2010 goals - Part 1

my goals for this year...

(disclaimer 1: this is a working list and things may be taken off the list or added as time goes on)
(disclaimer 2: to my few family and friends that actually read my blog, this quite possibly might be incredibly boring to you so don't bother to read! I've read so many blogs lately that have lots of "followers" that i am pretending to have the same, and that people would actually care about this stuff, lol)

1.) Feed my family as healthy as possible for as cheap as possible
2.) Lose the baby weight and then some
3.) Make our house "our home" (ie: lots of house projects to make our house more comfortable and cuter)

first up... #1

HOW?

Step 1: Gather info

My SIL, Jess is super inspiring when it comes to this and is incredibly knowledgeable about what really is healthy and nourishing. She previously owned her own store called "Health, Beauty, and Wellness" that sold only things that were truly good for you. Now, she is in AZ going to med school to be a naturopathic doctor (i think that's what it's called!)

I read the book "In Defense of Food" and "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. Great reads although in my humble opinion I would just read one or the other. The first has a lot of science stuff and explanations and the second is waaay shorter and just gets to the point of what/how you should eat and briefly the why. Both are good though.

A friend (thanks missy!) told me about a blog she came across called kitchenstewardship.com that has been a great starting point for me to really incorporate this into our lives. it is truly overwhelming and this blog helps make it not so "i need to throw everything out of our pantry and move to a farm" thing.

Step 2: Do something. Anything. (think baby steps)

my goal for this first month of doing this (january didn't count... just cause) was to make my own yogurt and granola bars. these are two things that we eat a lot of. the yogurt saves us money, the granola bars cost is about even as buying them from the store but i feel better about knowing what exactly in them is healthy and they are really yummy and filling.

here is my results:


i seriously {heart} this yogurt. it reminds me of the homemade yogurt my mom and aunt made with fresh milk. soooo yummy. i decided to go with the crockpot method (link to it from kitchenstewardship.com's post on how she makes her yogurt)
i really like the granola bars too (recipe also is from kitchenstewardship.com)they aren't quite as convenient as store kind cause they are a bit crumbly, but i think they are way better tasting and waaaay more satisfying. i tried them with 1/2 the honey and replaced it with water and then used peanut butter in place of half the butter however, they were REALLY dry. like, take a drink between each bite kind of dry. so for now i will stick with the basic recipe and experiment with different "add-ins."

other things i am already doing for this goal is to read labels at the store... trying to rid our cupboards/fridge of high fructose corn syrup, cut waaaay back on white sugar and white flour, and get back into making a weekly "menu" (i don't assign days to each meal but rather have a menu of dinner options that i can choose from that i have all the ingredients for on hand)

i am contemplating my next step(s). i will for sure continue with the granola bars and yogurt. i know that i want to get my kids away from processed foods for snacks. they eat (or did eat) A LOT of crackers (whales/goldfish, graham, club, ritz, animal, etc...)

my plan is to:
a) stop buying the crackers
b) encourage/offer homemade baked goods (trying several recipes from kitchenstewardship.com), fresh fruit, string cheese, or popcorn. crackers are just so much easier. bleh. :P

i also am contemplating starting to bake my own bread. a couple issues with this:
i tried this before and was not very successful at it (think brick-like mounds useful as a doorstop). we also are the humble recipients of WIC and we now get a few loaves of bread free each month through this awesome program. the problem: all the loaves of bread approved to get that are available at our grocery stores here contain high fructose corn syrup. ugh. i could switch getting bread on our WIC checks to brown rice, but we don't eat much rice. maybe we should.
so we shall see if this happens. i think i will try a loaf or two this month and see what happens.

i am working on the other two goals too. just not ready to post anything on that yet. ;)

2 months

miss baby is 2 months already.

the girl weighs over 13 1/2 pounds already and is well into 3-6 months clothes.
she's our chunky monkey ;) wish i was losing weight as fast as she's gaining... sigh. (yes, i know, "9 months on, 9 months off" blah blah blah)

a few things i would like to remember about her at this age (remember I am going to be old and gray before i actually get around to scrapbooking her so i must take detailed notes)
-she smiles SO easily. especially in the mornings.
-she pretty much sleeps through the night (depends on your definition of said "night") typically she gets her last feeding around 11pm and USUALLY sleeps until anywhere from 5:30am to 8:30am
-we've heard little laughs and she coo's and "talks" to us too
-she's starting to grab for toys hanging in front of her
-much of her day is spent on the kitchen island away from her sister's not so gentle grip. she likes to chill out in her bouncy seat and she naps in her carseat.

piggies

miss j sportin her new do....

love 'em

i {heart} no good, really bad days

seriously. i do. (just not when i am having one)

this entry on my blog is just a little (okay, maybe not so little) blurb about a really bad day a few weeks ago. read on if you would like.



it was going to be a "fun" day. dd #2 was going to get her haircut and then we planned to have lunch at the bakery with grandma d before pre-school. woot woot, an outing for me! (it doesn't take much to thrill me these days)

the "getting out" part of life is limited these days and it takes A LOT of work to actually do this successfully. on this particular morning it was not successful. our van, with which i have a love/hate relationship with, was for sure on my hate list. we got all bundled up and trekked out to the garage and it decided not to start. soooo... no outing for us and we all trekked back into the house (mind you it is below zero cold out and i have a newborn babe to carry along as well as my mother who had been wearing a scarf INSIDE the house not as a fashion statement but because she was chilled) now i had a very sad daughter who was probably more bummed about not having a doughnut with grandma than missing her haircut.

a bit later as i am still thinking mean thoughts about our van, i switch the laundry and then head back upstairs to chat with my mom. as i am talking to her i notice that my wedding ring is broken. the large central diamond is missing.

heart sinks. big lump forms in my throat. pit in my stomach forms.

i head back down to the laundry room to stop the washer just in case it is floating amongst the clothes. through my tears i begin taking out each article of clothing to check for the diamond. wallowing in feelings of despair and self pity my dear hubby calls and i have to tell him why i am so upset.

he comes straight home. cause that is the kind of man he is. the best kind.

we search. everywhere. including the garbage. (ick)

i give up. to me, it is harder than looking for a needle in a haystack because at least then you have a defined space to look in. i had no idea when or where i lost the diamond that morning. it could have been anywhere in the house or even outside buried in the mass of snow piled up from the christmas blizzard.

chad had to go back to work and as he was about to leave he looked down on the kitchen floor and just in front of the stove was the diamond.

WOW.

big hugs, joy, relief.

time to switch the laundry. i take the load out of the dryer and the first thing i pull out has strange pink and purple spots on it. huh. that wasn't there when i put that in the dryer. i take the next thing out, it too is sporting new pink and purple spots. ugh. a remnant of a crayon wrapper comes out next. SUPER. the entire load of non-bleachable clothes has purple and pink crayon all over them. seriously.

grandma d assures me that this is the 3rd bad thing to happen today and this would be it. (cause bad things happen in 3's, right?)

i just want to crawl into bed and have the day be done already. (it's only noon)

i decide to give up on doing anything productive and get online, see what is happening on facebook, fully intending to tell everyone "what's on my mind."
i notice that several of my WA facebook friends have joined a group that is praying for someone. after a little research i realize that 3 little girls no longer have a daddy. a young wife is now a single mom to those 3 little girls. the brother to one of my classmates from high school died in a horrible farm accident that morning leaving behind his wife and 3 little girls.

i cannot fathom the pain. the loss.

my no good, very bad day? not so bad anymore.

i say a prayer of thanks to God for my family, all safe and sound, surrounding me with joy and love.

when i go to bed that night and i drop my toothbrush on the floor and the "spin" part of the brush cracks off, i could care less. i toss it in the garbage, grateful that my kids are safely tucked in their beds, my husband snoring in ours.

so you see, that is why i {heart} those kind of days. now, each time i see my newly fixed, sparkly wedding ring or the pink and purple spots that are stuck to my favorite shirt (despite valiant attempts to remove them) and my daughters snazzy, cute haircut, i am reminded of this day. reminded of the lesson learned. life is a precious gift. material things mean nothing. thank you Jesus for my family, my friends, my life and all i {heart}

cheap entertainment

anyone looking for a laugh?

head to our house for a few hours.