Don't put all your eggs in one basket

I haven’t trained this week at all.  It is super busy at my house with end of year school stuff with my kids and new projects at work have forced me to work later than usual.  Working Mom + two kids + husband + laundry ≠ making it to jiu jitsu class.  May is always one of our busiest months and things have gotten quite crazy at my job, so I’m just going to take this in stride.  I used to fret over missing class.   But I am finding that balance between training and happy home life.  It is important.  My Maw Maw always said, don’t put all your eggs in one basket or you might get disappointed when they break because you will be left with nothing.  She was a pretty wise lady.  So I’m working on balancing my eggs…family, home, work, training.  I will leave you with a story told to me by a coworker a long time ago.  Short, simple, profound.

Making it all Work and Mother's Day Magic

I’ve been having a really good week…on and off the mats.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s important and trying to find the right balance between work and family and training.  It isn’t always easy for a working Mom, but somehow we manage to make it work.  So, if you are a hard-working Mama who loves to train jiu jitsu, what do you want for Mother’s Day?  While flowers are nice and chocolate is always yummy, and jewelry is pretty, those aren’t things that I want for Mother’s Day. 

Here’s Mrs. Ibarra’s top 10 list of things I want for Mother’s Day: 

1.      A one-hour massage (because our bodies take a beating training BJJ).

2.      Manicure and Pedicure (because our hands and feet take a beating training BJJ).

3.      Cool gi patches or jiu jitsu t-shirts (I have my eye on a Tap Cancer Out patch and I really want one of the new Fenom t-shirts).

4.      While you’re at it, the new Fenom gi…I know I already have too many…but a BJJ Mama can’t have too many gis.

5.      New ink (this isn’t for everyone, but this BJJ Mama wants some new ink). Thanks for the idea Kasey!

6.      A BJJ private lesson with one of my instructors (and the BFF and the daughter are included in this private, because it’s more fun that way).

7.      A chauffer for the next Girls in Gis in Plano…because I commute all week to work and I don’t want to drive on the weekends…but I really want to go to the next Girls in Gis on May 20^th!

8.      Breakfast with the family at my favorite Taqueria!

9.      A day at the beach with a chair and an umbrella and a good book (because sometimes I need to feel my toes in the sand and the sun on my face).

10.   Hugs and kisses and home-made Mother’s Day cards…because even though my kids aren’t little anymore, you can’t have too many hugs and kisses and cards made from the heart. 

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! 

Spring Break Adventures

Last week was Spring Break and I went on a family vacation.  My husband loves the Texas Hill Country and we wanted to go climb Enchanted Rock.  The last time we did this was in 2007.  I was very, very out of shape then. I was hurting all the time, everywhere.  The climb was extremely difficult for me.  I had to keep stopping and resting during the climb.  I thought I wasn’t going to be able to make it to the summit.  My husband helped me up most of the way.  This climb was so very different from that one.  It’s still a tough climb, but nothing I couldn’t handle.  This time I had to keep reminding my husband that I’m not that girl anymore…that girl from 2007.  It’s nice that he wants to take care of me, I actually love that about him, but I want him to see the strong person I’ve become.  I know he will in time.

The kids didn't have any trouble hiking up Enchanted Rock (you can see it in the background)!

It's about 475' to the summit. 

I climbed Enchanted Rock in my new Vibram Five Fingers.  They are pretty amazing. 

I heard this Tim McGraw song for the first time today called “Better Than I Used to Be”.  The lyrics really spoke to me, to my life, to my journey, to my jiu jitsu.  We are all a work in progress.  We are all imperfect and we all need a little help.  Thank goodness that I learned I don’t have to be who I was.  My journey’s just beginning and I will get better and I appreciate the fact that I am “better than I used to be”.  :)

For you listening pleasure - Sammy Kershaw's version of Better Than I Used to Be