September's Goal

Ah, I can't believe this month is already over!  You would think a month where I ate no sugar would drag on forever, but that hasn't been the case (most days!)

In starting to recap the month, I feel like a war veteran, like I'm changed now that I'm on the other side.  I see the world differently.  But I don't have PTSD, I don't think.

It was hard at first, my time between kids going to bed and my own bedtime was the hardest time of day.  This is when I usually have some sort of treat.  A cup of cocoa or ice cream that Adam bought when he ran to the store for milk and came home with $40 of groceries I would never buy (but love to eat!).  If we don't have anything good, I can usually count on sweet cereal to fill the void.

The first night without sugar I had ice water.  I just need something to snack on.  It wasn't the same, but it wasn't the worst either.  Later, my twitter friend Meredith recommended gum.  I had great success with the mint chocolate chip gum.

I also loved Bengal Spice herbal tea. This stuff is seriously the best.  A little honey, a splash of almond milk. . . heaven.  Oh yeah, honey doesn't count.  You might argue that the body responds to it in the same way it responds to sugar.  I don't care.  I have to draw the line somewhere.

This isn't to say I was perfect.  I allowed myself the occasional cheat day.  Because I love cake pops, but I find the opportunities to eat really good cake pops are few and far between.  My friend Brandy had them at her daughter's 1st birthday party, so you know, I had to.

Still, I lost 4lbs!

Here's why I think this worked for me.  Sugar is my biggest weakness.  Going vegetarian did nothing for me because I'm practically vegetarian already.  I cooked four vegetarian meals this week with out even trying.  And two of the other days I ate vegetarian leftovers.  So, it didn't really change my diet that much.

But sugar.

Like I said, I was eating a treat almost every night.  Those were all extra calories.

So my hope is, going forward, that I will continue to stop my eating after dinner.  I'll throw 7pm out there, but sometimes we eat diner at 5:30 so it might be even earlier.  I want to think about dessert like I think about soda.  I love Dr. Pepper, but I don't drink it every day.  I don't drink it every week.  Maybe one a month, but I try to have one every other month or so.  I don't feel sad about it because I know I can have some in the future.  And I feel good drinking water.  So I want to think about dessert like that.  I love it, but I don't have to have it all the time.

Tomorrow?  I'm making dessert.  I think I've earned it. 

August and September Goals

So August's goal was to read religious texts daily, and I've improved, but I haven't been perfect.  The plan was to wake up when I feed Axel at 6:30 and then read scriptures after I put him back in bed (He only wakes up the one time "in the night".  It's morning to us, but it's still his night).  Shots + vacation + cold = Axel's schedule really messed up.  It's getting better, but for a while he was waking up to eat at 5am and I just couldn't start my day at 5!  I tried going back to sleep and then waking up at 6:30 but I swear I've been drugged.

Excuses, excuses.  But it's hard to do something daily when you can't get into a good rhythm.  Still working on this one.

September really snuck up on me in some ways (blogging ways) but it others I've been looking forward to it!  (Last September was the best month of my life, mostly because of the gorgeous weather!)

September is NO SUGAR!!!!  I really really need it this time.  Back in May I decided I was going to lose the baby weight.  Soon I realized that when I lost weight, I lost my milk supply.  And since I wasn't trying to lose weight, I swear I started eating like I was trying to gain.  And I did.  Most of my problem is sweets.  Actually that's pretty much my only problem.  I don't like junk food (chips, or. . . see I can't even think of non-sweet treats!) but I love candy and desserts.  The rest of my meals are like oatmeal, beans, rice, quinoa, salads, whole wheat pasta, veggies, the occasional chicken or turkey. 

Do you want to join in with me on this one??? (Here are the rules.  Feel free to make up your own though!) It's a fun time of year to drop the sugar because soon we'll have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas thrown at us and getting it out of your system now can help make those holidays a little easier!!

I think I'm going to do a giveaway on Monday, so make sure you check it out!

A bunch of random updates

I don't usually write my posts the night before.  When I find myself needing to do that, I panic and I can't think of a single thing to write!  So yeah, that's what's going on right now.  I have like 33 drafts I could finish up and post, but none of those topics are speaking to me right now.  I'm taking a line from Finding Forrester (Love that movie, now I want to watch it) and writing until it starts to flow.

Sewing.  I've been doing a lot of that lately, trying to get my etsy shop up and running.  I have too many design ideas and perhaps I should narrow it down and focus on a few things in different colors to begin.  So far I have made a pair of bloomers, two toddler pencil skirts, a toddler ruffle skirt (and another one in process), a darling (if I do say so myself) throw pillow case and a half of a quilt top (not for the shop).  The throw pillow is gray and cream dots with a cream heart on the middle.  I will be giving it away on my blog as a grand opening celebration, so stay tuned.

Would you like to see some horrible cell phone shots?  Obviously I will be doing a photo shoot for real when I post them on etsy but this was just for fun.

This picture is so funny looking.  It looks like a weird shaped adult more than a toddler.

These look so cute from the back, but they didn't fit very well from the front.  And no, that isn't Axel in the bottom left corner.  It's our doll, Emily.

Oh!  July is almost over.  I've nearly been a vegetarian for a month.  Let's see. . . cheats?  July 1st we were driving home from our CA trip and I had some seriously awful chicken strips.  I got flustered when they didn't have what I wanted (chicken, rice and veggies in a bowl) and ordered something blah.  And then I had a hot dog during Draper Days, because I love fair food.  And then today I ate some breakfast casserole at my nephew's blessing brunch.  1/3 of the casserole didn't have meat but none of us could find that third.  Maybe the meat melted in the oven and spread out into all of it.  Probably that's what happened.

I don't mind being vegetarian.  It's kinda fun to be the exception.  My sis-in-law didn't have to be the only one who needed the meat free breakfast casserole (she does eat some meat, but not red meat and maybe not pork?)  So I don't know, I just wanted to try it.  I found so many fun vegetarian recipes and this will probably help me continue to lower my meat consumption.

August!  I read this post today by my blogger friend Shannon and it was like HELLO!  Perfect timing.  In August I start my goal to read religious texts daily.  I've been doing a little reading in the scriptures or the Ensign (LDS Church magazine) before bed some nights, but since I've been waking up before the babes, I'm thinking that will be the perfect time to start a new habit.

So there you go, a blog post from out of the air. 

June and July Goals

Even with posting five days a week lately, I still have way too many blog posts building up in my drafts folder!  I'm alone all day long with two kids, so all of my thoughts have to go somewhere.  So killing two birds today by posting about my goals for June and July.

June:
I started keeping record of all my workouts.  I only missed two days, until the 18th of June and that's when I just stopped.  I had packing to do for our trip to CA and then I was in CA, sooooooo I got too busy enjoying my time there :)

But now that we're home again I plan to start up again.  Maybe not every day, but at least three days a week!

July:
So we're in vegetarian month now!  Because I spent the last week in June at my family's house I was pretty much a vegetarian then too (except when Adam brought me his leftover wings after golfing.  I LOVE wings).  So I didn't think it would be a big deal to cheat on July first, since we were driving home.  But since then I've been perfect.  I'm writing this on July 3rd so I'm a little worried about tomorrow, the number one day for burgers in America, but I'm sure there will be a salad somewhere for me to enjoy.  :)  I already have two weeks of vegetarian dinners planned, but if you have any you love please leave me the recipe or link in the comments!

June's Goal

So we're a few days into June, but I wanted to kick off my goal for the month.  My goal is to workout every day in June, except Sunday. What I really need to do is decide what a workout actually is!

So here are some I expect to do, that for sure will count:

• Run/walk at least a mile
• Talk a walk with the kids to the park (this is 1.5 miles round trip)
• Do my Pilates DVD
• Ride the spin bike in the workout room for at least 30 minutes

Things that do not count:

• Walking to check the mail
• Anything that doesn't raise my heart rate
• Anything that takes less than 20 minutes (except for running a mile.  If that took more than 20 minutes it wouldn't be running)

Other than that, I'll have to call it as I go.

I'm excited!  Probably wont be once this starts (I'm writing this on May 31st, I just don't have a slot to post it until now)

May's Goal

 To read about my monthly goals for 2013 see here.

How can I write this post with out sounding like I'm making excuses?  Because it was a judgement call about what was best for me and what wasn't working for me. 

Long story short:  My goal didn't happen this month, and I'm okay with that.

Long story:  I created my banner and my facebook page (not live until I open my shop).  I started working on some items for my shop, and sketched some other items.  I researched opening a separate checking account.  But in the end there wasn't the space in my apartment or the time in my day.  (the space would have made it easier to find the time.  I can work for fifteen minute periods if I can shut the door when I'm done and not have to worry about cleaning it all up each time.)

In the mean time, I'll continue to work on my ideas (my favorite idea is a lace ruffle dress for toddler girls) and turn them into reality so that I can soon open my shop!

On to June: Work out every day but Sunday!

April's Goal

Once again, this is not Olivia, just a cute baby.

So April's goal was to potty train Olivia.  First, the excuses!

-I wrote them before Axel was born, so I didn't know how demanding potty training could be.
-I kept putting it off because of this trip or that event.

Okay, those are out of the way.  We started full swing on Monday April 22nd.  I don't feel like writing out all of the things we tried or didn't try.  Basically I just put some panties on her and tried to take her every fifteen minutes.  That usually works pretty good, but if I don't make her sit on the potty long enough she might wet just minutes after "trying".  That's where most of our accidents come from.

I'm waiting for her to learn to tell me she needs to go potty before she does, not while she's doing it.  Thankfully I don't mind changing accidents and her panties are absorbent so they don't make a huge mess.  I've only had to change one poopy accident.  This is what I wrote about it on facebook:

SKIP IT IF YOU DON'T LIKE POTTY STORIES!
"It started when I put a diaper cover on because all her panties were dirty (he training pants are really absorbent, this diaper cover was just one that went to a cotton dress). Then I forgot to take her potty before lunch. I started nursing Axel while she was eating. She peed and it went everywhere! Then she started pooping. I told her to wait and that I would take her potty. So I put down Axel (screaming!) and got her out of her high chair and decided to pull off her pants rather than drip all the way to the bathroom. Well. . . it was too late. "DON'T MOVE." But she didn't listen and the contents of her pants landed plop on the bathroom floor (SO grateful we missed carpet!!!!) I sat her in the bath, stripped off her shirt and washed her as best I could. Diapered her, and put her in her crib for her nap. Finished feeding Axel and then DISINFECTED everything." 

Soooo, we're a work in progress over here. Still, she loves wearing panties and she goes most of the time I take her.  And as long as I'm on top of things, we're pretty accident free.

*     *     *

On  another note, I convinced my sister Kellie to finally start writing her blog again!!  Check it out.  She's like 100x funnier than me, and 1000 x less vain.  Its good.

Just a few things

I had a very long day today (Thursday), so Friday's (today) post is going to be a short one. 

First of all, I designed my etsy shop banner and facebook logo.  I love them. 

Etsy banner

Facebook button

Second of all, I was reading this post about using pinterest to market your home based business and number one really hit home with me.  I've got to be more consistent in my branding.  On that note, I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog to Olive the Things.  I know I'm crazy, but Olive the Things is a little more fitting, since I talk about anything and everything here!  Its the name for my shop because I plan to sell a wide variety of stuff (pretty much what ever comes to mind)  So far on the list of things I've designed: coordinating mom and daughter dresses/skirts, a duvet cover and nursery decor.  See what I mean?  Its all over the place.  Plus, Olive for Olivia.  And my brother Rob came up with that name (gotta give credit!)

Third of all, potty training.  That was my goal for April, remember?  It starts MONDAY.  And just to solidify that, Olivia took her diaper off and peed on the carpet tonight.  Its going to be a rough couple of days, but she has been wanting to be potty trained for at least six months now.  Here we go.

Have good weekend every one!  I know I'll be getting as much sleep as Axel lets me get!  (12 hours with only two feedings is not bad!)

March's Goal

Budgeting.  Soooo, lets just say. . . its a work in progress. 

1. We started using mint.com to track our spending.  Its linked to our checking account so its very easy to track.  No more fishing receipts out of my purse.  The only thing that bothers me is when I buy diapers and groceries on the same check, there isn't a way to split that into my grocery and baby categories. 

2. I've gotten even better at budgeting my grocery bill.  I don't fill up my car very often, and I have no desire to buy clothes until I get back my pre baby body so groceries is the area I have most control over.  Here are a couple of tips, some things I've done before and some I've just started:

• Reduce the meat.  Not only is this healthier for you, but its way cheaper.  Adam and I split one chicken breast (I cut them so they're half as thick.  Bonus: they cook faster this way too!) so a pack of 8 will last me 8 meals (Olivia doesn't eat much dinner, so I just give her a few pieces of my chicken) I also use 1/4 pound ground turkey for every recipe, no matter how much it calls for.  
• Use low cost staples as the base for your meals.  Rice, potatoes, pasta and lentils are all very inexpensive and very healthy, especially if you use whole wheat pasta and brown rice.
• Shop at WinCo, if you can.  I used to shop at the grocery store closest to my house because I was a busy working mom, but now I have time.  In fact if we can spend more time out of the house that's even better!  Its so much cheaper to buy ingredients in bulk and you only have to buy what you need.  Plus the produce there is so much cheaper, not always the best quality so make sure you're extra selective.
• When you see a good deal or a sale, stock up.  I know I will use at least one can of diced tomatoes a week.  I also use a lot of frozen veggies and canned beans so I make sure to always have these on hand.
• Stay away from recipes with a bunch of special ingredients.  Heavy cream (bad for you!), feta cheese, artisan bread, expensive produce.  Every now and then, these things are okay (I love me some feta cheese) but try not to rely on them too much.
• Find out if there is a farmer's co op in your area.  We use Bountiful Baskets here in Salt Lake.  We get a lot of produce for only $15.  Fun bonus: You never know what you're going to get and its fun to try new things and be creative. :) 

 What are your best budgeting tips (on groceries or just in general, PLEASE!  I can use all the help I can get!)

February's Goal II

So for my last two homemade meals of the month:

On February 20th I made: 

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

(I didn't make a side dish, but maybe a green salad and some bread would go nicely)

On February 26th I made:

Mushroom Stroganoff 

and

Peas

I'll probably cook dinner one more time before February is over, but hey!  I accomplished my goal for the month!  Yay!

February's Goal I

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When I planned my goals for the year I failed to realize that my mom would be here to cook me dinner for the first week of February, so I'll fulfill my goal by cooking four meals this month. (When I put it that way, it doesn't sound like much!)

I'm lucky that dinner got made, taking pictures of it would have been possible but I wasn't concerned about making it look pretty so. . .  I didn't bother!  :) 

On Valentine's Day I made:

London Broil

Fresh Green Beans

Mashed Potatoes

Stuffed Mushrooms

and

Brown Sugar Blondies with V-Day M&Ms

On February 19 I made:

Salmon and Pasta Dijonnaise (I used this marinade on two small pieces of salmon, baked the salmon in the marinade at 400 for 15 minutes and then shredded the salmon and used the cooked marinade as sauce on whole wheat pasta)

and

Fresh Broccoli 

I'll do another update when I've cooked my last two meals!  

January's Goal

 Totally forgot to blog this back in January, so I'm back dating this post.  Enjoy!

My goal in January was to get my apartment in order before Axel was born.  As I'm sure you're aware it was pretty much the worst year for sickness in the history of the world (probably not a true statement) Olivia and I traded off being sick until a couple days before I had Axel.  That being said, we still got mostly unpacked.  My awesome husband did a lot since I came home from the hospital and my mom helped me organize and clean Olivia's bedroom while she was here.  There is still a few boxes to go through, but we usually tackle one or two each weekend.  I'd say January's goal: accomplished! 

12 in '13

This post idea has been brewing in my head for quite some time.

Summer of 2012 I read The Happiness Project while on vacation with Adam.  And I just loved the way she had a goal for each month.  Because how many of us remember what we resolved to do last January?  But one month?  That is an amount of time I can handle!

Then I started reading Motley Mama during her one month with out the internet.  I had to read it because so many other bloggers were tweeting about it and I got curious.  I fell in love with her blog, and there was that same idea again.  One month = one goal. 

I admit, I'm worried about how these will all go down since I'm having a baby in January.  Good thing that's not a surprise so I can kind of tailor my goals to the situation.  And I'm excited to blog all of these because I know I wont lose the list somewhere.  I am a great loser of things.

January: Get my apartment in order before the baby arrives

We're moving this week!  Who does this?  I can barely do my hair with out running out of breath, but I'm about to move a ton of stuff to a new apartment just weeks before I have a new baby.  Just waiting for that nesting energy to kick in (With Olivia I wasted all of that energy organizing my classroom and lesson plans for my long term sub.  This time I hope it will benefit my family more.)

February: Cook dinner once a week

After Olivia was born I remember feeling like I could never find the time to cook dinner ever again.  So I want to start out slow and just cook a fresh meal once a week in February.

March: Learn to really budget well

Money is going to be tight and I've never been good at budgeting but I hope I can have no choice but to get better at it this year so we can afford our own house soon!

April: Attempt to potty train Olivia

VIA (I haven't read this article, so I can't vouch for it, I just liked the picture)

I'm pretty sure Olivia's been ready to potty train for a while now (tells me when she needs to go, asks to try going on the potty) but with vacations and the holidays there just hasn't been time.  And now that we are having a new baby, I just know she'd regress if we tried to do it before the baby.  So I'm aiming for just after her second birthday.

May: Open my Etsy shop

I just got a serger for Christmas!!!  Its pretty much the one thing I've been needing for my etsy shop.  Well, that and time, but no one got me more of that for Christmas, so I guess I'll just have to do what I can with what I got!

June: Work out every day, except Sunday

This is not me.  This picture came from here.

By June my kid will be five months old.  I think by then I should be able to get back into a workout schedule.  I'm not hanging on to those five pounds again like I did with Olivia.  NO.  I will get back to my pre pre pregnancy weight :)

July: Eat vegetarian for a month

My family is mostly all vegetarian and I feel strongly about eating less meat, so I think it would be good to give it a try for at least a month.  Hopefully I lose weight and get really skinny (hey, a girl can dream!) 

August: Read religious texts daily

Scriptures or conference talks, I want to make that part of my every day routine (right now I do just okay) and hopefully a month of doing it will make it stick and I'll continue in the months ahead.

September: No Sugar for One Month

I've done this before, two years now, so this month was a no brainer.  I'll be following the same rules as last year so no need to type them again.

October: Family coordinated Halloween costumes

What do Billy Idol, Barbie and a Lady Bug have in common?  Nothing!  I know this is a silly goal, but its probably the only way it will ever happen, otherwise I'll be putting together costumes on Oct 30th!

November: Complete my Christmas Shopping

If I can finish all my shopping in November then maybe things will be calmer and we'll stay healthy in December!

December: Create four new Christmas decorations

Again, this one is just for fun.  But if my shopping is done, I should have some time to make four cute new decorations for my (hopefully, fingers crossed!) new house!!


Some are silly and some are serious but hopefully it will push me to do a little more and be a little better this year!