Reimagined - FWLCL 2.0

In September 2021, I deleted all of my social media accounts. (like, DELETED, deleted...not "disabled" - DELETED) Without getting into the details, it was necessary and even though it initially gave me a lot of anxiety, it has been one of the most freeing things I've done in a very long time. I honestly can't recommend it enough. That said, I have been desiring some kind of outlet for my thoughts, family happenings, and photos. Social media is a lot of things, good and bad. One of the good qualities, and really the only reason I miss it sometimes, is that it makes a great place for memories, photos, and thoughts to be stored. And so here I am, resurrecting my old blog to hopefully create some kind of in-between space: where my life is not void of digital memories, but also not overwhelmed by the toxicity of social media.

From time-to-time, I pull up the O.G. blog (it's linked at the top of the page if you're interested), and find myself entirely enthralled in the posts that recount days gone-by. It just reminds me of simpler times when my babies were little, money was tight, and life was busy with work. Back then, being a full-blown-stay-at-home-PTA-mom was still wayyyyyyy off in the distant future. The Farmer's Wife of the past had no idea there would be a world-wide "Pandemic", bringing her to a crossroads of decisions between muzzled-public-school and the freedom of Homeschool, one who would ultimately decide to travel the country in an RV for much of the weirdest year in modern history, make lemons out of lemonade in 2020, and have exactly Z E R O regrets about all of it.

While a lot of the world would probably admit that 2020 was one of their worst, hardest, most depressing years of their lives, I am so happy to report that our family not only survived, but we thrived in 2020. We made our own schedule, we learned at our own pace, we left the misery that is Wisconsin winter for the warm, sandy beaches of Florida, and we lived our absolute best lives. At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging, it really was [at the very least] the best winter ever (if not the actual best year ever). But, as things finally started to go back to "normal", and the school district we live in loosened all of it's pandemic protocols, our adventurous life on the road came to an end.

As my children headed back public school last fall, I was apprehensive about what the future would hold for them. Did they learn enough last year? Did they backslide on important subjects like math and reading? Would they be able to rekindle friendships and make new friends with their classmates they hadn't seen in over a year? The mom fear was very, very real. But to my pleasant surprise, they haven't only adjusted back to the social aspects of brick and mortar school very well, but they have both earned themselves straight As in the 1st quarter and receive nothing but rave reviews from all their teachers.

So, where does that leave us, now that it's 2022 and a fresh new year is ready and waiting for us? Well, for starters, I've recommitted myself to a health and wellness journey and set some very big weight loss goals for this year. A recurring theme in my old blog was my on-again-off-again relationship with nutrition, fitness, and a desire for a healthy, whole lifestyle. One of my first posts about this was called "Broken Record" because I literally felt like a broken record every time I tried to make healthier choices. It was a revolving door of eat healthy for a week (or two), work out every day, feel burnt out, binge on fast food or junk food, get frustrated with myself and give up. Then, a couple weeks later, re-motivate myself and start the whole process all over again, and again, and again, and again. I was annoyed with myself and ready for a real, lasting change.

Subsequent blog posts included "21 Days" , "Inside Out: Transformation Part 1 & Part 2", and one of my all-time favorite posts to re-read "The Seven Habits of Highly Fitness-y People." My present self has been motivated by a version of my past self so many times through that post, it's really, actually kind of incredible. Another redeeming quality of the internet - the ability to save important or special things for infinity, where a journal might fade or get lost or destroyed, blog posts on the internet are nearly indestructible.

So, here I am once again, embarking on a journey to find a better version of myself. And believe me, even though I've learned a lot from my past-self, there are many things past-self has learned along the way, too. For starters, living a healthy, whole lifestyle does not begin and end with a number on the scale or a pant size. I do think there is a time and place for goals associated with weight/size/body composition, but it's not the be-all-end-all. A former toxic trait of my old-self was constantly pushing to be better, faster, stronger, leaner - which sounds great...but when you're literally the actual best version of yourself, sometimes maintenance and just staying consistent are the best thing - not always striving for something better. Hopefully that makes sense? Basically, I want to be a better version of myself, and I will get there but instead of being frustrated by set backs and upset at missed bench marks, I will celebrate my victories and appreciate my body for the work it's doing, and not constantly expect more out of it.

As far as the rest of the fam, we are in full-blown winter mode over here. The house is a constant project for the farmer (new laundry room, who dis?!) and the kids are enjoying after school activities like robotics (Jack) and basketball (Elle). I look forward to diving into the world of blogging again and will probably post things like recipes - I'm currently submerging myself into the world of Keto, so I'll have some things to share about that - travel plans or RV life things - we are hoping to travel again in spring or summer! - and miscellaneous family updates. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I look forward to what the future holds!

-The Farmer's Wife 2.0