Atkins and new outlooks

I cannot count the number of times we have jumped on the Atkins bandwagon in the past.  But I guarantee that every time i cheated like crazy when Jim wasn't looking.  I hated, HATED that diet/lifestyle.  I don't know why exactly but this time has been totally different for me.  do I snag a piece of cereal here and there? Sure.  Have I cheated...once.  But I have a new motivation and new respect for this diet that I never did before.
I took a good look at the food we are eating, and it dawned on me.  We eat almost NO processed food anymore.  We eat fresh meat, eggs, cheeses, varying lettuce salads, fresh vegetables (and sometimes frozen too), and now have introduced some (low/no carb!) whole grains.  It is very exciting.  I am back under 200 pounds again and though the weight is not coming off as quickly as I had hoped it might, it is coming off steadily and healthily.
I will admit that I miss fruit, but that will be incorporated eventually.  I am trusting the process, and it is working.  We are also working out 3 days a week, together.  That is the word of the day.  TOGETHER.  If Jim wasn't doing this with me I would have thrown my hands up by now.  It is so important that we are doing this together and supporting and pushing one another to do better and succeed.  It makes me feel so much closer to Jim than I ever thought!  Like I said, we've tried all of this before with limited success.  This time it is just so much different in a great way than it ever was before.
It's all about perspective. :)

Aaannnnddd, I'm back. :)

So, yeah.  It would seem that life got ahold of me again and I allowed it to derail my fitness efforts.  It's an easy temptation to fall prey to when working overnight, and full time day as a daycare provider, and of course always a full time wife and mother.  At some point, something has to give, and unfortunately the first thing to go is a normal exercise routine.
But, the paper route is done now, and a major family/friends drama has passed from which I have a LOT of anger to work out so time to bring the exercise back in to the equation.
I have begun running a daycare out of my home recently, and currently have one infant in my care.  Next month I begin the licensing process so I can care for more families and bring in more income.  The upside to this is huge.  I still get to be at home with my kids which is my number one priority right now.  If it goes well and grows, it will allow me to continue to be home even after all the kids are in school.  It is important to me to be there for them even if they aren't in the house.
The downside, of course, is that my time during the day is not all mine anymore.  I can't simply chose to take a trip to the Y in the morning and go to my classes for 2 hours.  I also have a very difficult time going in in the evenings with Jim.  By evening I am too tired from the rest of my day to motivate myself to pile the kids into the car, drive across town, do a workout, pile the kids back into the car, then come back and have bedtime battles. It's easier for me to put James down to bed, then take the dogs for a walk.  Easier for me to take the dogs for a walk at 5:30am before the kids are up and crazy.  The 1.5 mile walk is a challenge, but soon it wont be and I'll start jogging for part of it.  Then jogging for all of it.  Then extend the distance. And so on.  The workout should not be easy.  Getting to do the workout should be.  How else am I going to make it a habit.
It's all about adapting to a new situation, not making excuses about how it hinders me.  Here's to adapting! :)