next years "list"

whoa. i have been really lacking in the blogging realm lately.  i know what will be on next years list of goals: to blog.  more than once a month.   

a little snippet of life in February:
- my birfday.  i'm 29.  forever.
- valentines day.  at home date night.  we watched a movie on Netflix after the kiddos went to bed. exciting, no?
- i went with chad on a "winter retreat" with our youth group and other local church youth groups.  it was amazingly fun and exhausting.  i forgot how fun it is to ski. i realized that i had not been skiing in just over 10 years.  the last time i went skiing was the weekend i found out i was pregnant with my oldest. (on a winter retreat for our church in WA)  it also made me miss the awesome ski slopes in Washington and BC.   (this was a little hill and a much different experience!)
- really busy month of just stuff. life. hubby in seminary is making life busier for both of us and we are really really REALLY looking forward to a break coming up this next week. 
- did i complete my February goals? nope.  1 for 2.  I read the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  It was awesome, convicting, and I am still wrestling with how to make some changes in my life and what it means for me to "run hard after God" on a daily basis.
I didn't clean up my paper mess and files.  I did a bit of researching on what I need to keep for paper and have a list and a plan.   Carrying out the plan seems a bit overwhelming and will probably take several "nap times" to complete.  So the piles will continue to pile up and get shoved aside.  I'm okay with that and will get to it eventually :)
- I completed Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  woot! Lost a few pounds and a few inches again with that.  yay me! 

i have no new pictures to share so i will add some from January:

aren't they cute?  :)  i think so.

january goals: check, check

wow, i've been a bit of a slacker in the blogging department.  BUT that's because I've been so busy with working on my 2012 goals!

my January goals were:
1) clean out my fridge and freezer really good - done!  no pics of it in it's shiny clean organized gloriousness however, because, really, who wants to see my fridge.  very boring. (side note confession:  i had 6 bottles of mustard in there...?!!??  3 were expired.)
2) restock my card stash - done! i made 30ish cards to get me started here in 2012.  here are some of my faves:

AND I've finished one of my February goals already as well (read "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan)
that leaves me with a big paper pile mess to deal with.... anyone have tips on organizing that stuff and what needs to be kept?

the resolution bandwagon

i'm hopping on....

my goal list for 2012:

January -  restock my card stash
                really really clean my fridge/freezer
February - stop avoiding and actually read  my copy of Crazy Love by Francis Chan
                figure out a filing system i can maintain and take care of the paper mess
March -  scrapbook at least 5 layouts
               clean out the storage area in the utility room (i'll have to be sure to take a "before" picture, yikes!)
April - do 2 projects i have "pinned" from Pinterest
         - paint the back porch and steps
May - read 2 novels from my list of "books i want to read"
         - clean out at least 1/3 of the garage (another one to have a before picture of!)
June - run 5 miles in one workout
         - finish the front porch project
July - go "screen free" two days a week (no computer or tv)
       - ruthlessly clean out the girls' closets
August - keep a daily journal
            - clean out another 1/3rd of that garage
September - try to can or preserve something i haven't done before
               - ruthlessly clean out our closet
October -  try 4 new recipes
             - finish the garage
November  - actually be organized for Christmas this year and make the gift ideas and to do list
                  - back up my pictures and empty my camera card
December -  make a reusable daily calendar to start in the upcoming year
                - clean out the attic

MAYBE since i posted this on here for the world (or the 10 or so people that read my blog) to see, i will be more likely to complete this list.  some are for sure more lofty than others, some will be quick, some require A LOT of work.
or MAYBE i will be like the majority of other "new year resolution" makers and fall right back off the resolution wagon. 
MAYBE i will regret the day i posted this
MAYBE i will be so motivated to see things being completed i'll finish my list early
maybe maybe maybe
MAYBE i will
MAYBE i won't

and MAYBE if i care to share my successes or failures i will post each month (or so) on how i'm doing on this list.  we shall see.

i leave you with this fabulous picture of my kids:

2010 - Taking Inventory

Tonight we had our "Old Year's Service" at church and the Pastor reflected on "taking inventory."   It was a great message that encouraged me in several ways. It also reminded me of my goals for this past year and I thought I should revisit those before I adopt new goals (or continue the old ones) for 2011.

2010 goals from previous entry:

1) feed my family in the healthiest way possible for as cheap as possible

the verdict:  still a work in progress.  i believe this will continue to be an up and down process for us. sometimes i am "gung-ho" and declaring that my family will consume green smoothies daily for the rest of our lives and then other days i have no drive and my kids end up eating boxed mac-n-cheese and the thought of a green smoothie makes me gag. it also seems there is always new information about what is "healthy" and a lot of things conflict with each other.  what i do know for sure:  fresh fruits and veggies are ALWAYS healthy.  I think this fact will make it's way into my 2011 goals.
things i did do for this include: 
 -religiously reading labels and evaluating if it is something worth buying nutrition-wise
 -for months i made my own yogurt.  currently on a break from this as the last time i made it a couple months ago it sat in the fridge until it was inedible and eventually thrown out.  i plan to start making it again in January as i believe it is pretty healthy (and frugal!)
 -i tried to remove as much processed food from our diets as possible.  no more crackers for snacks unless i make them from scratch (did this a couple times... A LOT of work for so-so crackers) no more pop for chad and i, little to no high fructose corn syrup, i started making our own granola bars (another thing i have ceased to make for awhile but plan to start up again), i try to use organic whenever possible and "healthier" baking ingredients like whole-wheat flour and sweeteners such as honey or pure maple syrup.
 -i read several books (or am in process of reading them cause they are HUGE textbook like books) including, Real Food by Nina Planck, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (hoping to go see her speak in February!!!), The Green Smoothie Diet by Robyn Openshaw and The World's Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan
 -i make a weekly menu plan to avoid the "it's 5pm, what do we have for dinner tonight, I'm too tired to make anything, let's just order pizza" as much as possible (still happens though!)  which makes us eat a more well balanced diet and it's cheaper.

2) lose the baby weight

the verdict:  nope.  didn't happen.  extreme frustration with this as i feel like my body is rebelling against all efforts i make.  pretty much makes me want to not even try.  but I'm pretty sure this will turn up in my 2011 goals as well.
what i did do:  in the late winter/early spring i started exercising and was up to jogging a mile straight (hadn't done that since high school) but then the bathroom reno happened and i quit.  i went through various phases of changing my diet and did a "cleanse."  this fall i did Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred" and then continued to exercise regularly once I was done with it.  we got a new treadmill (though we are on our second new one and it still isn't working properly, ugh!) and i am back to jogging again but my frequency is not as high as it should be.

3) make our house a home (various house projects)

the verdict:  another one that will always be in process.  but i will say that this house feels much more like "home" than it did a year ago.  new projects will always be there though. 
I'm not going to list out what i did do, cause honestly, other than our main floor bathroom reno, i don't really remember everything. 
Churning in my brain is a blog post that would involve documenting where our house is at now and what i hope to do with it over the next year but we'll see if that ever comes to fruition.

So that was as far as I got on official goals for the year.  I am glad that I at least put effort into each one continuously throughout the year even if none of them were "completed."  (I don't think 1 and 3 could be anyway for as vague as they were) 

This next week, I believe will be spent contemplating what I dare hope for in 2011 ;)

shredded

quick update on the 30 day shred...

i finished it this morning and am a little giddy with myself for actually doing this for 30 days straight.  no days off. none. woot!

my results were pretty good... not exactly what i was hoping for but i am still happy with it.   i lost about 3-4 pounds (i was REALLY hoping to see more loss in this department).  i took my measurements each week and from start to finish i lost 11.5 inches total.  most of that was in my waist area and a little bit everywhere else.  YAY!

so the plan is... I am taking the weekend off.   THEN i am going to start the whole thing over again and am hoping to add a few days a week of doing Leslie Sansone's Walk & Jog as well.  I really think i need to add more cardio exercise into this in order to see some more pounds drop. 

okay, that is all.  ;)

i {heart} being shredded

quick post. 

i am joining in on this 30 day challenge:

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

i am on day 3 of doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred workout DVD.  Every muscle in my body is screaming out at me to knock it off already.  but ya know miss baby is 9 months old.... and the whole saying of 9 months on, 9 months off is not applying to me apparently.  so i am telling my muscles to kick it in gear and shape up. 

i took my measurements the first day and at the end of 30 days i will take them again and report on inches lost.  hopefully some pounds lost too ;)

anyone else want to join me?

thoughts of a sugar addict

so i've nearly completed my sugar free day.  it is currently almost 10pm and i have not had any refined sugar today. 

i wish i could say it was easy, or no big deal.

but it wasn't.

it was hard.

i felt deprived.  my mouth physically craved something sweet.

i was (and am) annoyed at the fact that i felt this way. to feel so mastered by something that it consumed my thoughts and made me cranky and short tempered with my kiddos is disturbing to me.

i didn't follow my "menu plan" as i intended.  i ate a banana in there, i tried a cup of coffee with just cream (blech) but at least it staved off any caffeine headaches, i discovered that my frozen sprouted bread has no sugar at all (YAY!) so i had the sad little end pieces that have been there for months, i had buttered whole wheat noodles and peas with my grilled salmon, and instead of carrots with ranch (even my "healthy homemade recipe" for this has sugar in it. gah) i had tortilla chips with pico de gallo and sour cream.

the saddest thing after eating ALL that nourishing and good for me food, mentally i was not satisfied. lame, i say. very lame.

i'm not sure what my next step is. i wish i could say that i will continue this tomorrow.  but i don't really want to.  at least not tomorrow. i want to have birthday cake with miss j tomorrow.

well, good night and SWEET dreams ;)

tomorrow, tomorrow, it's only a day away..........

alrighty.  i have decided.

tomorrow is the day i'm going sugar free.   (and if it's horrible the next day is miss j's b-day and i can make up for the lack of sugar with cake. bwa ha ha)

my plan:  no sugar at all, including natural sweeteners for this ONE day.  I will eat foods with natural occurring sugars such as fruit and dairy, cause i think these are part of a healthy diet.

my tentative menu: 

breakfast - scrambled eggs with spinach mixed in, milk

snack - celery with natural no sugar added peanut butter

lunch - a green salad with walnuts, shredded cheese, olive oil/sea salt (as dressing)

snack - plain yogurt with blueberries
dinner - grilled salmon & veggies, sliced tomatoes with olive oil & sea salt, milk
if needed snack - carrots with homemade ranch dressing.

hardest thing... no coffee :( 

say a little prayer for me. (or rather my kiddos and hubby as they have to live with me)

i do not {heart} sugar

or more accurately, i do {heart} sugar. way. too. much.

in my quest for healthier eating for myself and family i am becoming very aware of the fact that i, and most likely several of my children, are addicted to sugar.  that white refined stuff is in EVERYTHING and in many forms.  i have already been working on knocking high fructose corn syrup out of our house (pretty much there, except for random things that are still in my cupboards and now that i know they have HFCS in them i don't want to use them but the dutch girl in me just can't throw them away cause that is wasting! reality is anything unopened will be put in a box for the next food drive i encounter)

anyhoo, my thoughts have led me to thinking that the only way to break an addiction (for me) is to go cold turkey.  no sugar (or forms of it).  at all. none.  (eek!)

this raises many issues and questions.  how long?  to what degree do i remove sugar from my diet?  just the refined stuff?  honey? pure maple syrup? what about my coffee?!?!  (i can NOT drink it black) the thought of no sugar and no coffee (ie: no caffeine) at the same time. i might not be the nicest mommy or wife would be downright mean and crabby.

i have been inspired by this particular blogger:   http://myyearwithout.blogspot.com/

she removed refined sugar from her diet as a new years resolution (for 2008 and is now in her 3rd year of going without sugar, wow!) however she still eats several natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup,  fruit concentrate, etc...  i'm just not sure i can truly break my addiction if i allow myself those things or food sweetened with those things (some of the recipes on her blog look soooooo YUMMY)

my plan as of this moment (subject to change at any time) is to pick one day (soon, like maybe this weekend, or maybe next week, next month? no. for sure by next week) to go without any sugar at all. any form of it. natural or refined.  (ugh, but what about fruit? dairy? so many decisions) then after that day i will decide what my next step will be.  i do plan to blog about that day (cause i know you all care! lol) before and after.

stay tuned...

oh and just for grandma.... here is a picture of one of my sugar addicted girls:

and a most likely sugar addicted girl:

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. ;)

finally a blogger

so i finally started a blog.... we shall see if this is a passing phase for me or not. my goals for this blog is to keep an online journal (since i'm online all the time anyway) of what's going on in my life. my kids are growing fast and i want to remember more of the day to day stuff they do and say. we also are about to move to a new house and i would like to keep track of the things we do to change it to make it "our home." also if i ever get back into the habit of scrapbooking and stamping cards/projects regularly (and have to time to upload pictures of all this!) then i will add that too. so here it is... my life and what i {heart}