Megali - adjective, noun - adjective 1. great or big in Greek -noun 1.. A nickname derived from my first and middle names

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Just Change My Last Name to Murphy!

You know, as in "anything that can go wrong will go wrong".  Long time no post and that's because of a series of events, both frustrating and busy making, this month, topped off by this:

Welcome to my lovely abode!  Don't you just love my cement slab flooring and industrial strength flood restoration fans?
This one not only showcases the damage, but also my great housekeeping skills when it comes to wiping fingerprints off the sliding glass.  Eh.  It's one of those losing battles some days weeks, but it eventually gets done.

I think we had nearly 20 of these air movers in the house.  And around 5 of the big dehumidifiers that made the house H-O-T!
Moral of the story?  Never, ever leave your house until you're sure that the toilet has stopped running after its been flushed.  Otherwise, you'll need to replace flooring in half your home, have to set your air conditioner at the same temperature as it is outside (88 to 89 degrees - this is FL afterall) so it doesn't overload, deal with circuits tripping and not having access to the computer or *eek* the internet, feel your ears ringing for hours after you leave the house because the fans are uber-loud. 

But at least I'll get new flooring.  After the deductible.  Someday.  When that day is, I don't know yet.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Would you trade a year of your life for the perfect body?

My initial reaction?  Yes, absolutely! Apparently I'm not alone, because "almost one-third of young women would trade at least a year of their lives to have a perfect body, according to a new survey of British undergraduates."  But, because I'm me, I over analyzed my decision after the fact. 

Which year would I have to give up?  Would I die at 83 instead of 84?  Would I have to lose a year I've already lived? Under whose interpretation of what defines a perfect body?  Mine? Is a perfect body one that is also healthy?  Ok, so apparently I need the full disclosure on the arrangement, to ensure no Twilight Zone twist!  But if it means I turn 32 next month instead of 31, and I'm going to live a long time beyond that, my answer remains the same.  Yup, I'm in.  Sure, I'm far more than my exterior.  I've also struggled with body image issues since adolescence.  I have no qualms owning my shallowness.  I also simply think it's not just being shallow; looking in the mirror and liking what I see would equate a better quality of life for me. 

A life I long to attain!  Curly turns two in a little more than a week and I have yet to reach my pre-pregnancy weight.  It was nine months on, eight months off with Slim.  I am swiftly approaching the time when I can no longer consider the extra pounds I'm carrying baby weight.

I have ranged from a size 8 to a size 18 in my adulthood.  Life certainly wasn't perfect when I was thinner.  I still managed to find things wrong with myself when I looked like this:
September 2007 - my sister's wedding
September 2008 - 9 weeks pregnant with Curly in San Antonio, TX


versus this:
November 2004 - apparently the first year of marriage agreed with me a little too much
January 2005 - Heaviest I've ever been.  This was my before picture; lost 45 pounds that year.
And although I still complained about my boobs and my postpartum belly sag and my stretch marks and this genetic predisposition I have towards something akin to dowager's hump ... despite all that, I did feel more confident and proud of what my strong body could do.

Unfortunately, today I'm back to where I felt a few years ago, even if I'm not that overweight.


March 2011 - The most recent picture of me

Want to know why that's the most recent picture of me?  Because I don't like how I look right now.  That's a picture of me a week after I ran my first half marathon.  I should be taking delight in what my body is capable of; instead, I'm cropping pictures to show the least amount of me possible.  Pathetic.  I come by my negative body image honestly - my Gran was known for cutting herself out of pictures she didn't like.  I wonder what kind of field day she would have had if she had Photoshop!

Here's the lesson of the day and where I'm asking for accountability.  Would I trade a year of my life for the perfect body?  Looking back, I've traded much longer than that.  If you add up all the time I've spent trying to reach my goal of perfection and believing I had little worth, wasn't I just throwing years away?  Yes, I want to lose weight and fit into a size 8 again.  Of course I do.  But I want to teach my sons the amazing things a fit body can do.  I want to enjoy ALL of who I am and stop obsessing over attaining perfection.  I'm not going to throw out my scale, I need to keep track.  I'm not going to stop negative self talk immediately, that'll take time.  But I am going to set goals.  And then break them down into smaller goals.  I'll report back when I've come up with them!

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And now we interrupt our programming to talk about the kids!

Curly accidentally called my Dad's cell phone this morning.  So lucky that he didn't manage to call 911!

Slim has really been missing R lately.  As I said in my first post, R has an insane commute.  Long story as to why.  Poor Slim has started asking R not to go to work. :(  He's breaking our hearts!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (Blog Edition)

I'll label these fitness blogs, but it's mostly running
in no particular order


Someday, I'll have an attractive picture of me running!















52 Beginnings - running 52 marathons in one year for charity

Running Diva Mom - a runner mommy who loves Bondi Bands just like me!

Journey to the Middle - running and weight loss

Endurance Isn't Only Physical - running and weight loss also. She used to live in FL, now lives in TX

Tall Mom on the Run - inspiring runner and running coach

Skinny Runner - funny writer, celebrity pictures, guest posts, great stuff

Another Mother Runner - the blog for Run Like a Mother, the book

Racing with Babes - awesome runner mommy getting her three girls to love running too!

The Shredheads - it all started with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred ...

Gabby Reece Honeyline - fantastic circuit workouts

Mommies are people too and their blogs can be political, cute, both or neither


My babywearing days are behind me :(

















The Artful Parent - creative and beautiful craft ideas for kids and the kid in you

The Crazy Baby Mama - found her on Kveller, which leads me to:

Kveller - a Jewish twist on parenting

Code Name: Mama - a non-judgemental natural parenting resource

The Feminist Breeder - being a mom doesn't mean you can't also be a feminist

Sustainable Mothering - a Philadelphia area lawyer looks at laws and policies that affect women

Cooking With My Kid - get the kids involved in cooking and they'll be more likely to eat their creations

Science at Home - science for the littles

Fiscally sensible blogs

What?  It's not like I have pictures of me spending money!























If you have a blog you'd like to share or think there's one I ought to be following, please link it in the comments!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Hi! I'm Megali

Hi!  I'm Megali.  Yes, that's really my name.  Sort of.  Well, it's a nickname that mashes together my first and middle names anyway.

I'm Mom to Slim (4) and Curly (2).  Yes, we call them that.  Sometimes.  Amongst other things, like their real names.  But they're gambler-like monikers earned because the older one is (who'd have thunk it?) slim and the younger one (imagine that!) has curly hair.  Slim decided my old-timey sobriquet should be Freckles, because I have a lot of them.  I'm gonna stick with Megali here though.

I'm wife to R.  He doesn't really have a nickname.  R is a college president who commutes 99 miles twice a day.

We live in FL, by way of OH, DE, and NC.  But I'm originally from PA.

So, why am I blogging?  I enjoy reading others' blogs and I want a chance to post about what interests me and share it with you.

What can you expect to read here?  Things that interest me and I hope will interest you.  Topics will run the gamut from parenting, running, and couponing to daily life, weight loss, and product testing.

Why the title A Megali Life?  It's not just my name, but Megali also means great in Greek, notably in the "Megali Idea" or "Grand Idea", a Greek nationalist concept.  I mean nothing political by my blog title; I simply like the notion of having my nickname and my life translate to "A Great Life", because who doesn't want that?