Lent

So today is the start of Lent. I hadn't decided on giving anything up.  Usually I try to just adopt a new, improved outlook or habit to be a better or healthier person rather than viewing it as giving something up.  I guess that defeats the whole purpose of the sacrifice, though, doesn't it?

Well, I decided that even though I'm late to the decision and have already cheated today...I'm going to give up chocolate.  That's right.  This one will truly be a sacrifice, people.  I think I have chocolate in some form almost every day, and even put chocolate chips in my banana bread and zucchini bread.  (we can't let ourselves get too healthy, can we?!)

We are continuing our no-meat diet here at home, too.  It's going well.  I'm learning more and more each week and am starting to find out what works for us and when it's just too much soy or beans too many days in a row, so finding a larger variety of protein sources is key! The boys are doing great with it, and honestly, I don't even miss the beef or poultry. 

I do miss Chick-Fil-A sometimes, though...oh my goodness, that is some good stuff.

 

A Little is better than None...

I've been a little discouraged lately with my general fitness level.  Granted, I have not been devoting much time to exercise period, so it's not a big surprise, but still. 

I will admit this is largely driven by vanity at the moment...I mean, who wants a muffin top?  But it's also about having an outlet for working out the stress and challenges of the day. 

I headed out today for the first time a week for a jog (I do not kid myself these days that I truly run...) after battling a bad cold/sinus thing because I needed it.  The dogs needed it, too.  We are all better for it.  It was tough for me, even though I only did 3 miles today.  But then I need to give myself some credit I suppose - some is better than none, and 3 years ago, I couldn't even run 1 mile without stopping. 

There are days where I need more than 3 miles/30 minutes...but if the day (and my body) only allows me those 30 minutes, I'll take 'em.  I'm going to keep trying like crazy to get on a good schedule so I am sure to get in my "me" time on the road. 

How do you get in your exercise or personal time?  What helps you unwind most after a stressful day?

Perfect Mom?

I saw this today and it is oh-so-true!  W went to school one day wearing 2 different shoes, and I didn’t even notice till we got there…and just this morning, he asked for ice cream for breakfast (I was able to fend that request off till at least after lunch, phew!)

Anyway, thank you for this, Carrie!  You can see the article here and her Facebook page here.

Top Ten Ways I Was a Perfect Mom Until I Had Kids

1. I will not bribe my kids.  They will behave because they have such great internal moral compasses, and complying will be what they want to do.

Reality: I will let you eat Hershey kisses for breakfast if you stay in your bed tonight.  I will take you anywhere you want to go if you will just stay in your bed tonight.

2. I will maintain appropriate boundaries in the bathroom.

Reality: Most days, I use the bathroom with three little faces watching my every move.  The upside?  There is always someone nearby to run and get a new roll of toilet paper when I’m stranded.

3. My kids will leave the house with their hair combed neatly and wearing clothes that match.

Reality: We hit a low last summer when Annie Rose insisted on wearing one snow boot and one flip flop to Target, happily limping her way through the aisles. An astonishing number of old ladies asked if I was aware that her shoes didn’t match.  Yes, thank you for your concern, I replied.

4. I will control my potty mouth in front of the kids.

Reality: Oh, shit the fire alarm is going off again.  Damn it, the dinner is burning.  Shit! Shit! Shit! My girls reply, at least it’s better than Christmas Eve, when Daddy caught on fire.

5. I will spend time taking care of myself even after I have kids. 

Reality: A shower every three or four days, if I’m lucky.  A brown Crayola marker is a lot faster and cheaper than getting my roots colored (but try to explain to a 4-yr-old why Mommy is allowed to scribble with markers in her hair).  And my health club might as well apply for 501c3 status, since I give them a monthly donation. 

6. I will model healthy conflict resolution skills, and I will be gracious when I am right.

Reality: I have been known to chant “I was right! You were wrong!” to my husband, as I sing and march around the kitchen, doing a victory dance.

7. I will share, and thus my kids will be good sharers, too.

Reality: Get out of my makeup, girls!  It's mine!  Get out of my toiletries!

8. My kids will only eat wholesome, balanced meals with one reasonable dessert after dinner.

Reality: Fine, you may have a bowl of ice cream for “breakfast dessert.”  It’s got calcium, right? And all the good milk fat that your growing brain needs! Here, have a second helping.

9. We will be on time for school, appointments, classes and playdates.

Reality: How is it that everyone is up three hours before school starts and we are the last ones to arrive? 

10. My kids will see me as an empowered woman and a role model of how women can achieve success outside of the house.

Reality: If I got hit by a bus tomorrow, my tombstone would say, “Here lies Carrie.  Now who will do the laundry?”

Living Green and Being Healthier

After cleaning up a lot of pee yesterday, and then doing a load of cloth diapers, I got to thinking about how the cleaning routines have changed in our house since we moved in.  It used to be all chemical-based, since that’s what was cheap and that’s what I knew.  Then, we got 2 dogs and had 2 babies…

While I wouldn’t call myself totally green, I do make an effort every day to recycle and look out for the planet we’ll be leaving to our children.  It’s part of why I decided to cloth diaper baby #2 (and use cloth wipes!  Which is actually soooo much easier than disposable wipes, at least at home).  Basically, once I had a little baby to think about, and especially when he started laying and crawling on the floor, I was very aware of what I put on the floor to clean up after the big messy dogs.  And then when Daisy started with her spay-related incontinence (joy) and was getting a big cyst/tumor on her shoulder (since removed, but unfortunately coming back), I started really looking into how we could go natural with the dog food and holistic remedies, too, rather than adding more chemicals and hormones into our routine.

Sometimes, I find it to be overwhelming to think about “being green",” I’ll be honest.  But the more I look into it, the more I realize what we are ALREADY doing to live greener every day.  This is no small feat considering the mess and amount of daily waste our family of 2 kids and 2 big dogs can generate.  Trust me when I tell you, it can be a lot.  But it’s good to know that I’m doing a little something right even on those days where the messes just keep coming.  And that keeps me inspired to keep working at it and greening up our life!

So, on the bright side, here’s what we have going for our green lifestyle already.  A lot of little things can really add up!!

• we rarely fill up our trash can each week – but our recycling bin is always full for pickup every 2 weeks. 
• we installed a “doggie dooley” in the backyard when we first got the 2 dogs to compost the yard waste.  we’re looking to get this up and running again now that I’ve done some more research on how to keep it going.  (poor system just couldn’t keep up with our poopers, and we might actually need a second doggie septic system. um, TMI?)
• we use reusable cups and water bottles for us and the boys
• we make our own coffee each morning and use reusable travel mugs
• we plant and eat our own vegetables each summer – the garden expands each year with more plants!
• and we use our old coffee grounds to enrich the garden soil rather than chemical fertilizers.
• online bill pay – paperless!
• all-natural cleaning supplies
• I buy several Method products for the kitchen and bath and like them a lot
• I use a lot of vinegar and water to clean and de-grease
• Tea tree oil and water solution to fight mildew in the bathrooms
• ROCKIN’ GREEN – the super awesome laundry detergent that you know I love and that will truly take the stain out of anything AND that you can feel safe using around kids and dogs that are always on the floor.  (seriously, if you haven’t already, go check them out. I get their “52 weeks of clean” newsletter and have picked up some great tips!)
• we eat very clean – lots of fresh veggies and fruits, limited (lately no) meat, very limited processed and packaged food.  I buy organic whenever possible and am introducing lots of new flavors to our boys, including homemade things like hummus (which Bear adores).
• we keep our thermostat lower in the winter, higher in the summer
• I use reusable grocery bags at the store and reusable food storage containers at home
• I use washable rags to clean up messes rather than paper towels
• cloth diapers and wipes for Bear
• tea tree oil to deodorize the diaper pail
• we got sleeping bags from Goodwill for the dogs’ crates instead of big, expensive beds
• we buy an all-natural dog food from a local business
• walk or run the dogs up to the vet whenever I can for their appointments – love that they are located so close!
• both pups are “fixed” – I didn’t think of this as being green, but I guess it is!
• goes along with the doggie composter above, but we always pick up the poop, in our yard, and elsewhere.

What are some of your favorite tips for living greener? 

I hope you have a low-mess day

Oh hello there...

Happy 2012 :)  So far this year, I have NOT  been blogging but I have been busy.  I've been running, err jogging really (a little), traveling (more than usual!), and working on projects around the house.  With the new year came an intense need for me to get things better organized, toss out the old junk stuff that is taking up valuable space in our ever shrinking (it seems) house, and prioritize our remodeling projects. 

The boys are doing great...little Bear just had his 15 month checkup (at 16 months) and is doing GREAT.  Our boys are growing right on track, but I swear the percentages get less and less each time we go.  They are not teeny tiny, nor are they giants, but 18th-22nd percentiles?  Really??  Our doctor's not concerned, so I'm fine with it.  But I wonder about these boys that are in the 90th percentiles.  They must be HUGE. 

Yesterday was a real Monday (we should just leave it at that, trust me), so I opted for a margarita over a run.  :)  So, back on the road for me today.  I squeezed in my run (jog??) at lunch today and was really loving the nice weather we're having today.  I had to stop and take off my jacket and was more than comfortable in my capris and tank.  It's January!  A running tank top?!  I'll take it.  I was S-L-O-W today overall, but it was funny that it was a real ebb and flow all 4 miles today.  I'd be strong for a half mile or mile, and then it would seem really hard to maintain my pace for a bit, then I'd break through again and feel strong.  By the end, I was dragging though.  I seriously think I was doing a major shuffle down our street looking like one of those people it hurts to watch jog because it looks so painful for them.  Yep, that was definitely me on the last 100 yards before I cooled down!  But, it wasn't just me; the dogs were dragging by mile 3 as well.  We're not accustomed to this heat ;)  Whoa 60 degrees! (I think it was probably closer to 70 in the sun, though)

In other news, we have decided to take a leap and radically alter our diets - we've gone vegetarian.  Well, I guess pescetarian since we are eating fish still.  Mostly all veg during the week, and last week we just had fish one night.  We decided to give it a try mostly for health reasons.  I was all for it since I've never been huge on eating meat anyway, but it's a learning experience to find new things to make for the family!  One can only eat so many salads and bowls of vegetable soup.  Thank goodness for fantastic sites like Peas and Thank You and Daily Garnish that are inspiring me every single day!!  Thank you for your delicious recipes and advice for making sure I feed my family right while we make this switch.  I am learning so much from you both!  :)

More soon - hopefully we'll have some fun home improvement things to show you over the next couple of months, too.  I'll be sure to come back more often with updates on feeding my family vegetarian (and some of our favorite recipes!), running (will get some races on the calendar soon...!!), and the fun we have with our boys.  Next post will have pictures, too, promise :)

Looks…so…funny!

Definitely am going to need to see this!!

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting-trailer-released_b43739

By the way, I’m not doing so great with my running streak…it’s been hard to fit it in lately.  But, I did run the dogs up to the vet today instead of driving, so that was a small little victory, right??  And I’ve been doing about every OTHER day.  Still with the goal to get back to every day…I mean, a mile, that’s like 10 minutes or less, why is it so difficult?

Streaking…?

So today, when several pieces of chocolate did not help my mood or anxiety (WHAT??! who am I?), I laced up my running shoes and headed out.  I knew I wasn’t going to get anything at all done and was just going to wallow in my stress and get more spun up if I didn’t do SOMEthing. 

Lo and behold, I felt better just 10 minutes into my run.  Some days, it is almost the moment I step out and turn on the iPod that I feel relief, but days like today, I needed a little more time to shake it all out.  I wasn’t sure how long or far I’d go when I started.  I felt like I needed to run for about 2 days to clear all the crap outta my head…but I settled for about 4 miles at a decent (for me) pace. 

As I was running, I decided I should jump in on Runners World’s Holiday Running Streak.  Basically, it challenges us to get out and run at least a mile every day between now and New Year’s.  It actually started on Thanksgiving, so I’m a little late to the party, but I can still get in a 26-day streak since I started today!  It’ll be good for me, and a mile is easy to do with just a couple loops around the neighborhood.  My faithful running companions will be grateful, too. 

My midday runs are great since I don’t need to push the double jogging stroller, but my time is limited since I need to get back to work.  My goal is to get to the place where I do a couple 4-6 mile runs during the week, 1 3-mile run to work on speed work, and then maybe a longer run on the weekend if I can fit it in.  Then start training for a half marathon after the first of the year.  My streaking is going to be a good start for that, huh??

Remind me when I forget…I NEED this time.  It makes me a happier, more patient, and more productive human being   Um… hello New Year’s Resolution for me this year!!