Resolutions

As 2013 comes to a close, I am smiling.  We have had so many wonderful adventures this year as a family, and looking back through old posts makes me happy.  I am most happy about our family decision to get healthier in 2014!  Even my little mini is moving more and more.  I am excited that part of the reason I started this blog was to hold myself accountable and try to make healthier decision for myself and my family...and now my family is making choices that are inspiring me.

As we near the end of another year, I watch as my 4 year old does her workout. because as she says "we need to exercise everyday."  Is there any better proof of success then that?!?! In the past few days she has been actively playing games on the Wii fit and today she did her yoga DVD.  So proud of her.

My big girl, after being off from soccer and riding for a week the other day went upstairs and did my Belly, Butt and Thighs Boot camp DVD, just to get in some sort of workout.  The went up and down the sledding hill yesterday, and today is back at her riding.  Awesome!

last night my motivator, my hubby...opted to pass on our workout.  Did I let that stop me?  Nope.  I went upstairs and busted out one of my Ellen Barret DVD's and started working up a sweat.  before I new it, the hubs was changing into his workout gear and did his own workout.

All in all 2013 was a good year, and there is so much to look forward to in 2014.  As we finalize our "resolution" lists I urge you to challenge yourself everyday!  when you do and succeed...there is just no greater feeling!!

Heres to a happy, healthy 2014!!

Revamping those Resolutions!

I admit, that every year I do try and make a set of resolutions.  I do try and stuck with them as best as I can too.  But like so many others, they seem to fall to the wayside.  That is why this year I am excited that the hubs and I decided to start making some serious changes for our health and well-being BEFORE the craziness (and let's be honest-pressure) of New Years is upon us.  As I have mentioned, the hubs and I have decided to try going gluten free. So far, its been amazing!  I am seeing an actual difference in my body.  I know some of it is getting my lazy butt back into an actual work out regimen, but the bloated look (and feel) I have been carrying in my mid-section is all but gone.  It's allowing me to see the sad out of shape ab muscles that have been crying for attention and love. 

With the "success" of the gluten cut back, we have been discussing more things we can change in our diets.  With all of THAT talk, and after a great post by Ashley over at Coffee Cake and Cardio about thinking ahead for 2014 I thought, why not start to draft up some resolutions that we KNOW we want to do. 

1. Continue on the gluten free lifestyle.  It seems to be helping both of us and I am feeling better then I have in a long time.
2. Continue working out and making it a priority!  This is where I have ups and downs a LOT.  The kids and their schedules always get pushed to the top of my priority list and I need to remember that I am a priority too. 
3. Slowly try to change the girls diets over to less gluten (especially my big girl).  The more research I do, the more I think we could help a lot of the issues she has with an eliminating diet. 
4. Start to kick high fructose corn syrup out of our home.  This is one the hubs and I feel VERY strongly about.  There are just so many downfalls and ill effects that are caused by this sneaky little filler, and we want nothing more to do with it.  Sorry HFCS, the road stops here.
5. Run that 5K. No more excuses.

I know there will be more things to add on, but I think this is a pretty good start, right?!?! 

Have you started thinking about your resolutions?  What will they be?

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

I can't believe it!  It's already 2013!  What a whirlwind 2012 was for me.  I started this little blog-o-mine, began really working towards a healthier lifestyle, and grew overall as a person (in my personal character not my size luckily).

Tomorrow marks one year of blogging...I have to admit.  I was worried that with so many things that I start...that I would start this blog with a fire and it would fizzle within a few weeks...maybe months if I was lucky.  But I can say with great pride that it's something else I focused on and kept with. 

I started scrolling through some of my posts from the past year and wanted to highlight some of my favs...some I had forgotten about.  For those of you that are new to my blog, this will give you a better idea of what kind of craziness I enjoy :)

Here are my top 12 of 2012:

January:  While, it should be my very first post, I think it would have to be the Down with UADD post.  The idea behind UADD has been a long running joke in my family, and honestly...the clip art is too much.

February:  This one was hard, I highlighted some of my fav Crunch videos in February, and told you all about how much I enjoyed Ellen Barrett as a fitness genius, I think my fav was actually compliments of Kenlie over at All the Weigh with a Friend Making Monday post she did on travel.  Not only was it a fun way to share memories of great family va-cays, but it also got me thinking more globally (literally) in places I would like to see and experience. 

March: Sunshine on my Shoulders Makes me Happy was a fav for sure!  Sunshine, baby bear, great workout...what's not to love!!!  I wonder what the weather will hold for us this March...

April: ok, so I still have this deep seeded wish...this hope that one day, this will happen.  Fav post, hands down Like a Flash.  I mean, really...take a look and tell me you have never at least thought about how awesome it would be to have a flash mob at your disposal. :)

May: May was a hard month.  I had foot surgery in May and didn't really get to do as much as I had hoped because it was a much harder recovery than I had anticipated.  It's a toss up which post was my fav in May....either Get Active! because of it's integration of fitness with the little one, or  Moving Forward because to me, on a personal level, it signifies how far I had come already in my journey that I was planning for any and all possibilities with my foot.  Can we say proactive?!?!  :)

June: On the Road Again was my fav post in June.  Being back out in the sun, working out, showing my kiddos how important it is to have a healthy routine...discussing it with the little bear.  It's always good to go back to the very basics I try to understand why we do things...that's the only way to change and better ourselves!

July: Slow month on the blog front...only 4.  What a bum I was!  Speaking of bums...fav post of July...The Royal Flush!  The pride I shared with my little bear when she mastered the potty.  This was a major accomplishment and made the top 5 of great things that happened in our house for 2012! 

August:  I had a lot to be proud of in August.  Home organization, lots of cooking and meal planning started, but I think the post Don't Quit was my fav.  It wasn't even something I wrote, just a reminder.  Sometimes we need those little reminders to keep us focused. 

September: September is always a busy month in our house.  Three birthdays, school starting back, soccer starting back up...AHHHHH!  This year the birthday was a biggie, 35.  Instead of letting it get me down though, I think I did a fairly good job embracing it.  and on the cusp of the big event I focused in on things that help keep me motivated and going in I APPsolutely Love These. 

October: I love to talk about my kids.  It's a give in.  I am THAT parent, which is why Sweet Tooth is the top pick for October for me. I also liked that I tried something new with my post by adding  some additional info that I thought was informative.  What did you think?  Is it worth trying out again?

November: Well, well, wellness.  Taking responsibility for my health!

December: That love of talking about my kids...it extends to the whole fam and that is why I am loving A Family Affair.  Take time for what is important!

What have been some of your favorite posts?  What would you like to see more of?  Less of? 

Getting excited...

     One of the best things about keeping this blog (besides you wonderful readers) is being able to look back and see how I am doing.  I have found that I am a very cyclical person.  What I mean is, I get an idea in my head and go at it full force for a while then peter off then find some sort of catalyst that sparks the fire again and start all over.  Getting my butt back in the kitchen seems to be doing it again!  The old saucepan catalyst!  I have to say, as far as my kitchen adventures go, I am quite proud of my dinner creation last night.  Last night I decided (for the hubs and myself) to attempt homemade chicken fingers.  This may not seem like much, but you have to remember who you are dealing with here.  I was about to attempt

1. Making chicken fingers from scratch
2. Keeping the calories in check
3. Impressing my should-be chef of a husband

boneless, skinless chicken breasts...egg wash...and garlic/salt/pepper panko

     I assembled my ingredients, and with the "supervision" of my little helper we set to it.  I have to admit...I have never dredged anything.  I like the word, it sounds funny...but the actual action of dredging is one I had not yet tried.  I did have enough "know-how" to buy panko when shopping to offer a slightly healthier version of the breadcrumb, and added some kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder.  I sliced the chicken into strips and dipped in the egg wash, rolled in pancko and placed on my cooking sheet.  My little one offered much encouragement from her step stool and was very excited about being in charge of the veggies!  I did cop out a bit with the kiddos and made them Tyson chicken nuggets, but I was worried if the strips didnt' turn out well...at least the kids should be able to eat; plus they are dinosaur shaped...so fun!
     Sadly, this is the only picture I have of my creation.  Dinner smelled so good cooking, that everyone was actually at the table waiting for me to give them their plates.  The final product was the chicken strips, mixed veggies and applesauce (can't WAIT to hit the orchard so I can make homemade...that is something I HAVE done and am quite good at if I do say so myself).  The dinner was a huge hit.  My husband even commented on it again later saying how good it was.  I could get used to this.

     My renewed energy in the kitchen is reminding me that I can do many things.  I am (as I can only hope you are too) a Pinterest junkie.  I have been finding some great recipes on there as well as from you and from surfing the web.  I have also started to mark more and more things off what I call my "Mission Accomplished" board.  The board of fun things I find on Pinterest and actually DO!  Most recently I took the message center idea (which has gained a great deal of popularity it seems) and did my own version for our kitchen. 

Not only is this a great way to keep the whole family organized with special events highlighted, but it's my own version.  It gets me using my cricut even more, and is a fun way to add more decor to my home.  It's not even September yet and I have that ready to go...and while it is waiting to be hung on the wall, I have already started planning out my October board.  BOO! 
     I have also started to find a LOAD of craft ideas that I can eassily make for gifts for people.  I too am feeling the crunch of the economy, especially with two growing kiddos, so homemade gifts are l\ooking like the perfect answer to the upcoming holidays.  The ones I am finding and really liking are things that are inexpensive to make, plus you get the added bonus of telling someone you made their gift and that to me makes it more special.  I have also decided (early enough this year) that I will be knitting some gifts.  I have wanted to do this the past few years, but don't think about it until mid-November usually.  Even with my fun little knifty knitters, I need more time than that. 
     If you are a Pinterest fan, check out my boards and share some of your own.  Happy Tuesday!

Bring it on 2012!

So I have decided to take the plunge into the wide world of blogging.  I am hoping that as things come up throughout the year that I KNOW I want to tackle and try and accomplish, I say that I want to do it...and then it disappears into the background noise of my life.  I love my family, but 2012 is the year of the Mom!  I am going to recapture myself and will remind myself of my importance and goals by way of this blog. 

As the New Year kicks off, I of course have my own list of resolutions, this blog being one....so check off start blog!  I also want to work on patience.  I am someone who craves instant gratification on all things...weight loss, extra money, projects.  I resolve to learn how to wait.  I resolve to not necessarily lose weight, but wait and learn to eat healthier and crate and maintain a healthier lifestyle.  I want to live to see my great-grandkids, not just grandkids!  I want to be a shining example to my two beautiful daughters.  I will actually work on my scrapbooks for the girls.  I even went out and purchased specific supplies to start Arden's baby book. 

With this blog, I plan to measure my accomplishments.  I will measure them in terms of good and better...failure is not an option.  I am a work in progress.  I hope to discover new things about myself and my family.  How we can all be better. 

My final resolution is to not wait for NEXT year to add on to my list.  Bring it on 2012!