Well, I'm a teacher. Yes, it's true, I'm one of the 4.3 billion people in western Pennsylvania that has successfully entered an extremely over saturated job market. With millions of dollars in budget cuts. Hooray! The good news is, I'm currently in a position that is in my field, close to home, and a place where i hear "MISS MALLORY!!!" 6.9 trillion times in one day coming from the mouths of 18 beautiful pre-schoolers. Yes, that is 9 zeros behind that 6.9 in one day. The life of a Head Start teacher isn't always glamorous or even safe (think inner city), but I've managed to stick around for almost two years; a great teaching assistant, a wonderful classroom, and some words of encouragement from loved ones have definitely contributed. Other prospects are on the horizon, but that is for another day.
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| Gettin' our groove on! |
Ok, ok, pull it all together here girl! Two years of a less than adequate pay scale have led to having 11 W2s last year and 9 this year...yikes! 60 hour work weeks leave it extremely challenging to eat right, get in a good work-out, and find the time to enjoy hobbies, family, boyfriends, etc. So after juggling them all for a few months now, along with some outside inspiration, I thought it'd be great to share my ups and downs with others to help them along, as others helped me along.
So how about the rest of me in pictures?!
Classroom:
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| Love the sunlight :) |
Hobbies:
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| jlambcreates at gmail dot com |
Family:
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| Momsy and I |
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| Momsy and Brudder |
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| Lil 'ole me and the step-daddio |
Boyfriend:
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| Keefer and I at Mae |
Let me just say, I absolutely love my gym. I love being there, I love where it is, I love what they offer...I'd probably marry if it I could, but that's not legal. Yet. I've always been involved in sports since I started playing softball when I was 9. Softball continued, volleyball was added, marching band continued and then a nanny job in high school put an end to all of that (except band of course!). I still liked it all, I just wasn't active anymore on top of being overweight my entire life, but you can read more about that here.
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| Much love. |
So these days, now that I'm settled down a little more, my workouts consist of cardio AND strength training. I can't express how important strength training is! My favorite way to work it in is through a group fitness experience called BodyPump. My gym calls it something else with its own branding, but you get the point. For cardio I always try to get to step, kickboxing, and spinning. There are days though when class just isn't an option, so I run outside or on the treadmill. I went from not being able to run for a minute to running my first 5K this past May! And guess what? My first 10K will be completed in September in Pittsburgh's Great Race!
The Food:
Well, that's what got me here and it's going to get me out! I love it. Really love it. But who doesn't? Some people are just better at saying no and even better, being able to stop. Mom was a dancer and aerobics instructor, step-dad was a body builder, and little debbies and 'sugar cereal' were no where to be found (unless mixed with a comparable non-sugar cereal!). That was great and all, but it definitely led to extreme binges when I was at a friends house or when buying my own food when out with friends. The human nature to eat now because you might not have it later got the best of me...and it still does. Why can't I just say no? I'm still trying to work on it and find out. I've gone from having an extreme food texture issue to pretty much giving anything a try. Fresh fruits and vegetables are here to stay and so are smaller, cleaner meals.
From this:
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| Did I mention I LOVE pizza? (3.57 million calories) |
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| Tons of healthy proteins (300ish calories!) |
So come along with me as I learn, live, and look-back on what got me where I am and how it's going to get me where I'm going!
