Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sunday, and I'm all alone

     I imagine my life isn't much different from those married to doctors and other men who are constantly on call.  There's really just no getting away from the LFD's job.  We live above the funeral home in the third-floor apartment and we're in the process of buying this place.
     There was a time when we first got married that I had a very hard time adjusting to the LFD's work-life.  When we were dating, I saw him practically every day.  What I didn't know is that he was getting up super early to get work done and asking one of the other directors to cover an evening viewings he may have had scheduled.  When we got married, a lot changed.  He settled in to his occupation and became a career funeral director.
     I honestly spent a lot of days crying thinking that he was choosing work over me.  It was incredibly selfish but, fate has a strange way of teaching us lessons.
     A few summers ago, we had a very "busy" spring.  I didn't see the LFD very much and as usual, I couldn't really comprehend why he was gone all the time.  Then it stopped.  Business literally came to a halt in the entire county.  There were days there wouldn't be a single death between two counties and we had gone 30 days without a call.
     It was one of the scariest times of my life.  It turns out, summer has been making a habit of doing this.  Apparently people don't die as often in the summer time.
     Today is May 23.  This week has been busy to say the least.  I've seen my husband for about a total of 4 hours awake all week.  Guess what, I love it!  I have a good healthy fear of what may be coming in June and July so I'm thanking God every day for the business.
This is the part of this entry where I'd like to remind you that, if you're offended by my gratitude for dead people, you probably shouldn't read a blog dedicated to my life as a funeral director's wife.
   So, while the LFD is working today, I'm going to go to a friend's graduation party and then go visit my parents.  My work life isn't the most relaxing right now, it's just that I get weekends off.  I'm learning to find hobbies and interests that I wouldn't otherwise have the chance to do if I didn't have as much me-time.  And, I'm very grateful to my best friend Rufus for always being there for a snuggle when I start to feel lonely.  So, here's the real introduction to my life as an LFW.  Until next time,

Ciao!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Clean Eating

So, I went to the "lady doctor" on Friday.  We talked about baby making and not baby making and the like and one of the things he suggested was working on losing a little weight.  A relative suggested I look in to the Clean Eating Diet by Tosca Reno.  It seems wonderful and I'm definitely going to give it a shot!  Basically, the idea is to eat food as close to how it appears in nature as possible.  THAT is the lifestyle part.  Since it is highly regarded by physique contestants, there are certain principles that make it a diet.  Those principles are to:
1.  Eat 4-6 servings of fruit and vegetables a day
2.  Eat 2-4 servings of whole grain complex carbs a day
3.  Eat 6 servings of protein a day
4.  Eat 6 meals a day
5.  Follow the prescribed portion sizes.

So, as my first week of eating clean approaches, I've come up with a meal plan for the rest of the week.
Monday -
Breakfast - Whole Wheat toast with natural peanut butter and a cup of pineapple chunks
Snack - LF Cottage Cheese and strawberries
Lunch - Salad with grilled chicken
Snack - Whole wheat crackers (Kashi), low-fat babybell cheese and carrot sticks
Dinner - Ultimate Smoothie
Tuesday -
Breakfast - Kashi Unity cereal with skim milk and strawberries
Snack - Natural low-fat plain yogurt, granola and pineapple
Lunch - Campbell's Select Soup
Snack - Vegetable sticks, cheese
Dinner - Grilled Chicken salad
Snack - Peanut Butter bread and strawberries
Wednesday - 
Breakfast - Yogurt, toast and strawberries
Snack - Cottage Cheese and pineapple
Lunch - Green Salad, tuna and balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner - Cocktail Party
Snack - Ultimate Smoothie
Thursday - 
Breakfast - Kashi Unity, skim milk and strawberries
Snack - Cottage Cheese and pineapple
Lunch - Golf tournament
Snack - vegetable sticks and cheese
Dinner - Golf tournament award dinner
Snack - probably won't need one
Friday -
Breakfast - Ultimate Smoothie
Snack - Yogurt, granola and strawberries
Lunch - Kashi whole grain crackers, cheese and carrot sticks
Snack - Almonds and apple slices
Dinner - BBQ Burgers on whole grain roll, vegetable sticks
Snack - Vegetable sticks and humus

So there it is!  Throughout the week, I'm planning on giving updates as well as providing recipes for some of the food I'm trying this week.  If you are familiar with this lifestyle or just have some words of encouragement, feel free to leave a comment!  Until next time ~
Ciao!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Preventing Insanity

Every week I create a menu on Sunday night for the following week.  Monday night, I go grocery shopping and buy everything I need to make everything on my menu.
This is probably one of the most important rituals of my week.  With the LFD's schedule and my need for structure, this works well for us.  No matter what is happening, I know I have all the ingredients for a well-rounded meal without going out to the store every night.  I will admit, I typically leave any weekend food that needs bought for Friday night or Saturday morning, simply to preserve freshness.  Below, you will find my menu for the week starting Monday, May 3.  If you see something you'd like the recipe for, let me know!  I'll post recipes throughout the week as I create them!  I hope you find this practice helpful in mainstreaming your own life.  It has certainly helped me!

Monday:  Garlic Chicken, cous cous and steamed vegetables
Tuesday: "Tyrone" subs
Wednesday:  Tacos and tres leches cake
Thursday:  Leftovers
Friday:  Pancakes and sausage or bacon
Saturday:  Mother's Day dinner for LFD's mom and grandma
Sunday:  Coq Au Vin