DECEMBER!

Are you serious?! How is it ALREADY December?!?!?!? <heart racing wildly> Time. Is. Going. Too. Quickly.

Okay, so I guess I need to face the fact that Christmas is quickly approaching, 2013 is almost over, and it's time to take a look at how we did this year.

These were my resolutions for the year:

1. To be more modest around the kids (i.e. covering up after a shower and not leaving the bathroom door open)
2. To continue healthy living by working out at least 5 days a week and eating as much organic and whole foods as possible.
3. To set aside more time for Nick
4. To use my skin care stuff DAILY so I don't end up all wrinkly before my time
5. To read the Bible in one year, using a program I found online.

And here's how I did:

1. To be more modest around the kids (i.e. covering up after a shower and not leaving the bathroom door open)

SUCCESS! I stopped letting my kids come into the bathroom and bedroom while I am showering, changing my clothes, etc.

2. To continue healthy living by working out at least 5 days a week and eating as much organic and whole foods as possible.

I'd say I did pretty well on this one. I still love my sugar though and even though I don't eat it as much as I used to, I haven't cut it out completely. And as for working out, I've been doing 5 days a week consistently. Yay me.

3. To set aside more time for Nick 

This year, we definitely had more date nights (and even a few weekends away) than in previous years. I decided to stop being afraid to ask my parents to watch our kids and as it turns out, they LOVE it. If I could do the same thing with my in laws, that would be great but I'm not pushing my luck. *wink*

4. To use my skin care stuff DAILY so I don't end up all wrinkly before my time

Whoops! I totally stopped doing this at some point during the year and actually forgot it was on my list of resolutions. Looks like I'll have to add that one to this year's list....

5. To read the Bible in one year, using a program I found online. 

Ummmmmm, nope. Didn't happen. I made it about a month in and got to some REALLY boring and very dry stuff (think lists of names who begat other names) and pretty much just quit. I won't be adding this back in but I will have a different religious goal this year.

So, 3/5. That's not bad, right?   

Turkey Time!

I seriously CANNOT wait to get to my hometown for Thanksgiving. And I feel really lucky that I have such a big family with which to share my holiday. But...if you aren't heading "home" for this particular holiday, how will you spend it?

Maybe you will head to one of these fancy-schmancy hotels and have a elaborate meal?

Maybe you will be working?

Or perhaps you are hosting your own get-together and have been shopping and prepping all week?

No matter how you choose to spend you holiday, please remember...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING (in 2 days...)

My stupidly good (but quite painful) choice

On September 1st, I stopped eating gluten. Within about 10 days, every weirdo symptom I had disappeared and I felt fantastic. My plan was to do it for 90 days but almost immediately, I realized that this was probably going to be a permanent change.

But, I wasn't 100% sure.

And I knew that on November 30th, we were going to a wedding of one of my really good friends and I didn't want to inconvenience her with a "gluten free" request unless absolutely necessary.

So, on Saturday, November 16th, after 77 days of being gluten free and after drinking a glass of wine, I decided a test would be the best way to handle this. And, since friends had invited us to dinner at a delicious but decidedly gluten filled restaurant, I figured there was no time like the present.

The wait for a table was a little long so the waitress brought us some breaded zucchini. I tentatively took a bite. It was, of course, delicious! Then, after we were seated and I had ordered (a grilled chicken salad with fries), I decided to have a slice of the Italian bread from the table. It actually didn't taste that good but I think I am just not used to white bread anymore. The salad was yummy and I even topped it off with a shared slice of pie.

I felt fine. 

Oh, how silly, I thought, I've been eating gluten free all this time and I didn't need to be.

Then, it hit.

It started slowly - a slight ache in my tummy. But, by the time we got home, I was bent over in pain and had no choice but to curl up in the fetal position and cry and moan and cry some more.

For the next 2 days, my stomach was a hot mess. And that concludes my gluten test! I am now diagnosing myself with a gluten intolerance. If you ask my Dad, he will insist it's Celiac Disease and given my family history, that would make sense, but I feel a lot better "knowing" that my insides haven't been attacking themselves.

Although I don't recommend this method of self-diagnosis, I am glad to know for sure now that gluten + my body = bad news.

The First Snow

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?" ~J. B. Priestley

My 5 and 7 year old kids, heading off to school this morning.

What is it about the first snow of the year that gets everyone all riled up? Browsing through Facebook this morning, posts range from "Yippee! Snow!" to "...there are no words for how much I despise it." Me? I am somewhere in the middle. 

Snow is cold. 

Snow is beautiful.

Snow makes the roads slick.

Snow makes my kids smile.  

I could go on all day with my snow list, but instead what I want to write about is the fact that Spring will be here in 127 days. Yes, that's right. It's *already* time to start counting down to Spring. 

All Winter long, here in Pennsylvania, we wear our heavy coats, bulky sweaters, jeans, and snow boots. No one but our significant others see our bodies. It's the perfect time to let your guard down and eat with reckless abandon, right?

'
In fact, this is the perfect time to push harder than even before and plan for a BIG REVEAL in the Spring when you strip off all those layers of clothes and unveil a toned body.

Start RIGHT NOW and know that in 127 days, you will be happier, healthier and hotter *wink*

Get to it!

 

 

Y'know what I do when I don't wanna work out....

I WORKOUT!

LOL! Have I disturbed you enough with this animated GIF?!?!?!? I know that image is burned into my brain now and I am not sure how to get it out. Figured I'd pass the love on to you...

So, this morning, I woke up and DID NOT want to workout. I had every excuse in the book handy to tell myself.

I am still tired from the 2am stint the other night at the hospital with a friend...

The kids need me to help them get ready for school...

I already look good; I don't really *need* another workout...

There might not be enough time before the toddler I am watching today arrives...

But then, I remembered...

So, I quickly threw on my workout clothes, woke the kids and told them to get dressed, put their lunches together and into their backpacks, and set a few things out for them. By the time I was done with that, I looked on my calendar to see how long I was going to be working out. It was a 50 minute DVD workout and the kids would be leaving for school in about 35 minutes. Luckily, my neighbor was planning to drive them to the bus stop, so I knew I would be in the clear.

The kids managed to put on their uniforms without me barking orders at them. My 7 year old got breakfast made for herself and her 5 year old brother. They got along well, and it seemed like they enjoyed the extra responsibility. 

Meanwhile, I sweated my butt off in the living room. When they were dressed, fed, and ready to leave for school, they sat in the room with me for a bit and then left for school.

Wow! I still can't believe how smoothly that went! 

I was getting close to the end of my DVD when I got a text that the toddler was on his way. With 5 minutes to spare, I finished and managed to have breakfast made for myself by the time he arrived. 

And I, of course, do not regret that workout. At all. 

 

YAY ME!

 

Cheater! Cheater!

I cheated on Friday night.

On Saturday, I woke up, expecting to experience a tremendous amount of guilt.

But, I didn't.

I felt great.

I seriously didn't have an ounce of remorse.

Sure, I had cheated, but it hadn't been a big deal.

There seemed to be no repercussions.

I quickly realized that I could do it again and nothing negative would happen.

So I did. I cheated a couple of times on Saturday and once on Sunday. Mmmmmmm.... It felt so freeing! I was an official cheater.

Gosh, I hope whoever is reading this also read my last post because if not, they are probably judging me like crazy right now.

I. Cheated. On. Whole30.


After my weekend of cheating, I realized that even though I am a rule follower, maybe I don't do so well with sooooo many rules. I'd rather just put things in my body that make me feel good and limit those that don't.

Duh.

That's totally easy to do and doesn't require a set of rules and regulations.

I feel best when I am eating as clean as possible. My body loves eggs, copious amounts of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and peanut butter. Glorious peanut butter. It doesn't love corn at all, unless it's on the cob at a Summer picnic. *wink* My gut feels the effects of large amounts of rice and dairy but seems just fine with both, in smaller portions. And gluten? Well, I still don't have a choice on that one since my 90 days won't be up until December 1st, but I have definitely noticed that I feel better without it than I did with it.

So, yes, I cheated. But, I am a better person for it.

Ummmmmm....

So, ummmmm....I know I was really gung ho about Whole30 and how it was going to heal my gut, but well...ummmmm... on Friday night, I kinda sorta ummmmm.... cheated.

Let me paint this scene for you. We went my friend's 40th Birthday party at 7pm. I had a very lovely dinner before we left - Plenty of food, I thought, to fill me up for the evening. I brought my contribution of a tomato basil salad and figured that I could munch on that if I got hungry. We got there and on the table were soooooo many tempting foods and drinks, but I stayed strong. I grabbed a bottle of water and just avoided the food. I also didn't have any wine, which I normally would have had a glass or two.

We decided to play a fun game called "The Game of Things". If you haven't played this, do it. Especially in a crowd of drunk people. And also with some of your best friends. Who aren't afraid to speak their mind. And be crass. And make fun of each other. It's HYSTERICAL!

At the end of the game, we put on music and started dancing. When I say that I danced my a$$ off, I am SERIOUS. I was dancing like I was drunk - but I wasn't. I was stone sober and still managing to have a blast. But, as you know, exercise makes you hungry. The more I danced, the better and better the food started to look.

Finally, at about 11pm, I cracked. I couldn't have much of the food due to the gluten in it but I *could* have the pepperoni pizza dip. But, it was very clearly not Whole30 compliant as it was COVERED in cheese. I told my husband that I was going to eat it, halfway hoping he would stop me but he didn't so I dived in. Luckily for me and for my stomach, there wasn't much left so I didn't have a huge portion or anything but man, it was YUMMY!

I waited afterward, thinking that my stomach was going to rebel against me, but it didn't. I felt fine. And my hunger had been satisfied.

Ok, I thought, that was no big deal. It was just some cheese. I'll continue with Whole30 tomorrow....