My alarm goes off at four thirty a.m. and my feet hit the floor, time to get the day started. Although this looks a bit different now that my children are grown, it used to be a time of hustle and bustle. Making time for a workout meant getting up early, and I liked to be showered and ready for work so I could get breakfast made before the kids woke up. This allowed me to be somewhat of a “nice” mom while getting the kids ready for school. I taught at the same school my kids attended and arrived early, this meant we all had to be ready and out of the house by 7 a.m. I enjoy being busy and the more I have to do, the more I seem to get done.
Oh, how the times have changed. I have fallen out of my workout routine and my alarm doesn’t go off until five a.m. now. I still enjoy the early morning hours but the routine has changed a bit. With only one child remaining at home, he is usually out of the house by 5:30 a.m. to hit the gym before heading off to school for the day. So now, I get him off and then I get myself ready for work. I usually fill the morning with dishes, making ice, folding a load of laundry, and watering the outside plants in the summertime before heading off to work at 7 a.m. I still hustle in the morning but it has a different flow for sure.
Realizing you are no longer the CEO of your children’s lives and are now merely a PRN consultant is an adjustment. I am fortunate to have very responsible children who are mostly organized and responsible for their day-to-day schedules, appointments, and finances. It has taken a bit of adjusting to realize that I can and should spend more time managing my own affairs and letting the kids take charge of their lives.
Morning modifications have been much easier to adjust to as the time is short and getting to work is the main goal. However, after school, my remaining child goes to football practice and maybe spends time with friends or his girlfriend. This often leaves me at home alone until 7 p.m. at the earliest. Depending on the time of year, my husband also doesn’t arrive home until around 7 p.m. On ideal weeks, I have meal planned and obtained all the groceries I need for the week so I am home from work by 5 leaving me with some spare time on my hands. The time during the warmer months is easier to fill as we have a large lawn and there is plenty of work to keep me busy. As the weather cools down I find myself in the house with spare time on my hands.
With this spare time, I decided to try my hand at writing a book. First, I had to figure out where my passions lived. I have always thought of myself as a passionless mom/wife. That is far from the truth, I have just been focused on my family for so long that my passions have been masked as things I didn’t have time for. I decided to pair my love for nutrition and my newfound time to write a book so I could share my knowledge with others.
I have always enjoyed health and fitness; I really need to get back into the routine of working out! Five years ago, we had planned to spend a week on a houseboat at Lake Powell with three of our friends and their families. Although I was working out consistently I wanted to take it to the next level and be in the best shape so I would feel comfortable spending a week in a bathing suit in front of many people. In addition to my workout routine, I began learning about nutrition and started counting my macros. I really enjoyed this method and was in the best shape of my life. I still watch what I eat but I am not nearly as meticulous.
The book I created is titled Mastering Macronutrients: A Guide to Optimal Nutrition. The book explains the world of macronutrients–proteins, carbohydrates, and fats–and their profound impact on our well-being. The book features 25 meticulously crafted recipes complete with detailed macronutrient breakdowns, eliminating the guesswork from meal preparation. Those who purchase the book also receive an exclusive link to access a personalized macronutrient plan, perfectly tailored.
As a busy person who loves spending time with friends and family, eating with them is important to me. The theory behind counting your macros is known as IIFYM (if it fits your macros). The beauty behind this method is you can eat anything you like as long as at the end of the day you are staying within your macro goal. I often plan my day backward when I know I have an event. For example, If I am going to dinner with my husband, I will fill my dinner macros with what I plan to have for dinner and then adjust my breakfast and lunch so I don’t go over.
The process of writing the book was nothing compared to figuring out how to actually get it formatted and uploaded to KDP. I filled my time with many YouTube videos and tutorials on how to accomplish this task. I am happy with the end results of my first book. I currently have a paperback and a Kindle edition available on Amazon, check it out here.
I am excited to continue the venture of finding things I love to fill the extra time I have in my days. As fall weather begins to set in I am excited to find out how I will fill my time now that the lawn won’t need mowing and there won’t be as many plants to water. Finding new ways to feel like I have a lot to do is becoming something I am looking forward to instead of something I dread as learning to be an empty nestin’ mom becomes my new reality.
Well-balanced and unbiased viewpoint presented
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