we were at the pool for 5.5 hours and I was in the water with the kids all but maybe 2 hours of that.

4-Bring my lunch daily which goes well with goal 3 if I walk at noon there's no time to grab fast food. So bring lunch and walk and its a win win. Success on that! Only had fast food once for lunch and made sure it was healthy.

5-Take time with each of the kids each night weather cooperating may do a few short bike rides. Time with kids yes, bike ride nope been way to darn hot they don't even want to go out. After a long day at school and hot school bus ride they are wore out when we get home.

6-Start stretching more regularly not liking that my flexibility is not what it was a few years ago. Improvements here for sure. I have taken time to stretch while at work trying to release tension from stress. Sat in the floor one evening while folding clothes and stretched my legs. I need to search some stretches and yoga poses I can do easily of a morning or evening.

Goals for this week:

1- Eat healthy 85% of the time for all meals and snacks. Finding that I am craving crap less and less which is good but now need to find some variety of foods to eat so I don't burn out on the few things I like.

2- Spend time with the kids find things to do with each of them every night.

3-Continue to stretch and research some new stretches and some yoga poses.

4-Track all foods and exercise in myfitness pal.

5-Try and find ways to manage stress better and not end up broke out in hives each day at work.

Weekly Goals

I haven't done a weekly goal post for quite sometime. But after realizing I had been putting everything and everyone else ahead of me its time to refocus. The weekend left me feeling like I have been run over a dozen times not real sure if I am getting sick or just the weeks of constant going non stop is catching up with me.

Goals:

1-Log everything in to myfitness pal this week. I have had good and bad thoughts from this app over the years but I am going to give it a try again. I found a couple friends on there who I know will be supportive and deleted the negative from there.

2-Continue staying away from soda I have made it 15 days. Last week tested that with stress I really wanted a soda.

3-Get in a couple lunch time walks this week.

4-Bring my lunch daily which goes well with goal 3 if I walk at noon theres no time to grab fast food. So bring lunch and walk and its a win win.

5-Take time with each of the kids each night weather cooperating may do a few short bike rides.

6-Start stretching more regularly not liking that my flexibility is not what it was a few years ago.

That's enough goals to get me started but not overwhelm me. Myfitness pal food tracking will be a challenge but one I am ready to tackle in the right positive way and not let it affect me negatively. If any of my readers is on myfitmess pal please find me would love to have more friends on there.

I will do a post later about my day with my cousin and her bachelorette party.

A brief catch up, pictures and soda........

Office job has been crazy busy before I left on vacation and even worse after I got back. But I have decided to take a mental break from the piles of files and post on my poor neglected blog....

The weekend before we left on vacation we had Blake's birthday party at the Fugitive Beach. We had an awesome time had a great pavillion that was right on the water and wasn't real crowded where we were. Blake loved it and it was a nice get away for all of us. I have tons of pictures on my camera that I will upload and post later but here are a few from my phone.

Here is Connie going down the big water slide its over 60 foot long. She was the first of many from our group to go down it. I passed not a fan of that kind of thing not to mention that location has bad memories....

The water is dyed blue and is sooo pretty.

Thankfully Blake wanted a simple cake. He really wanted a camo/hunting cake but liked the chocolate icing with orange writing and target on there. We had bought lots of pizza for everyone to eat as well.

 

 



On Blake's actual birthday I was off work, I had taken the Thursday and Friday before we left for vacation to destress and pack. So I took the kids to the local pool to swim both days!

 

Hard to believe Blake is 9!!!!! And Nathan will soon be 5!!!!!!!!
Blake had his last baseball game the night before we left, he definatly LOVES playing and can't wait until next season starts.

I got a Vienna paper on Thursday while in town and looking thru and came across something I didn't expect but was super sweet to see....

Connie thank you for the nice note to every one who helped that day. I am glad I was able to be there even tho it wasn't easy on any of us there and I wished so bad that I could have been able to do more for you and your family that day.

Saturday we left on vacation to Colorado. I haven't decided how I will do the posts for that yet may wait until all pictures are uploaded on to the computer then do a few breaking it up in to events and things we did while there.

And for soda.... Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE LOVE LOVE fountain Dr. Pepper and really want it when I am super stressed. However after a lot of thinking I have decided to give it up totally for now. Been having a big cup of coffee in the mornings with sugar and creamer but still figure one cup with sugar and creamer is less calories and icky ingredients than two big fountain sodas.

I haven't set a goal on how long I will stay away from soda just taking it one day at a time. I had my last soda Saturday morning and yesterday was the worst day I had awful headache! Monday night working all night and doing two back to back transfers I wanted one soooo bad. Thankfully the two people I was with don't drink soda which helped tons.

I also want to find a race to start training for something that will challenge me and make me find a plan, would love to find a friend who can help keep me accountable and be supportive and push me when needed.

Checking in

I have been MIA for a few weeks. Sorry about that but I do have some posts coming up. Blake's 9th birthday party, baseball as well as our vacation we took. I just haven't had the time to sit and put it all in writing.