An Easter Miracle

I managed to get through the entire day without touching one jelly bean, without nibbling a Cadbury Egg, and without breaking the ears from a chocolate rabbit. Easter success! However, the real test is today when I'm mostly alone in the house with the leftover candy.

Food yesterday was good, all clean, all sugar free. I made brinner last night, which is always a crowd pleaser. While the rest of the family chowed down on blueberry waffles and bacon, I shared their cheese omelet (made with aged cheddar) and sliced fingerling potatoes sauteed in olive oil. I also had the rest of jalapeno hummus, and now I need the ingredients to make more.

Exercise was not part of the Easter miracle. I had every intention of having a good exercise day, but time was not on my side. I did part of my weights routine - using 15 lb dumbbells with little difficulty - and ran the best mile ever. Instead of getting in my planned five, I asked Gus if he wanted to run with me. He was enthusiastic about it and battled through the first 1/2 mile but repeatedly struggled through the second 1/2.

There are a couple of reasons I wanted to run with Gus yesterday instead of training on my own. First, and foremost, I don't get a lot of one-on-one Gus time these days. His first four+ years, it was mom and Gus almost all the time. Once the baby came along, Gus and I have had to share each other. It's been an almost totally positive thing. I do think he's better for it, but I do also know that it can be such a joy just to spend an hour together where it's just the two of us. Second, and probably far more important, little Gus needs to be challenged. He is so bright and talented in many areas, but physical activity is not his forte. Gus, like his mother before him, has a defeatist attitude. And also like his mother, he would rather give up on something than fail at it. Those are two things that I personally know can be fought. The only way I really know to help him through it is to show him that things that are difficult are worthwhile. So we run a mile, and for him, that's pretty hard. I explained to him that I'll do that five times on a regular day and his eyes fell out of his head. I told him that my ultimate goal is to do that 50 times, which his brain can't even grasp. In fact, I'm not even sure mine can. :)