Workout Solution

I have finally found a great solution for workouts, and I am not going to the gym, or coordinating mommy stroller-walk play dates (that seriously worked my nerves, not so much my buns and thighs) which cut into most of a whole day.  Matt bought me Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred for Christmas. (I made him a list this year) 

We have been working out together 4 times a week or more, sometimes the boys join us.  The work outs are 20 min. When I was going to the gym, it would take me twenty minutes to get there, plus forty minuted to an hour work out time. I would cycle, weight train, treadmill and weight train some more. This 20 min DVD gave me results in a fraction of the time I was spending at the gym. Speaking of spending, the DVD was what, 14.99?? No more gym membership for us. I've not felt this strong and in this good of shape since before Blessing # 2 was born. 20 minutes.  14.99.

The hardest part was fighting the desire to have a routine. Sometimes we Shred in the evening, sometimes on a Saturday morning, sometimes well after kiddo's bedtime. We just have been encouraging each other and Matt has held babies some nights while I work out. The WONDERFUL thing is, even if the babies are crying, it's late and I'm tired, or we have a furiously busy weekend; it is only 20 minutes! <3 it!

Power Snacks

I try to eat several small snacks throughout the day to keep my energy and metabolism up. I love food and am strongly food-motivated. I can get through just about any chore (think giant piles of laundry) if there is a snack to look forward to at the end. Here are five simple rules for snacking that will keep energy high and sweet-tooth abated without fear of weight gain.

1) NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS.  They are bad for you, don't we all know that by now?

2)  PUT DOWN THE PROTEIN BAR. For the best snacking, you want to keep to foods with less than three ingredients. Bars promise protein and energy, but most pack quite a punch of sugar, which will cause you to be hungry again and could cause fatigue and headaches.



3) HAVE MORE THAN ONE Nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruits, wassa crackers, rice cake, small portions of meat and cheese are great snacking. The key to keeping yourself satisfied is to have at least two foods together. i.e. dried apricots and almonds, apples and cheese, peanut butter and celery, almond butter and apples, rice cake with slices fruit and peanut butter or cream cheese.




4) PLAN AHEAD when making breakfast or lunches in the morning, slice up an apple and cheese and put a "snack plate" in the fridge for easy access, or in a baggy that you can grab on the way out of the house. This simple act helps in saving $$$ as having your own snacks on hand may keep you from  driving through for  fast food in moments of weakness

5) SECRET STASH. every mommy needs a secret stash of special treats.  You may have to  redefine what you think of as a treat. My treats are of the dark chocolate persuasion. The darker the better since the darker chocolate has less sugar and milk fat. I currently have a cup of dark chocolate pieces in the pantry which I visit 2-3 times a day. **this is not dark chocolate truffles. I buy plain dark chocolate bars, sometimes with almonds, not Hershey's dark chocolate bars or kisses, they have too much sugar. If you are going for dark chocolate get the good stuff, it will last you a while.



Don't forget to hydrate. I will often mistake thirst for hunger.  Green teas are great for you, hot or iced. If you drink coffee, avoid or cut back on sweatened creamers. Try coffee with unsweetened almond milk or half and half. Dust with cocoa, or break out the grater and add some dark chocolate shavings.

My kitchen; where memories are made and displayed

 Love this sign I made (for myself) this Christmas. I really enjoy cooking from old cookware. This one I found at a yard sale down the street. It's the best 2 Bucks I've ever spent. I use this almost daily.

 Having mementos around  is very important to me. These are some old handwritten recipes from both of Matt's grandma's. Waiting on one more from Nana. The small rolling pin I remember playing with on the floor in Nana's kitchen. Now Seth and I use it when we play Play dough.

 The sieve is a treasure from my Nana. The shelf is a Pottery Barn clearance find ; should have bought two, but the one shelf is working out fine. I have a passion for hooks, and some of my measuring spoons hang from the shelf, some on the cabinet beside.

My solace cupboard! The pantries get cluttered and disorganized and need attention now and again; but this cupboard stays neat and tidy, easy on the eyes, but best of all  FUNCTIONAL.  It is my comfort and consolation in what can be a very busy and heavily "used" kitchen. I plan on ordering a vinyl chalk board for the inside of the door to keep a weekly menu plan...and maybe add some more hooks.

let us be reasonable (about being green)

I am a part-time cloth diaper-er, I recycle, compost and have a veggie garden. So it is without guilt that I unashamedly use paper plates. For years I refused them in the house because it went against my non-consumerism. But, with six eaters (that's 3 meals x 6 , 4 snacks x6  daily) we were filling up sink and dishwasher at an alarming pace. We found the switch to paper a very pleasant experience. So if you are like me and need "permission" to consume, I am hereby giving permission to buy the paper plates and may you live happily with them.

*I do write names on reusable paper plates so they can be used for a day, just dump the crumbs :)

Under Where!??

I aim to keep a tidy under the kitchen sink; but once in a while it really gets away from me.  The time to "redo" is today. We have a reverse osmosis system that takes up half of our space, so it is really important to stay on top of my under-sink area or when I open the doors items are leaping out.

 I will start by pulling everything out. Everything.

 Make two piles (or divide in to bags/boxes)
A) what is used daily or several times a week.
B)Everything else gets the "boot".

 While everything is out of the cupboard, give a wipe down with  a solution of vinegar water or bleach cleaner. Check for any leaks/seepage at this time as well.  If you don't have a mat of some sort (vinyl, rubber non skid type) now is a good time to arrange that now that everything is clean.

If you store spray bottles under the sink, I saw how one insightful gal used a tiny tension rod across the length of her cupboard and hung the spray bottles. How nifty!










I affixed a 3m hook on the inside of each door. One is for my mini dust pan and brush (my most handy-dandy kitchen tool), the other hook holds a mini cutting board; perfect for slicing a piece of fruit after a quick rinse at the sink.

What was returned under my sink:
*warehouse store size dish soap (for refilling my soap dispensing scrub brush)
*dish washer tabs (in a jar with lid easily opened with one hand)
*supplement phosphate powder, also in glass jar
*bottle of vinegar ( rinse aide for dishwasher and to refill spray bottle)
*spray bottle of vinegar solution (works great on sticky clean-ups)
*tub of disinfecting wipes
*paper towel roll.  I try to not rely on paper towels and keeping them under the sink helps manage paper towel use.
*small hand towel for just in case leaks/spills. Whenever my husband is working under the sink I always have to run down the hall for an old towel; now I'm ready.

I find myself getting a little thrill every time I open the doors and see how neat, tidy, and functional this space is. It is after all, one of those practical spaces that we utilize at least once a day...I believe I'm at 5+ times a day!
Blessed to be serving my family in this way :)

taking control; one sock at a time

  Here are three ways to "take control" of the sock.
1) each family member is assigned a sock color. for example; Ben and Jonah (who are close in age, share a room and sock size) get black socks, younger brother gets grey socks, baby brother gets blue, and so on. The KEY to this is to buy all the same brand socks, or you will still be having mismatched pairs.
2) Take control of the tiny's. I use a small mesh bag to wash all the baby socks and my pedi socks. This not only prevents lost socks, but saves my washing machine pump getting clogged with adorable baby socks.
3)  This is my favorite... For my big boys, I put their socks in a grocery bag holder for easy dispensing and put away. This freed up an entire drawer! Just hang in the closet or behind the door.