tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1201080690526838112024-03-05T14:01:25.364-05:00Diary of Regular MomsReal Moms. Real Stories. Real Life.Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116325013844720125noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-82740173570840979452013-09-20T23:24:00.001-04:002013-09-20T23:30:59.002-04:00Moving Forward<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"It doesn't have to be all or nothing. All or nothing often cripples us." </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Jon Acuff during an interview with Dave Ramsey</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have had that sentence saved as a blog draft for over a year (January 2012, to be exact). This is probably why I'm so scattered in actually writing blog posts. But this is totally my personality. When faced with a situation or a difficult decision, I like to have a plan. I like to know all of my options. I like to go through all the possible outcomes to make sure that I'm prepared for anything that might come up. (And might I add that it drives my husband absolutely crazy?!) I try to be flexible in the little things, and having kids has certainly thrown a wrench in my ability to make and execute a plan (<-- this <i>might </i>be a little bit of an understatement!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But if I'm totally honest here, sometimes I feel like I am drowning. I am overwhelmed, exhausted and feel like I am going nowhere. And I don't have a clue what my plan should entail...let alone options or possible outcomes to review. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But I realized something at a women's Bible study this morning. When I put pressure on myself like that, it puts the focus on ME and not on God. When it becomes all about ME, God is pushed farther out of my life. And I am not able to rescue myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Life is challenging. Life is not easy. Life does not go the way I planned. I will certainly face trials, death, disease, difficult decisions, etc. But I cannot let that cripple me. And I don't have to face life alone. </span><br />
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<i>When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord , your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. ~Isaiah 43:2-3 http://bible.com/116/isa.43.2-3.nlt</i></blockquote>
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I have seen this in my own life. And I know it to be true. The challenge comes in to remember this when I am faced with something. I can trust what the Bible says and that God knows what is best in each situation, even if I can't see that myself. <br />
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<i>For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth. The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. ~Psalm 33:4-7 http://bible.com/116/psa.33.4-7.nlt</i></blockquote>
Since High School, my motto has been, "Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser." But I still am not good at actually handing off control to anyone...God included. I've always heard the saying, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." But I heard a new one today right at the end of our study..."A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor" and that hit home for me. If life were calm and uneventful, what kind of life would that be and would I truly be able to live up to my potential?<br />
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Do I make mistakes and do I try to "rescue" myself from difficult situations? Yep. all.the.time. But I have to remember to get back up, trust in God, and lean on Him during the good times and the bad.</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? <u> No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.</u> And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:35, 37-39 http://bible.com/116/rom.8.35,37-39.nlt</span></i></blockquote>
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I feel like I have rambled in this post, but I feel I need to post this to serve as a public reminder to myself to put my focus on God and not myself. My life doesn't have to be "all or nothing". I just need to do my best and know that God is in control and His plans are better than anything I have planned.<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-57596848133339968832013-04-11T16:45:00.000-04:002013-04-11T16:45:00.774-04:00My husband does listen to me!I now have proof that my husband does, in fact, actually pay attention when I am talking to him! Here's the proof!<br />
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So, I've been gluten-free since just after Thanksgiving last year (just over 5 months) and started a Paleo diet in January of this year. I've been frustrated at the results, but I don't think it's the diet to blame. I think it's that my body just has so much healing to do that it is taking longer than I anticipated to start seeing some results. I have expressed this frustration to my husband several times but I never thought he was actually listening. I recently listened to a talk about going up all grains, sugars and bad fats. I've been pretty good not eating processed foods and gluten, but when I "cheat" on my diet, it's usually with some tortilla chips (grain and bad fats), candy (sugar!!), or sweet potato chips (cooked in vegetable oil). And then there's my diet soda addiction that I just haven't been able to kick (ugh!). So, I was thinking that maybe I need to stop cheating in these areas and I might see more results.<br />
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We have all been a little sick the past week or so. We all have a cough, my husband's seasonal allergies are full-swing and I have my first-ever sinus infection. Fun times. So two nights ago my husband had a dream and he share it with me at dinner last night.<br />
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He is an electrician and was working at a job. The electrical inspectors showed up at the job site for an inspection and while they were there, they were talking to him about a continuing dedication class that they thought he should take. It was a one-day, 8 hour class about sugar and the affects on your body. The one inspector cut out sugar and lost 40-something pounds. <br />
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But it was more than that. My husband dreamt that sugar could conduct through metal (just like electricity) so if you touch some metal, you would ingest sugar and it would affect you just like as if you ate sugar. Weird. Like I said, he's not been feeling 100%. But the funny part is that he said he thought he had the dream because he was afraid that I was going to get rid of all of the sugar in the house. I think it is a real fear of his.<br />
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When I cut out dairy, I stopped buying milk (well, I still bought Almond Milk, but not cow's milk). When I went gluten-free, I stopped buying bread. Because if I have it in the house, chances are much higher that I will cave and eat it...especially at night after the kids go to bed. So, I guess if I cut out sugar, I will have to give him some to keep as a secret stash!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>March 16, 2013 outside US Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati</i></td></tr>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-42547614787271438712013-04-10T16:27:00.000-04:002013-04-10T16:51:55.182-04:00START!I've been struggling a lot lately. Struggling with my Paleo diet. Struggling with losing weight. Struggling with my multiple medical conditions. Struggling with my role as a wife, mom and business owner and how they are all supposed to interact together to make me a "whole" person.<br />
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Last night, I was invited to preview a talk by <a href="http://www.jonacuff.com/blog/" target="_blank">Jon Acuff</a> regarding the release of his upcoming book, <a href="http://thestartbook.com/?ictid=acuff.sb" target="_blank">START</a>. Jon is an author (his latest book was "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quitter-Closing-Between-Your-Dream/dp/0982986270/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp" target="_blank">Quitter</a>"), he writes a great <a href="http://www.jonacuff.com/blog/" target="_blank">blog</a>, and he is part of the <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/home/" target="_blank">Dave Ramsey</a> team (I wrote about our experience becoming <a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2012/01/dave-ramsey-planhow-we-survived.html" target="_blank">DEBT FREE by following Dave's plan</a>). <br />
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Well, Jon is releasing a new book called <i>START. Punch Fear in the Face. Escape Average. Do Work that Matters</i>. Wow. We let things side instead of deciding to do things to make our life awesome.<br />
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Here is the intro to the book they have on their webpage:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFv59efYcpXDQHMgg2WL2QLapdMZbIiYnwu4w8QwN3UOh9ZtYUJsrboaKkQqdW9_hcGU76as3xds4mfplttfxvICZDXMbjyT9u4r53wi5QfveMDOiZ0_8-I8ci-pQ8rtGpy6EiKdn0BKQ/s1600/img-book-start-big.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFv59efYcpXDQHMgg2WL2QLapdMZbIiYnwu4w8QwN3UOh9ZtYUJsrboaKkQqdW9_hcGU76as3xds4mfplttfxvICZDXMbjyT9u4r53wi5QfveMDOiZ0_8-I8ci-pQ8rtGpy6EiKdn0BKQ/s320/img-book-start-big.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thestartbook.com/?ictid=acuff.sb" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source</span></a></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PUNCH FEAR IN THE FACE</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Growing up, we dreamed. And our dreams always painted the portrait of the adult us living an awesome life… as an astronaut, a pro wrestler, a movie star, a bee keeper, or insert your dream here. We don’t set out for average. But that’s exactly where we end up after listening to our fears day after day, year after year. Our dreams take a back seat and eventually are left stranded by the side of the road.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That’s why I’ve written <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Start</span>. Your dream is calling, and it’s closer than you might think. It’s time to go after your purpose. Every awesome life goes through five stages. Learn what they are. Do them. Start.</span></i></div>
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This is exactly what I needed! I haven't read the book (it releases in 2 weeks!), but I plan to. Well, last night, they streamed a pre-recorded talk that he gave a group of people about the book. It was an hour and 40 minutes long, and included a "live chat" with Jon Acuff. So, I listened to the first part of his talk. And then felt compelled to submit a question that I've been dealing with a long time. This is what I asked:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Any tips on balancing being a
mom of 3 kids under 6 and running a home based business? I feel like
sometimes I do both average...and maybe I should put off starting my dreams
until the kids are a little older. But then i wonder if that is just
fear...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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and I waited...and got a reply!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Jon Acuff: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Beth - Give yourself
huge amounts of grace. I talk to moms all the time and they say, "I'm
not working hard enough on my dream. It's average." I ask if they have
kids and they say, "yes, 3 kids and two are twin one year olds." I
immediately say, "You're doing a huge dream right now, you're raising
humans!" Soak up this time and now that you only get one shot at
childhood. Dreaming you get multiple shots at</span></div>
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Which is exactly what I needed to hear! And apparently there were others that needed to hear that as well, so I'm not alone!<br />
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Leanne</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Beth - I needed to hear that
too! I work full-time and have a 14 month old - my husband and I are both
in ministry. I feel like I do everything average.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jon: I so agree with what you
said to Beth. I am a mom of 6. I have 6 year old quadruplets & I just
recently realized that I am living my dream. I have given myself permission
to live that joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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So, from now on, I'm going to give myself permission to START. being an awesome person, wife and mom and put my "dreams" and business on the back burner. Because when I think about it, I can bake a cake any day and I can work for awesome clients any day, but my kids will only be young for such a short time. And my husband is in this for the long haul. I should be a priority because it affects my attitude, my health and my spiritual well-being. And in reality, that is my dream...not some some business opportunity that will wait until I have more time. I'm not going to be perfect at everything, but I can attempt to be my best. I don't have to START. everything right now.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-64810256949381813872013-03-13T08:30:00.000-04:002013-04-02T23:49:21.171-04:00Paleo on a budget...Aldi style!Eating healthy isn't exactly cheap. And <a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2012/01/dave-ramsey-planhow-we-survived.html" target="_blank">we are on the Dave Ramsey Plan</a>, which means we have a budget for groceries and we stick to it. Going Paleo this year has been a challenge to our budget for sure and we have had to up it a bit. So I thought I would share some tips on where to find deals on healthy food.<br />
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I've pretty much given up on coupons. Yeah, I can find some for things like toilet paper (but is it worth the $.40 you save?!) or tissues, but not very often on healthy foods. So, my plan of attack includes the following grocery stores: Kroger, Trader Joe's, Costco, Amazon (yes, Amazon!) and Aldi. Oh, and I also like to hit up farmers' markets!<br />
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Wherever you decide to get your groceries, I have found this awesome, printable guide to seasonal produce. You can find it on their blog <a href="http://whole9life.com/2012/01/seasonal/" target="_blank">here</a>, but I have this posted on my fridge. Not only does it give me some ideas for new produce to try (that are also in season and therefore typically on sale, score!) but it also tells me which ones are in the "Dirty Dozen" (marked by a "<span style="color: red;">D</span>") and which ones are in the "Clean 15" (marked by a "<span style="color: #6aa84f;">C</span>") and items that are bold are extra-nutritious. Items that are marked with a "<span style="color: red;">D</span>" typically have higher chemical exposure so you want to make sure you are getting organic. The ones marked "<span style="color: #6aa84f;">C</span>" are clean and you can get conventional versions and not have to worry about the chemicals as much. In a perfect world, you would get all organic to avoid GMO (genetically modified organisms), but this gets expensive and doesn't fit in our budget. <br />
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<span id="goog_1496196159"></span><span id="goog_1496196160"></span><a href="http://whole9life.com/2012/01/seasonal/" target="_blank">Print this out</a>. Save it to your mobile device. Use it. All.The.Time.<br />
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Anyway, I thought I would focus my post today on Aldi. There is one in our small town, across the street from Kroger and there is one in the town that I take my boys to preschool, so it is my most frequented grocery store. I went last week while my boys were at school, so I took along my favorite shopping companion.<br />
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<i>*Disclaimer...again, sorry for the photo quality. They were taken with my iPod...I think I need to get a better mobile camera!</i><br />
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So the first aisle is mostly junk food, but there are a couple of Paleo items to be found. First are my favorite. And might just be a new food addiction. Sweet Potato Chips! And $1.99/bag! To be honest, they aren't 100% Paleo because they contain vegetable oil. But they only have 3 ingredients (sweet potatoes, oil and sea salt). And they are good. Must eat in moderation!<br />
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Also on the same aisle are Whole Almonds. These are good for just eating plain, but you can also roast them, put them in desserts or trail mixes or grind them up for almond meal to use in baking. <br />
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This trail mix is a new find for me. It has nuts (peanuts, cashews), sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and dark chocolate. Again, this isn't 100% Paleo because the dark chocolate has "soy lecithin in it (and soy is not Paleo), but it's a very little amount. Plus, most trail mixes that you buy have candy-coated chocolate and therefore have the addition of food dyes. These are just dark chocolate baking chips, so no un-natural colors.<br />
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Next is Almond Milk. I get the Original version (it doesn't have any sugar). At $2.49 it's a better deal than other stores unless you have a coupon and/or a sale.<br />
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And produce. This is where <a href="http://whole9life.com/2012/01/seasonal/" target="_blank">that list</a> comes in handy! Anything not marked on the list with a "<span style="color: red;">D</span>" are fair game! Aldi's has started carrying some organic things, but produce isn't one of them...YET (hint, hint!). So, here are some of the deals I found. Cauliflower for $1.79 for the head.<br />
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Cabbage for $.69 for the head...this was a special for the week I was there...SCORE!<br />
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Sweet Potatoes...$1.69 for a 3 lb. bag! At another one of our grocery stores, the sweet potatoes are usually $.99/lb and organic ones are even more. But sweet potatoes are on the "<span style="color: #6aa84f;">C</span>" list, so I don't usually buy organic unless it's close to the same price.<br />
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And onions...$.79 for 3 lbs!<br />
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Radishes...$1.29 for a 16 oz bag. I haven't really ever used radishes before but I had a soup recipe that called for them (instead of potatoes) so I bought some to try. I have roasted them in the oven, steamed them on the stove top and they are yummy!<br />
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I tend to not buy as much fruit just because of some reactions I've been having, but I do like to buy bananas at Aldi. They are typically lower priced than any of the other local stores. Look for the green-tipped ones as they are less-sweet and will last longer.<br />
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Here's a look at the produce bins...not very elaborate of a display, but functional and easy to find everything :)<br />
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I don't typically buy meat at Aldi because they don't have any organic. Most of my meat comes from my freezer (we stock up with a 1/4 side of beef and a whole pig about once every year) or farmers market, but sausage is one type of meat that I'm always looking for since they are easy. But they are typically full of nitrates. But I found these and they were yummy...and no added nitrates or ingredients I couldn't pronounce!<br />
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So, what did I end up with? Here's a shot of everything I got that trip...for less than $25 ($24.16)! I think that's a pretty good deal...considering that most of the items don't have an ingredients list and the ones that do are small and I can pronounce everything that is in them. SCORE!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-36180899211304796712013-03-11T13:43:00.005-04:002013-03-11T13:43:47.070-04:00Workout Plan<br />
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Basically, the wheels have fallen off my workout plan in a major way. Two weeks ago, I did weight training (at home with dumbells) 3 times and ran on the treadmill 4 times, 45 minutes each. Last week I did weight training once and ran on the treadmill twice, 30 minutes each. I had a baby with strep throat and of course a bunch of other things going on that derailed me. So, my overall plan is to do cardio 3-4 times a week and weights 4 times (upper body and core and then lower body), but that's pretty ambitious right now and I am not going to beat myself up if it doesn't happen. <br />
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For weight training, I get exercises from Fitness and Shape Magazines mostly. They have a lot on their websites; you can also check the back issues out from your library. I also have some home workout videos that I like so I will mix those in when I get bored. For cardio, sometimes I just try to run the whole time but I've also been trying to do more HIIT (high intensity interval training), which I like. Google HIIT and you'll find all kinds of info and plans. <br />
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My meal plan this week is pretty similar to last week's. I added a couple of different recipes I got from skinnytaste.com- santa fe turkey stuffed peppers for one. Sorry no pictures= boring post!<br />
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If you are really looking for an intense program google "Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer". It's a free meal plan and workout plan on bodybuilding.com. It lasts for 12 weeks. I would love to do it, but it is gym based and I just can't devote that much time right now. But in the future, I may try to do a modified version.<br />
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I did make some homemade coconut chocolate almond butter that turned out pretty amazing. I will try to post that recipe soon.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gA2kW0wZqN2Gkhs97c7JVjRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwBILOHa70NgFi9cYL4BsxS6A3hlcA-YP1o_BzEWQOY4GpXqiyLy_PJvmMSVPVqQnbuESXy4tE0aKWJKit55emfJERbhOIaxihNEnAeEmjymqrY3OhMkyV6ZWJBtZ9Hczbj2ksn3m8xEu/s144/signature%252520lesley.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a><br />
Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116325013844720125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-570730561308056922013-03-07T10:00:00.000-05:002013-03-07T10:06:02.572-05:00A Food JourneySo, Lesley has encouraged me to chime in to her "<a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2013/02/spring-break-shape-up.html" target="_blank">Spring Break Shape-Up</a>" series. My eating plan looks a little different than <a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-break-shape-up-diet-plan.html" target="_blank">Lesley's eating plan</a>, but there is one huge commonality...NO PROCESSED FOODS! Ok, I'll revise that and say minimal processed foods. Because I don't think it's realistic for me to say that I won't ever eat anything processed. I do agree with Lesley that eating and nutrition is a huge part of losing weight and that your focus should be on what you put into your body vs. how many calories you can burn at the gym. If you are feeding your body junk and working out a lot at the gym, I really don't think you are a healthy person. I have tried focusing on training in the past and didn't really pay attention to what I was eating and I don't think it really had any lasting benefits on my body. So this time around I'm focusing on nutrition, sleep (it's more important than I thought!) and then exercise.<br />
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I found this print (you can buy it form the link below) on <a href="http://pinterest.com/blevering/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> (this will link you to my page!), and I think it really shows the ideal that I am reaching for.<br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/182325484886770254/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="390" src="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/550x/c6/80/a9/c680a993ec2ba44b647985b7e9f398a4.jpg" width="260" /></a></div></div><div style="float: center; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://alexxstuart.com/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">alexxstuart.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/blevering/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Beth</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I don't think that there is <u>one </u>diet plan (or healthy eating plan) that is ideal for everyone. You have to know your body and experiment with different foods to see how you feel and if it allows you to reach your ideal body weight. So, anyway, I've been doing the Paleo diet since January 2. My first step into going Paleo was giving up Gluten (wheat, barley, rye) just after Thanksgiving. I gave myself a month to adjust to a gluten-free lifestyle and then went full Paleo. I really like <a href="http://whole9life.com/start/" target="_blank">Whole 9's</a> description of Paleo:<br />
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<br />
<div style="border: 0px; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://whole9life.com/start/" target="_blank"><i>Whole9′s Nutrition in 60 Seconds</i></a></strong></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>"We eat real food – meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, healthy oils, nuts and seeds. We choose foods that were raised, fed and grown naturally, and foods that are nutrient-dense, with lots of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.</i></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>This is not a “diet” – we eat as much as we need to maintain strength, energy, activity levels and a healthy body weight. We aim for well-balanced nutrition, so we eat animals and a significant amount of plants.</i></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Eating like this has helped us to look, feel, live and perform our best, and reduces our risk for a variety of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions."</i></div><br />
So, there's a lot to it, but basically as a healthy way of eating (and long-term sustainability), I eat meat, seafood, LOTS of vegetables, a little fruit and some healthy oils (coconut oil, EVOO, avocado). I will be honest and say that I have cheated. More than once. But I still feel better than I did before going Paleo.<br />
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So what does a day of food look like for me? Well, I typically have 3 meals and try not to snack in between. I don't have any grains, so breakfast looks a little different for me than a typical breakfast (no cereals, oatmeal, pastries, etc). For lunch I usually have leftovers from the previous evening and I typically either make something in the crock pot for dinner or bake something in the oven. I will admit that my kids are still eating gluten (although much more limited than previously) but they are also eating a lot more vegetables than they used to. They still won't touch a salad, but they tried roasted red beets and radishes last night for the first time...progress! <br />
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*Disclaimer - all of these photos were taken with my tablet and are not great quality, but you get the idea.<br />
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<b><u>Breakfast:</u></b><br />
<br />
Breakfast typically consists of eggs with some meat. I typically like to scramble up a dozen eggs and then refrigerate them to eat the next few mornings. This morning I had eggs with onions and green peppers and bacon :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOzDBV5oPOICQ5VHFphFv484kZ0rVn7DiJUH1-J9WJL33rHpH3az4DLmZh3hlfMLbA7_DU52FCqOpWCSPb7pLU_8WD6pmjDfgVcdjHObdpN_tFVp4BtLXp6cjapymA2kFrio71-Ar8vdL/s1600/A3F24C37-2C94-4415-8A8F-D2EA28445C7C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOzDBV5oPOICQ5VHFphFv484kZ0rVn7DiJUH1-J9WJL33rHpH3az4DLmZh3hlfMLbA7_DU52FCqOpWCSPb7pLU_8WD6pmjDfgVcdjHObdpN_tFVp4BtLXp6cjapymA2kFrio71-Ar8vdL/s320/A3F24C37-2C94-4415-8A8F-D2EA28445C7C.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b><u>Lunch:</u></b><br />
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Lunch is usually leftovers or a salad. This salad is mixed greens, baby spinach, some micro greens (found at a local farmers market!), cilantro, 1/2 avocado, leftover pork chop, blueberries, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Yummy and filling!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq87rbQrZvKvmRqim87MBYgmGFrubdE4vJn85NyDO1peJxtpiSZeRXWNa1Upy6DEJ6XMkd5wmqDXpYRJylyim9mXZ_2EKi-mzuPMZY1CrfjsauX6PQOXihxFRZaG3JmXnAZJPqxeX2HXme/s1600/8DE71430-A2D8-4B22-86D5-717451D97617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq87rbQrZvKvmRqim87MBYgmGFrubdE4vJn85NyDO1peJxtpiSZeRXWNa1Upy6DEJ6XMkd5wmqDXpYRJylyim9mXZ_2EKi-mzuPMZY1CrfjsauX6PQOXihxFRZaG3JmXnAZJPqxeX2HXme/s320/8DE71430-A2D8-4B22-86D5-717451D97617.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This recipe is a <a href="http://lowcarboneday.com/2013/02/tuscan-chicken-soup-low-carb-and-paleo.html" target="_blank">Tuscan Chicken Soup</a> I found on <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/182325484886716407/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>. It was really good...I didn't have any baby radishes, so I subbed some parsnips and daikon (in the radish family) for it and it turned out good (though I think it would be good with the radishes as well!). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg800tF2IPYzHCf7gyfrI8rEwrYbPwK0HBpiwPUFmkqQn8diuoiOgyy0KQoJR0ThHT5x1MEeDDJjwMi51LnlvNDwuFRCzpRpAERofau2hA_CM35ZDVpck5D1i9YV3jgVGNAAHGUaJ7p8aM1/s1600/20130226_163003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg800tF2IPYzHCf7gyfrI8rEwrYbPwK0HBpiwPUFmkqQn8diuoiOgyy0KQoJR0ThHT5x1MEeDDJjwMi51LnlvNDwuFRCzpRpAERofau2hA_CM35ZDVpck5D1i9YV3jgVGNAAHGUaJ7p8aM1/s320/20130226_163003.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Dinner:</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dinner is the one meal I usually make every day...unless our fridge is full and we need a leftover night for dinner (which I really don't mind!!). Here is a meal where I made some french onion soup and bacon-wrapped chicken with vegetables. I don't have a recipe for the onion soup...I basically sauteed a couple onions in a skillet and then added some beef broth until it looked good and let it simmer for about 20 minutes :) The chicken dish was based on this <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/182325484885840568/" target="_blank">pinterest </a>pin except I wrapped the chicken breasts in bacon and then omitted the Italian dressing packet and butter and just sprinkled some salt, pepper and Trader Joe's "21 Seasoning Salute" (basically just mixed herbs). I used broccoli, cauliflower and green beans for the veggies. Yum!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPF7HSRQmuY8JnbhVdnr5CDCPk_3Lh6NaddU1HsuF8tzOWjSKs9Fz0EL0cfFnFoIKBxUQnFwQiCyY78HnBLJL-eKMOVaweNwYTpvB47683e3ws_tfr8oirks7XpulZyR5XPW-oQ-lASX3G/s1600/6D9B0CBE-2A75-45B0-8EB2-3F084DD319C9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPF7HSRQmuY8JnbhVdnr5CDCPk_3Lh6NaddU1HsuF8tzOWjSKs9Fz0EL0cfFnFoIKBxUQnFwQiCyY78HnBLJL-eKMOVaweNwYTpvB47683e3ws_tfr8oirks7XpulZyR5XPW-oQ-lASX3G/s320/6D9B0CBE-2A75-45B0-8EB2-3F084DD319C9.JPG" width="240" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, for nights when I don't have time to bake for a long time or have forgotten to put something in the crock-pot, I tent to use sausage and roast some veggies. This is an easy dinner to pull together and is what we ate for dinner last night. It's a Chicken Apple Sausage (it's technically not paleo because it has a little brown sugar, but it didn't have any "scary" ingredients and didn't have any added nitrates...basically the shorter the ingredient list, the better and avoid things you can't pronounce or don't know what they are) which was sauteed in a skillet with onions and mushrooms, and then I roasted some baby yellow carrots (organic, from Kroger) red beets and radishes. I also steamed some broccoli, orange carrots and radishes on the stove to compare and see which we liked better (Steve liked the steamed radishes better but I liked the roasted). This meal was easy because I had my fridge stocked with veggies!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_G5jtm0aDfEMIXjudiN4sqqm-W3m_uaMmb26wDZqoZKJnZ8WvN52J5tK-9S50I8XfkRaWTlaZqnDni-zVHaqTQh-_tqych9WP7amXaoLDRUh8QiFnTj2tQvbrYH_mIIsjPmmU_ORwWAw/s1600/20130305_180537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_G5jtm0aDfEMIXjudiN4sqqm-W3m_uaMmb26wDZqoZKJnZ8WvN52J5tK-9S50I8XfkRaWTlaZqnDni-zVHaqTQh-_tqych9WP7amXaoLDRUh8QiFnTj2tQvbrYH_mIIsjPmmU_ORwWAw/s320/20130305_180537.jpg" width="320" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Snack:</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We do typically have a before-bedtime snack with the kids. I've been trying to make it healthy and give them some grapes, strawberries or kiwi (or whatever fruit we have on hand). I also like to pop some popcorn (not Paleo, but I do buy organic popcorn which should be GMO free) in some organic coconut oil and add some <a href="http://www.saltworks.us/shop/product.asp?idProduct=371" target="_blank">Himalayan pink sal</a>t (I found a big grinder at Costco, but have also purchased it at Trader Joe's). Another snack/dessert that the kids enjoy is "Banana Swirl". They saw it on PBS one afternoon and begged me to make it. Basically you just freeze a banana (either whole with the skin on or you can peel it and chop it up into bite-sized pieces) and put it in a blender or food processor (our food processor works better than the blender) with a little bit of almond milk. Blend to soft-serve ice cream consistency and serve immediately. You can also do add-ins for a flavor variety: cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate chips, almond butter, strawberries, etc. So good! This is what I gave the kids for snack last night :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPb3KlYTSoWOSOFuLpEQ5SkvX2Ky5VE40LGhOkgFx4u6SImApsm_uhjInT9T7QtKFUicujOZxcF4RX3Vb-zHuuSrUZHSNbC57sqYe-I7MSM2Or6ayZeij1yjCYzZ8josN5FeBIMbJyCWE1/s1600/20130306_204016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPb3KlYTSoWOSOFuLpEQ5SkvX2Ky5VE40LGhOkgFx4u6SImApsm_uhjInT9T7QtKFUicujOZxcF4RX3Vb-zHuuSrUZHSNbC57sqYe-I7MSM2Or6ayZeij1yjCYzZ8josN5FeBIMbJyCWE1/s320/20130306_204016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also love chocolate, so I keep some Paleo chocolate in my fridge for when I get a chocolate craving. I don't have a recipe for this either, but I just melt some dark chocolate (look for chocolate that is soy-lecithin free like the brand Enjoy Life) and some unsweetened baking bars in a double boiler on the stove. Once melted, I add in unsweetened coconut and other add-ins depending on what I have around...dried fruit and nuts are usually what I grab. Then I take an ice cream scoop that is about 1T in size and scoop the chocolate mixture out onto parchment paper sitting on a cookie tray and refrigerate until set. They resemble a traditional "No-Bake" cookie, but don't have any refined sugar or oats. They are dark, so they aren't super-sweet, but they are sweet enough to give me the chocolate fix when I need it. I keep them in the fridge and then take one out and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to let it soften a bit. This helps with portion control as well :)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhXvtD4-Ucgdliux29czodcRA7TjmeVGonYjawqPcIKIMC3iKyWAegSs_UAY1EEbpQG3lDETtfBvfitjECWEOEb0grk-mR7kRqqw3qqbnMoEdwHckjHhH6Ho1RXJAagUfcBbBctFj4nZy/s1600/20130306_121008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhXvtD4-Ucgdliux29czodcRA7TjmeVGonYjawqPcIKIMC3iKyWAegSs_UAY1EEbpQG3lDETtfBvfitjECWEOEb0grk-mR7kRqqw3qqbnMoEdwHckjHhH6Ho1RXJAagUfcBbBctFj4nZy/s320/20130306_121008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, that's what I eat in a typical day. I'll write future blogs about where I find my recipes (great Paleo sources are EVERYWHERE!), things I'm discovering, books I'm reading, some resources I've found helpful, and if my changed eating habits are having any real affects on my health. I took some before photos on January 1, and while I'm not comfortable sharing them here, I might share them in a few months with some after photos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-30969538104437238212013-03-05T11:26:00.002-05:002013-03-06T11:52:41.225-05:00Spring Break Shape-Up Diet Plan<br />
Again I have to start with a disclaimer -- I'm no expert in this area. I feel really silly to even write these posts because I'm no fitness or diet expert. But, maybe if I can give someone an idea or two while motivating myself at the same time, it's worth it!<br />
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I'm going to share my meal plan for the next week or so. I have found meals that are pretty easy to fix and that I really like, so I tend to eat them for weeks at a time until I get totally bored. <br />
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First, I calculated my caloric need based on this equation:<br />
1. 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 X age in years)= base<br />
2. Take that number and multiply by 1.2<br />
3. Subtract 500 for a 1 pound a week weight loss.<br />
4. This doesn't include calories you expend in exercise, so I usually try to add half of those calories back in (roughly. I wish I had a heart rate/calorie monitor so I knew exactly how much I burned). I also add a rough estimate of calories for nursing.<br />
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So, I try to eat roughly 1600 calories a day and I try to make it 90% clean. I will be honest and say that I don't track green vegetables very closely, because their calories are pretty low. I try to put some into my tracker, but don't stress too much about being exact like I do for things such as peanut butter, oatmeal, etc.<br />
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I eat about 5-6 meals a day, every 2-3 hours. I am naturally more of a grazer type person and I'm home alot with a baby right now, so it's feasible. But most moms that work have access to a microwave too. Ultimately, just figure out what is best for you to do.<br />
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I do meal prep 1-2 times a week- on Sunday nights and again a smaller type prep on Wed or Thurs. I cook my chicken, salmon, etc., roast my vegetables, and make my oatmeal. I also make the pancakes, quinoa bowls, eggs. Pretty much every thing. I freeze some things so I only have to make them once, like the oatmeal, pancakes, and quinoa bowls. The chicken I just cook twice a week in my crock pot. Veggies, I pretty much roast on Sunday and then use frozen broccoli or green beans in a bag when I run out of what I roasted. That way my second prep of the week is usually just the chicken, salmon, eggs. I also try to keep some extra frozen meals in case I just can't prep again or I had planned to put something together fresh (like a salad) and I'm unable to. I think this step is KEY to staying on track with my diet. I'll try to take a picture of this and share next week. Generally, I think most of the food lasts fine in the refrigerator for 3 days, and I've never really minded leftovers anyway.<br />
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Meal One: Egg white oatmeal with half of a sliced banana and 1 Tablespoon of natural peanut butter and some ground flax seed on top (Basically I cook steel cut oats with extra water and then when they are done I add 2 egg whites per serving. Just pour them in slowly and stir like crazy so you don't get big pieces. I also add maple extract, cinnamon, a little stevia and sometimes another extract like black walnut or banana or vanilla or butter -- can you tell I like extracts?). This photo is without the flax, banana and pb.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a9EcqtYcFO_7OnRZwg2Dwk8rlRG84UYHlwilsBvHPaNgc0ruGLpgBX4CDzu1bQx_XqPcJ97DBu4YmGHTVPG850b0qCaMSkhwgxhJuJbiA79cRVAW8zncys50BmF45L9vZ2NtMz_2KLCd/s1600/oats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a9EcqtYcFO_7OnRZwg2Dwk8rlRG84UYHlwilsBvHPaNgc0ruGLpgBX4CDzu1bQx_XqPcJ97DBu4YmGHTVPG850b0qCaMSkhwgxhJuJbiA79cRVAW8zncys50BmF45L9vZ2NtMz_2KLCd/s320/oats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Meal Two: Lemon blueberry muffin protein pancakes with blueberry topping:<br />
I got this recipe from instagram. Protein pancakes are usually gross in my opinion. Spongy, weird texture. I tried these and really liked them. They are still not quite regular pancakes, but with the addition of the lemon and fruit I like them. Mix 1 mashed banana, 1 whole egg, 2 Tablespoons plain nonfat greek yogurt& 1 Tablespoon unsweetened almond milk. Stir well. Add 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup oat flour (I use Bob's but you can grind your own oats in a food processor), 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well and add more almond milk as needed. I also add some lemon extract and if I have a lemon, zest and juice from that. Then at the end, stir in 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries. Cook these as you would normal pancakes in a well-oiled skillet (coconut oil is great but don't forget to add the calories to your tracker or use nonstick spray if you want). For the topping, I use the basic recipe I have on the blog for yogurt parfaits and I don't add any sugar or I use stevia. I sometimes do it in the microwave -- just microwave the berries for a minute or two and then add a little slurry of water and cornstarch and lemon juice. Microwave again another minute or so. I'm not sure about exact measurements, I just eyeball it. You could also add some sugar free syrup to the top. (This is 2 servings)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hqDo6IMmeCuMrB4mu4H_oxgvnGXcLb6PsvkgMRIKYFOBuKqUUlk6ng_KvRwIuKF5QSb1CDAzJyi993WqAor2iIsrm1m0sKYeXSZKXxJjc9z-ZV0EyD9xUqTiYcaJeBnmohLcGVrYH1jB/s1600/protein+pancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hqDo6IMmeCuMrB4mu4H_oxgvnGXcLb6PsvkgMRIKYFOBuKqUUlk6ng_KvRwIuKF5QSb1CDAzJyi993WqAor2iIsrm1m0sKYeXSZKXxJjc9z-ZV0EyD9xUqTiYcaJeBnmohLcGVrYH1jB/s320/protein+pancakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the protein powder I like in this recipe and in smoothies. I get it at Kroger in the health foods section. It is unflavored (but not tasteless). I am not a big fan of protein powder taste!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBafrhnIFPgsoKwMz4zlkLD3DxeGeN4g-ejEM9-yO0sACVqkaoC4gnIieV8nh65-2_st52_epPKrSmvEB1XMsDr8sbEFTW8pe-crT5xGVXwuKMEtuafGW2RX7CJilcMlUAKvKdy3W_rUO/s1600/protein+pwder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBafrhnIFPgsoKwMz4zlkLD3DxeGeN4g-ejEM9-yO0sACVqkaoC4gnIieV8nh65-2_st52_epPKrSmvEB1XMsDr8sbEFTW8pe-crT5xGVXwuKMEtuafGW2RX7CJilcMlUAKvKdy3W_rUO/s320/protein+pwder.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Meal Three: 1 fried whole egg plus one white and 1/4 of an avocado, mashed, on a piece of whole wheat/low carb toast. Salt and pepper on top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg6ZwZPqRzkZy2hvzX-ZTVeQbsAIoooqFqm_7M8CYmoqua30Hij-YqLrVA8HfdpCRqCx3qGB8C-uvSC7A15-f_pofwXFyGtoK1GXKsdp7clipIqCP1qEoXDgYF0grjDo1tn4i5YbiVrk7/s1600/egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg6ZwZPqRzkZy2hvzX-ZTVeQbsAIoooqFqm_7M8CYmoqua30Hij-YqLrVA8HfdpCRqCx3qGB8C-uvSC7A15-f_pofwXFyGtoK1GXKsdp7clipIqCP1qEoXDgYF0grjDo1tn4i5YbiVrk7/s320/egg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Meal Four: Salsa chicken, sweet potato (about 1/3-1/2 of one), and a green veggie - roasted zucchini here. For the chicken, I put frozen breasts in my crockpot with some salsa and then when it is done I shred it and add more salsa. There is siracha on top of it in this photo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9RRbH0bxRxkRGdrZEHTfgPi2KfYkCzaMooH7y01DJ5G-c3Y2Ifdewo4ImvEAru6y4QVfjW4YjK5Rh-sldhCIytqqWhk3d5mHfiTRs9iIFZXKWwijVqkcsx8QQls1W_bgqoAYScO-eEPS/s1600/chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9RRbH0bxRxkRGdrZEHTfgPi2KfYkCzaMooH7y01DJ5G-c3Y2Ifdewo4ImvEAru6y4QVfjW4YjK5Rh-sldhCIytqqWhk3d5mHfiTRs9iIFZXKWwijVqkcsx8QQls1W_bgqoAYScO-eEPS/s320/chicken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Meal Five: Grilled Salmon, Asparagus, and brown rice. <br />
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Meal Six: Apple plus chocolate hazelnut butter or pb2. This is my dessert. I love this and I'm addicted to this hazelnut butter! I eat this post exercise as an incentive. If I exercise hard, I eat the hazelnut butter. If it's a rest day or I can't fit the exercise in (life does happen), I eat the pb2. I also get this in Kroger's health foods section. Measuring is critical here; natural nut butters are really great for you because of the healthy fats but they are super high calorie. You can easily get carried away here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2kzBm0RtW7tFG0D9T3c5LjdHJQH9rRPcQYGUtQyypWlZOhQrWn1KSJFOnfEH_LYKOywwFg7BbeX2TxNbXbHlvpN45hqiX3IqjkWK4ELEI0lW4rWduXtCey8tPnWRQD6yqOIVX0qdjhAJ/s1600/apple+and+pb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2kzBm0RtW7tFG0D9T3c5LjdHJQH9rRPcQYGUtQyypWlZOhQrWn1KSJFOnfEH_LYKOywwFg7BbeX2TxNbXbHlvpN45hqiX3IqjkWK4ELEI0lW4rWduXtCey8tPnWRQD6yqOIVX0qdjhAJ/s320/apple+and+pb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And if I didn't mention, I pretty much eat this same way every day for the whole week. I may change a meal or two, but I try to keep the same formula- protein, whole grain carbs, healthy fats. I measure and make my portion size fit my caloric allotment. It looks like a lot of food, and I guess it is. If you eat healthy you can eat more -- which is always my goal! :)<br />
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I have my exercise plan coming up, as well as some tips to bust cravings and how I handle family meals while staying on my meal plan.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gA2kW0wZqN2Gkhs97c7JVjRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwBILOHa70NgFi9cYL4BsxS6A3hlcA-YP1o_BzEWQOY4GpXqiyLy_PJvmMSVPVqQnbuESXy4tE0aKWJKit55emfJERbhOIaxihNEnAeEmjymqrY3OhMkyV6ZWJBtZ9Hczbj2ksn3m8xEu/s144/signature%252520lesley.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a>Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116325013844720125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-23509186250138113512013-02-28T13:36:00.002-05:002013-03-06T11:52:53.247-05:00Spring Break Shape-UpI know we say we're back and then we're not and then we are.... Life is just really busy so I'm not sure if I'm back. I go back and forth as to whether I want to post or not. But, I need some fitness motivation and accountability, and I'm sure many of you do too. So I thought I would start a little spring break shape-up plan. It would be great if people want to post their own ideas and tips, either here or on the facebook page. I am not trained in any aspect of human diet or health, so anything I post here is just something that is working for me or that I have read somewhere. <br />
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I had a baby in July. I've lost all the baby weight, but I'm still not in the shape I want to be. We have 3 weeks until spring break, and I started trying to really tighten up my diet and exercise more. I'm going to try to do 4 weeks of "spring break shape-up posts" here. I'm not brave enough to post any before pictures or anything, but I will tell you what my goals are and how I'm doing.<br />
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I'll post my diet and exercise plans but if you are interested in participating you have to find what will work best for you. That may not be what works for me.<br />
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So, I will post both of those soon. For now, if you're interested in participating, here are your "assignments":<br />
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<strong><u>1- Set goals</u>.</strong> My goals used to be "lose xx pounds". That's no longer effective for me. Hydration status can make your weight fluctuate up to 4 pounds a day (according to my brother-in-law who has a BS in kinesiology and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy). I am using inches. I measured my waist, hips, left thigh, left arm, and left calf (some may want to add bust but number one I'm nursing and number two I'd prefer to keep every inch I can there). I am not going to weigh myself at all, but I will remeasure every week. <br />
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Although using inches is good for longer term goals, you honestly can't control how much you lose where and at what rate. For that reason, I think it's good to have goals that you can control 100%-- such as "I will eat clean every day this week". And try not to have too many goals. I am guilty of making my goals too high and then I get discouraged when I couldn't exercise 5 times a week for 50 minutes. I get super annoyed when I hear people say things like "There's no excuse for not exercising. An hour a day 7 days a week is only such and such percent of your time". As a mom, I know that any percentage is high, when you spend most of your time taking care of kids or cleaning the house or making lunches for the next day. (And in my case getting up 4-5 times a night still to nurse a baby). So, I think exercise is really important but I know as moms we are already stretched to the max and sometimes sleep needs to win. Overall, my personal opinion is that diet is about 70% and exercise is 30%. So if you can only do one, focus on what you're eating. That being said, I didn't watch much tv before, but I've given it almost completely up now that I've kicked up my exercise. I DVR a couple of shows and watch them while I'm doing weight training but other than that I am making exercise a priority over tv and reading.<br />
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<strong><u>2- Decide on a tracking method- </u></strong>Keep track of everything you eat and all your exercise, including taking a walk with the kids. I like the app Lose It. Old fashioned paper is great too. Just pick something that works for you.<br />
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<strong><u>3- Decide how much time you can devote- </u></strong> For the next few weeks, I am going to try to do cardio 4 times a week for 45 minutes and do weights (at home) at least 3 times. Honestly, that's alot for me and I am sure some laundry will slide. Also, some of your time will be used for food prep so think about how many hours you can realistically devote.<br />
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<strong><u>4-Make an Inspiration Board- </u></strong> You could cut out pictures/quotes from magazines and put them on some posterboard so you can hang it up in your exercise area. You could also go digital (this is what I do and please someone destroy my phone if something happens to me so people don't wonder why I have so many photos of women's abs/thighs.) Great online sources are pinterest, instagram, and Fitness Magazine's website. Even google images.<br />
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<u><strong>5-Take a Before Picture-</strong></u> Okay, I haven't done this. It's painful. You can hide it, but just take one and I promise I will too!<br />
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Is anyone willing to commit? You can do anything for 4 weeks (the goal is to turn this into a lifestyle of course, but a jump start does wonders! :))<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gA2kW0wZqN2Gkhs97c7JVjRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwBILOHa70NgFi9cYL4BsxS6A3hlcA-YP1o_BzEWQOY4GpXqiyLy_PJvmMSVPVqQnbuESXy4tE0aKWJKit55emfJERbhOIaxihNEnAeEmjymqrY3OhMkyV6ZWJBtZ9Hczbj2ksn3m8xEu/s144/signature%252520lesley.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a>Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116325013844720125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-30235903540426077662012-11-19T10:16:00.001-05:002012-11-19T10:18:09.749-05:00Easy Pizza<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GwyBV4E5D_i0Z1_V90WSE2ySUlVfcA7kCY8oIhCaFCnwF-DGDgZ-SadnK9xVMc4zpEHOaJ7i6pUZBBJvstu3hQPBPqK2QJAT3j1GWvti3v1d88LBYidpz0R4MPG4UfEM-OBtmj2RX17L/s1600/pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GwyBV4E5D_i0Z1_V90WSE2ySUlVfcA7kCY8oIhCaFCnwF-DGDgZ-SadnK9xVMc4zpEHOaJ7i6pUZBBJvstu3hQPBPqK2QJAT3j1GWvti3v1d88LBYidpz0R4MPG4UfEM-OBtmj2RX17L/s400/pizza.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I'm coming back to the blogosphere because I've missed it! Since I've been gone, I've:<br />
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<li>successfully survived a year in a 2 bedroom apartment with 2 kids</li>
<li>built and moved into a new house (not that I built it, but you get what I mean)</li>
<li>worked a little on and off in my job-before-mommy</li>
<li>gone to numerous cub scout, football, and other school events</li>
<li>and, had a baby!!! Whom I sort of adore. Isn't she cute?</li>
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So needless to say, I've been a little busy and have neglected this blog. I'd like to start posting again, as time permits. Mostly recipes, because I love to cook and I'm always trying new recipes. But maybe some other stuff too.</div>
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Most of my recipes are just normal, family recipes. I grew up with old-fashioned home cooking, and that's what I like to stick to, but I usually try to make it a little healthier. And what kids don't love pizza, so I thought I'd share my easy method for pizza. We have 1 pizza place in our little town now that we've moved to a pretty rural area. It's about 7 minutes away and I'm more than a little tired of it. We have a couple more in the next town, 15 min away. </div>
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I typically use frozen bread dough for my crust. I just thaw it, roll it as thin as possible and top it. I have learned it has to be really thawed, not still cold, or it's too rubbery and too hard to roll thin. One day my father-in-law came on a Saturday to play with the kids. I didn't have time to thaw dough and I was just trying to think of something to make them really quick. I tried a quick, no rise dough recipe which I think I'll stick with. My favorite pizza sauce is LaRosa's (although I'm not a big fan of their pizza), but other members of my family are sick of that sauce so for this I used Classico tomato and basil marinara sauce and it was really good. You can do so many variations on the topping - taco pizza, chicken/black beans/cilantro/onion/bbq sauce, buffalo chicken, veggie, thai, etc. And of course kids love to do the make-your-own so sometimes we make individual ones.</div>
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Dough:</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1 cup warm water</span><br clear="none" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span><br clear="none" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">2 1/2 cups (approximately) all-purpose flour</span><br clear="none" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1 tablespoon active dry yeast</span><br clear="none" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Butter, for greasing the pan</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif, arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">To make pizza crust, combine warm water and salt in a mixing bowl. Add about 1.5 cups of the flour along with the yeast and stir. Add remaining flour and knead into a smooth dough (add enough flour, beyond the 2.5 cups if necessary). I use a stand mixer and the dough hook to mix this together and knead it. </span> Cover and set in a warm place (but you don't have to let it rise). Roll it out to your desired thickness, put on your greased pan, add toppings and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gA2kW0wZqN2Gkhs97c7JVjRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwBILOHa70NgFi9cYL4BsxS6A3hlcA-YP1o_BzEWQOY4GpXqiyLy_PJvmMSVPVqQnbuESXy4tE0aKWJKit55emfJERbhOIaxihNEnAeEmjymqrY3OhMkyV6ZWJBtZ9Hczbj2ksn3m8xEu/s144/signature%252520lesley.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a><br />
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Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116325013844720125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-26542962967637181312012-10-30T10:04:00.000-04:002012-10-30T13:00:53.081-04:00Space-Saving Coat Storage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My husband thinks I'm crazy sometimes, but I think I'm genius! Ok, let me explain. See, we had our home built about 6 years ago. We basically went with a house at the top of our budget, at least the budget we wanted, not the bank. That was when the housing market was booming, so they approved us for much more than we actually felt comfortable with. Good thing we had some common sense (thanks, parents!), 'cause it probably wouldn't have been good. <br />
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Anyway, back to the genius part. Our builder wasn't a custom builder. As in, we had a few choices but not many. We picked our flooring, countertops, cabinet style, and siding color from a limited selection. Most things were upgrades that we would have had to pay extra for, so for the most part we stuck with the basics. We didn't even have a choice in paint....everything was painted flat white. My mom and I painted almost the entire house in the 2 days before we moved in. Fun times!<br />
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One of the great things about our house is that it is a perfect DIY house! Everything works and there is nothing we <i>had</i> to do, but there are lots of things we (or at least I) want to do. One such project was to add storage near the main entrance. Our front entrance and garage entrance are close to each other, and there is just a small 2x2 coat closet in between. Not enough coat storage for a family of 5! So, I started googling (this was before I knew about <a href="http://pinterest.com/blevering/" target="_blank">Pinterest.com</a>!) and found a couple inspiration photos that I thought would be good for our situation.<br />
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Here's the project:<br />
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/182325484885945889/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6g63Ew9AvX5HsHvU9FzYX-ZT2nvoTqHVwgthVtJWyjVo9Q1t1YHOSScMeIlRpxoopcNctkdkv9GUfsABJrhh0Vxv_0L_c85922Clro7xguw3I4Z_o0DbjmMb9UOGWy-0JK-fxwpBEsSd/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0CLQBE799eQ7kycxL0elgx2gtsCzsSetUFqzeUliMEdAHTlOaFsjuBWN2JAtNXfALTKjk1XLrfyZOjmobZ2GFtgB4AlyC-krxsuwyBpS6-eh_NTiMRBKDNxicWuo29IpT_aE0h8bPm1c/s1600/Picasa+3+10292012+95818+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0CLQBE799eQ7kycxL0elgx2gtsCzsSetUFqzeUliMEdAHTlOaFsjuBWN2JAtNXfALTKjk1XLrfyZOjmobZ2GFtgB4AlyC-krxsuwyBpS6-eh_NTiMRBKDNxicWuo29IpT_aE0h8bPm1c/s320/Picasa+3+10292012+95818+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Basically, when you open the door from the garage, there is a blank wall that is just not doing anything. Here it is in the photo below. The door you see in the background on the right is our 1/2 bath, behind me is our front door, and to the left is the coat closet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zEJiGzWm1EPE1aOskhe0BtOGu2iZANzG3atGVKW8MjvTEVbE9WQWJZ_5AETxjqPwKn3taBRA5Dg9GQ4xJjQpcLPTg24MDlhXY2eO-RaYgUCrCo-3vEWCzwVGzz7jPlz6dScnwqMlV5yQ/s1600/P1060446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zEJiGzWm1EPE1aOskhe0BtOGu2iZANzG3atGVKW8MjvTEVbE9WQWJZ_5AETxjqPwKn3taBRA5Dg9GQ4xJjQpcLPTg24MDlhXY2eO-RaYgUCrCo-3vEWCzwVGzz7jPlz6dScnwqMlV5yQ/s400/P1060446.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Anyway, I decided the best solution would be to add a coat rack behind the door. My parents have a 103 year old farm house, and it has coat storage flat along the wall, so I kind of use that as my inspiration as well. I would have loved to add a "locker" or a bench or something, but obviously there is no room for something like that. So, off to the hardware store I went. I basically just purchased some 1x6 boards. I picked the pre-primed composite ones, because I'm pretty new with woodworking and didn't feel competent to work with raw wood. If I had to do it over again, I would choose the raw pine wood because it's a little nicer material than the composite ones I chose. The only extra step is to sand and prime the wood before you paint it, but that doesn't take very long to do. <br />
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So, basically once I purchased my wood, I came home and cut it to the length of my wall, painted it, put construction adhesive on it and then screwed it into the wall. I wanted 5 hooks on each board, so I measured them out equally and put the screws in so they would line up behind the hooks. No patching... genius!<br />
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Here's how it looked with the screws, before adding the hooks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CtUIchQxeH6apGwHZMFN_ng7HyU-IS0dc467igPOK0Kx_igpL9ggA1Ljd_mZtgMCFXTQX2sR9NtdE6BdEl9QTuqcB2ngmf2tncmSZzq5-9pwKh2fHqVY6qKpnHAGU-uiIhTgC5FxbysI/s1600/P1060447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CtUIchQxeH6apGwHZMFN_ng7HyU-IS0dc467igPOK0Kx_igpL9ggA1Ljd_mZtgMCFXTQX2sR9NtdE6BdEl9QTuqcB2ngmf2tncmSZzq5-9pwKh2fHqVY6qKpnHAGU-uiIhTgC5FxbysI/s320/P1060447.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here is the finished product:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUQA7s_aYdUnVTkJgEj3BoRzzDLKbFxeEMBoKj0ku3K30o2ONrGsI0B3CJFKemgxj-2bQEyJse9jEQrVuKjepNanIjYdqcNTWF_8W0HSB7uWT0FLjHLABzaCzE3oTL6MEQpjc_deIv-2j/s1600/P1210307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUQA7s_aYdUnVTkJgEj3BoRzzDLKbFxeEMBoKj0ku3K30o2ONrGsI0B3CJFKemgxj-2bQEyJse9jEQrVuKjepNanIjYdqcNTWF_8W0HSB7uWT0FLjHLABzaCzE3oTL6MEQpjc_deIv-2j/s320/P1210307.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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It's the perfect place to hang the backpacks as well as some of the jackets that we use the most. It also turned out to be a good place to stash a couple of baseball caps.</div>
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Here's a close-up of the hooks I used. I found them at <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_198516-88461-B42307J-SN-C_0__?productId=3064619&Ntt=brainerd+hook" target="_blank">Lowes</a>. But unfortunately there was a supplier issue and I had to go to 3 different Lowes to get all 10 of my hooks :(. But I really wanted hooks with two places to hang things on. Plus I didn't want something that was tiny or huge since the door would hit them if they stuck out too far. These were the perfect size.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJZBZ2kLu5PRN5YioBU1x4ckQr7-jEjYOS0ALXOymofl9u0bgvWvk7mVmHRMXUVbO2aREPgTEGnEdoQDwHG4JfucWfTyBOHC3apY5DiAwFw3FyGFtT1xtEaBxLHtN9g42WAa323BHSIVs/s1600/P1210313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJZBZ2kLu5PRN5YioBU1x4ckQr7-jEjYOS0ALXOymofl9u0bgvWvk7mVmHRMXUVbO2aREPgTEGnEdoQDwHG4JfucWfTyBOHC3apY5DiAwFw3FyGFtT1xtEaBxLHtN9g42WAa323BHSIVs/s320/P1210313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, those 10 hooks added a lot more storage room in a previously unused wall space. For a little extra shoe storage, I hung a closet organizer on the back of our closet door...it's the perfect size for all of those toddler and little boy shoes. Plus our adult sandals fit in there as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zy1vyEFuCUb1drn7ItFxRYcUbSv1CSW5G4wJrXrQmJCAeqjfvGSAS40F7j_WqKE9v4xMKbM26RxGIga5f1WC6gHFlgvEeF7esjH3zp_eVynjWYw-aqPHh75NSxUW4BU5CskuLcRK59ZK/s1600/P1210315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zy1vyEFuCUb1drn7ItFxRYcUbSv1CSW5G4wJrXrQmJCAeqjfvGSAS40F7j_WqKE9v4xMKbM26RxGIga5f1WC6gHFlgvEeF7esjH3zp_eVynjWYw-aqPHh75NSxUW4BU5CskuLcRK59ZK/s320/P1210315.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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Hope this post gives you a little inspiration for a totally easy DIY project!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" /></a></div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-54532953494328954712012-10-29T12:39:00.000-04:002012-10-29T21:20:05.334-04:00No, really...I am back :)So, I wrote a <a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2012/09/im-back.html">blog post</a> with the reasons why I haven't posted much over the past 9 months. And then I promised that I would write more. And it's been an entire month since that post and I haven't written anything. Ugh. I'm such a good blogger :)<br />
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I do have several posts to write on projects that I've been working on...but for now, I'll share a recipe that I tried for breakfast this morning. It was really good, but totally not healthy by any stretch of the imagination. But it's great for a special occasion. And today's special occasion was that it's Monday and my youngest had her 15-month check-up (3 shots!) today. Which, in my book, requires something special for breakfast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHp8ltsbsiibS6TlvNNBTwoL-fLQN57fOq_XBBgkpMZAj38H0fYYKhxTf-V8T9BEwTeeemdlD3MceZacKvKGFjj2bFyrtniqpGcdg6hieBLgDRxufPfQa2kprrDMNMcEAJ0vrcIrizf2E/s1600/P1210203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHp8ltsbsiibS6TlvNNBTwoL-fLQN57fOq_XBBgkpMZAj38H0fYYKhxTf-V8T9BEwTeeemdlD3MceZacKvKGFjj2bFyrtniqpGcdg6hieBLgDRxufPfQa2kprrDMNMcEAJ0vrcIrizf2E/s320/P1210203.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you are looking for a quick, no rise cinnamon roll that tastes good, try this recipe:<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large; padding-bottom: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><a class="journal-entry-navigation-current" href="http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2012/1/15/no-yeast-cinnamon-rolls.html" style="padding-bottom: 0px; text-decoration: none;">No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; padding-bottom: 0px; text-decoration: none;">(click for the original recipe & wonderful photos!)</span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">source: <a href="http://www.pipandebby.com/">http://www.pipandebby.com</a> </span><br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/182325484885843254/" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6g63Ew9AvX5HsHvU9FzYX-ZT2nvoTqHVwgthVtJWyjVo9Q1t1YHOSScMeIlRpxoopcNctkdkv9GUfsABJrhh0Vxv_0L_c85922Clro7xguw3I4Z_o0DbjmMb9UOGWy-0JK-fxwpBEsSd/s1600/images+(1).jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2xgbKmxPos2Am6SIMBeI23mSY1WmP9XREsPWrWdI41bycfqkbmj2GHGJexyhl3aP966VYc1FBPyrXiA9hDH39_Qo_a7se7GeEcetnS-5FdzRBjqqpr8e7Gv1g71qlBGCTzggpyKIKbsY/s1600/P1210211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2xgbKmxPos2Am6SIMBeI23mSY1WmP9XREsPWrWdI41bycfqkbmj2GHGJexyhl3aP966VYc1FBPyrXiA9hDH39_Qo_a7se7GeEcetnS-5FdzRBjqqpr8e7Gv1g71qlBGCTzggpyKIKbsY/s320/P1210211.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Preheat your oven to 425. Pour 1 tablespoon of melted butter into a 9-inch round cake pan. Brush to coat the entire perimeter of the pan.</span></div>
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<u><span style="color: #444444;">Filling:</span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">In a small bowl, combine:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">3/4 cup dark brown sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">1/4 granulated sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">2 teaspoons cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">1/8 teaspoon ground cloves</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">1/8 teaspoon salt</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">Add 1 tablespoon of melted butter and stir until crumbly. Set aside.</span><br />
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<u><span style="color: #444444;">Dough:</span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">In a medium bowl, combine:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">2 tablespoons sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #444444;">In a separate bowl, combine:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">1 1/4 cups buttermilk</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">2 tablespoons butter, melted</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until the liquid is just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Roll the dough into a 9x12-inch rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough. Gently press the filling into the dough. Starting at a long edge, roll the dough to form a log.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Cut the log into eight equal pieces. Place one roll in the center of the prepared pan, and the seven remaining rolls around it in a circle. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow rolls to cool for 5 minutes. </span></div>
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<u><span style="color: #444444;">Glaze:</span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">In a small bowl, combine:</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">3 oz. cream cheese, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">Whisk first 2 ingredients until smooth. Add 4 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Whisk until a smooth glaze forms, about 30 seconds.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4k-jUBQ40N_DxY8k6fPVFx0kTFoGivZrzFQwy1HKbSQm3399LsqguvpssBqjEQ8OffebwaM53852JGSUqqE1VLwm6fpek_z58Wp9g3BDhL1iYnOKKiFBw6wsb0RPBN1haQMCCCmAge8j/s1600/P1210212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4k-jUBQ40N_DxY8k6fPVFx0kTFoGivZrzFQwy1HKbSQm3399LsqguvpssBqjEQ8OffebwaM53852JGSUqqE1VLwm6fpek_z58Wp9g3BDhL1iYnOKKiFBw6wsb0RPBN1haQMCCCmAge8j/s320/P1210212.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 23.383333206176758px;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-65939414602585719132012-09-27T23:21:00.001-04:002012-09-27T23:21:44.647-04:00I'm BACK!Ok, so it's been almost 5 months since my last post. I'll be surprised to see if there is still anyone following my blog :) I've missed blogging and hope to be back!<br />
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There are a couple reasons why I decided to take an "unofficial" break the last few months. First, there's a fine line of knowing what to share and what is too much. I don't want to offend people or make people think that I'm going to write about EVERYTHING that happens in my life...some things are private and I don't want the entire world to know. Just like on Facebook. I still get on there, but my postings have been fewer and fewer. I like to find out things from people by running into them at the grocery store and catching up or meeting for lunch. When I share things on the Blog or Facebook, I feel like everyone already knows what is going on in my life so they don't ask how things are (same with me towards people). Does that make sense? I just feel like it's impersonal. And like I said, I don't share everything online, so if the posts you see make you think that I have a perfect life or perfect kids, that's totally not the case. So I'm trying to balance telling enough about me and my family to make us seem like real, normal people but also not over-sharing :)<br />
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The other reason why I chose to take a break is because the last few months, I have just felt off. I'm still not sure what is totally going on...it's frustrating. Ever since my 3rd pregnancy, my Type 1 Diabetes has been out of control. Still, 14 months after delivery, my body is super-insulin resistant. I'm working with my doctors to get this under control, but it's taking much longer than I ever expected. Needless to say, that's been affecting my exercise and training as well as numerous other areas of my life. I won't go into all the details here on the blog, but I will share some of what I've learned.<br />
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So anyway, I'm back. I'm excited to share some of the things that have happened in the last 5 months, some upcoming home projects I want to do, some diet and exercise stuff and lots of other things...hopefully I can stay on a roll and keep up :)<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comLebanon, OH, USA39.4353373 -84.202992239.3372888 -84.3609207 39.5333858 -84.0450637tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-69261599939746270132012-05-06T00:06:00.000-04:002012-05-06T01:30:55.660-04:00Flying Pig 10k Results<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did it! I finished the 2012 <a href="http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/race_information/schedule/10kevent.shtml">Flying Pig Marathon 10K</a> race this morning! Yep, that's 6.2 miles...my longest race yet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started out this morning by waking up at 5:30 to wake Molly up to nurse her before I left the house. Breakfast was in the car (banana with peanut butter, yogurt with cereal) as I had no idea what to expect parking-wise. I had planned on carpooling with my running buddy, but she backed out at the last minute, so I was in it alone. That made me more nervous on my way down and waiting for the run to start. I found a spot to park right away so I had plenty of time to mentally try and get ready for the race and to get my gear together, try to get my blood sugar under control (I try to keep it a little higher than normal so I don't crash in the middle of the race) and get to the start line. I didn't take my phone or my camera, so I don't have any photos of the actual race or start, but it was such a fun atmosphere. Actually, all of the races that I've done have had a great spirit and a "buzz" before the start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the actual course was crossing the bridge over into Northern Kentucky, running the riverfront, back over the bridge, past the start line and another 1.5 mile loop around downtown Cincinnati. I think most of the first 4.5 miles of the course is the same as the Flying Pig 1/2 and Full marathons that take place on Sunday morning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The run was scenic, the water stops were well placed, and overall I just really enjoyed the run. The last mile was probably the toughest for me, but once I saw the finish line, I was able to pick up my speed a little. My garmin said that my 5k (3.1miles) was around 34:00 and my 5 mile was around 56:00. Both of those times were about 2 minutes better than my times at previous races this year (Shamrock Shuffle 5k in March was 36min and the Walk for Life 5 mile was 58min). So, overall I'm pleased.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a screen shot of my Garmin upload:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAPT7_A5Bq-l1VbnSTayApixdgrNCU8FpRZWn-FaLZOxLSzk1eYEsKb8IhF3BDhmShN06FNt2me21Inl5GePOID51NBG5BMDl2bZzmascuOczAQVc12Zv3Vw7EXCxbMjElTCEfVWlZpqJ/s1600/Pig+results+-+garmin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAPT7_A5Bq-l1VbnSTayApixdgrNCU8FpRZWn-FaLZOxLSzk1eYEsKb8IhF3BDhmShN06FNt2me21Inl5GePOID51NBG5BMDl2bZzmascuOczAQVc12Zv3Vw7EXCxbMjElTCEfVWlZpqJ/s320/Pig+results+-+garmin.png" width="267" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are my official race stats:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv7zSyt1IpdhED_Io1A9H0-IPWZzHtc2tXrhqGCe3uchgOG3-cIEoLgf3DrMOojWUmzJ5MbMMDpkhdliKAiZuHG9BNEIDHPE0YMjRZ_j1dWNUnwdKQyERWB2takucbZKbYqwkJuzsEtfS/s1600/Pig+results.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv7zSyt1IpdhED_Io1A9H0-IPWZzHtc2tXrhqGCe3uchgOG3-cIEoLgf3DrMOojWUmzJ5MbMMDpkhdliKAiZuHG9BNEIDHPE0YMjRZ_j1dWNUnwdKQyERWB2takucbZKbYqwkJuzsEtfS/s320/Pig+results.png" width="289" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fastest lady finished it in 38:00...which is just a few minutes longer than my 5k pace :) I'm definitely not a fast runner, but I'm proud of where I finished. For me it was good. And it was a great first introduction to the Flying Pig Marathon. I say first because I will be back! Hopefully doing the 1/2 marathon next year...</span><br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-71193271002704199542012-05-04T21:53:00.001-04:002012-05-04T21:59:01.159-04:00It's go time!So, <a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2012/01/training.html">Goal #1</a> for the year was accomplished on March 30th when I finished the <a href="http://www.biblein90days.org/">Bible in 90 Days</a> reading program. Part of <a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2012/01/training-continued.html">Goal #2</a> will be accomplished tomorrow when I run the <a href="http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/">Flying Pig Marathon</a> <a href="http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/race_information/schedule/10kevent.shtml">10K course</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/_images/2012-join-the-race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/_images/2012-join-the-race.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have to admit...training was much more difficult this year than it was 2 years ago when I completed my first triathlon. I'm not sure all the reasons, but one major reason was that now I have 3 kids instead of 2. Not only does adding one more kid to the mix take a little more time, but it also makes it so they don't fit in the jogging stroller. Which has made it logistically more difficult to get my runs in. So, I'm not expecting a stellar time tomorrow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnn0pfguriCL5dM6M22YJccQBSru2uq-VUU3nkuT77vlvH5ZayfFk_tVQ2Wp1c1TU555TWfTK9XhbGfI3xPQHZkXce0RWaHdV0qRCNG7MRkKNaOgwm19E3rJ9a_xE6FTs6B9qgpV2RscE/s1600/pigroutemap10k.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnn0pfguriCL5dM6M22YJccQBSru2uq-VUU3nkuT77vlvH5ZayfFk_tVQ2Wp1c1TU555TWfTK9XhbGfI3xPQHZkXce0RWaHdV0qRCNG7MRkKNaOgwm19E3rJ9a_xE6FTs6B9qgpV2RscE/s640/pigroutemap10k.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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But, today I went to the expo associated with the marathon and was blown away. I've only competed in two 5k's, the annual walk for life for our local women's center (a 5 mile course, have only run twice but participated probably 10 times), and 2 triathlons. That's it. None of those events were big enough to have an expo, although the <a href="http://www.theshamrockshuffle.com/">Shamrock Shuffle</a> 5K that I did earlier this year had lots of vendors outside. But this was huge. I thought I would walk in there, grab my bib number and leave, but there were like 5 rows of vendors that you walked past on your way to get your t-shirt and poster. I didn't have my camera because I totally wasn't expecting anything like it, but I really wish I had allotted more time to visit all the booths. I'm so new to the running world and just have so much to learn.<br />
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Anyway, I thought I would show you my "flat shot" of my running gear for tomorrow. I saw this idea on <a href="http://www.momsrunthistown.com/">Moms Run This Town</a>'s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/momsrunthistown">Facebook page</a> last week and thought it was a cute idea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVdgHws5aajBr9LPVVmyR5omF_uECucXvd8A2S1meqQ0MmuNthyIljDGY1oOAdmJSaD2Ak1u-H8yyHEZQVW1Q8ddMsm8ZREhn_Rb6aimH_Z0Z6PezFmPJ1AmvdrZV_fpiFYdRhy2OgKme/s1600/P1170197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVdgHws5aajBr9LPVVmyR5omF_uECucXvd8A2S1meqQ0MmuNthyIljDGY1oOAdmJSaD2Ak1u-H8yyHEZQVW1Q8ddMsm8ZREhn_Rb6aimH_Z0Z6PezFmPJ1AmvdrZV_fpiFYdRhy2OgKme/s320/P1170197.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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For my electronics, I have my Garmin Forerunner 205, my iPod shuffle (thanks to my friend, Mary!) and my insulin pump. The pink shirt is what I'll be wearing, but the grey shirt is the official shirt and I'm taking it with me to change into after the race. If I make it that far :)<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-32831864981109070652012-04-26T23:33:00.000-04:002012-04-26T23:44:13.615-04:00Unjunk Your Junk Food...book reviewAs you know, I've been on a little quest to start <a href="http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2012/04/eating-healthy.html">eating healthier</a>. My first step in the process was to start following some blogs and facebook pages to help in figuring out my action plan. One of those blogs I started following was <a href="http://naturallysavvy.com/">naturallysavvy.com</a>. It's a great blog with lots of health related posts with a focus on whole foods eating and natural health. So, when I saw that they were coming out with a new book and were looking for bloggers to review it, I signed up! And guess what? I got picked! Yay!<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSo8Xp8fGdRJYCJMhQKAwfm_RaMiOjEr2GLrlCO_CjkZNtOwnqSlw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSo8Xp8fGdRJYCJMhQKAwfm_RaMiOjEr2GLrlCO_CjkZNtOwnqSlw" /></a></div>
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The book is called, "<a href="http://www.naturallysavvy.com/book/unjunk-your-junk-food">Unjunk Your Junk Food</a>". What a great title. Because honestly, no matter how healthy you are, you still have snack foods or quick foods that you grab when you are in a hurry or just want a snack. But at the same time, you don't want to sabotage your healthy, clean eating by grabbing the wrong things. <br />
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The book starts out by going over some definitions. It was helpful to me because I'm just starting out on this journey. It listed some good ingredients with funky names...like ascorbic acid...did you know that it's Vitamin C? And it lists bad ingredients, like Potassium Sorbate...did you know that it's a preservative that has been "linked to asthma, skin rashes, diarrhea, and hyperactivity in some people" (page 23)? But, I would have thought that ascorbic acid would be bad for you (acid, hello?) but something with potassium would be ok. Obviously I have a lot to learn!<br />
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The book also has a list of <a href="http://www.naturallysavvy.com/natural-and-organic/worst-ingredients-in-food">7 worst ingredients in food</a>...check out the article on their website that goes into a little detail. But those ingredients aren't always clearly identified on the label, so how do you know for sure? That's why it's awesome that this book also includes a "Worst Ingredients" chart on page 25. It's actually a tear-out page to keep in your purse so you can check the labels before you put something into your cart. The front side of the sheet are the worst ingredients and the back contains ones you should have caution in consuming. For me, this alone was the best part of the book....it's definitely something I will be carrying with me when I'm doing my shopping. You can also download the list if you <a href="http://www.naturallysavvy.com/register">register </a>on their site! <br />
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So, the rest of the book is practical applications of what you just learned. It goes through different categories of snack foods and gives you an example of a bad choice with the following page showing you a much better choice. The snack food categories it covers are: 1) Chips, Dips and Party foods, 2) Ice Cream and Frozen Treats, 3) Cookies, 4) Chocolate, 5) Cakes and other desserts (Yay!), 6) Granola Bars and on-the-go snacks, 7) Candy, 8) Soda and other drinks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEl5ffux3eSWFbHJT4E9CXtzVpGFGcUnve3GdG-a0L8jGpMAdgNmvuQfg1qyuM0xu5Jv0MCjKAFFg3TnwpW0AjxF14AO3cRTQdgNDYWdW0yw0-Cw0vhwHE6qz4JI9KmKEVxGO9VP8p7eXP/s1600/P1170177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEl5ffux3eSWFbHJT4E9CXtzVpGFGcUnve3GdG-a0L8jGpMAdgNmvuQfg1qyuM0xu5Jv0MCjKAFFg3TnwpW0AjxF14AO3cRTQdgNDYWdW0yw0-Cw0vhwHE6qz4JI9KmKEVxGO9VP8p7eXP/s400/P1170177.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's an example of one of the pages...my favorite, Cookie Dough Ice Cream! So, on the left it shows the bad option including the ingredient list with the worst ingredients printed in red and the ones to beware of in orange. And there are like 170 pages just like these! The thing I find most helpful is that I'm able to look at the highlighted ingredients in the bad ice cream, so I know what to look for when I go out and buy some for us. Obviously all the ingredients are listed on the master list, but I found it extremely helpful to have an idea of what to look for in each of the snack categories. <br />
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So, after reading the book, I went through our snack cabinet to see what was in there. It needed organizing desperately anyway, so it was great timing! Here's a "before" photo...<br />
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And here it is all organized out on the counter. Now the fun begins of looking at the ingredient lists!<br />
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I have a mix of "healthy" options and "not at all healthy". I'm currently in the phase of buying better food for our family, but I hate to waste things so I haven't made a purge and thrown any of the bad things away. First up are some Special K cracker chips that I bought last week. They taste good, but they do contain TBHQ in the ingredients. TBHQ is on the worst ingredients chart (red) because it is a petroleum-based food additive to increase shelf life. According to the book, "it has been associated with nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, and prolonged exposure has been linked with cancer"(page 24). Bummer...looks like these go on the "do not buy again list."<br />
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Next up is my beloved girl scout cookies. I love the shortbread ones, and the ingredient list actually looks ok until you get down to the very bottom and see "artificial flavoring". According to the book, "artificial flavoring is a blanket term that could include on or hundreds of unnatural additives. For example, a typical artificial strawberry flavor contains forty-nine chemical ingredients!" (page 23). Unfortunately, this was also the case for my favorite brownie mix, Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeJzh4GWl_YxwTvwUaPzMbPBo3P6WIfinOzYIpWYTtxBXvig_VTevts6d_UEVg4sUib1IpLuEgnVXXpFf1OJ0lIpHVdv2w2SRsnd8hRE9Q_rmhYej72AY5HLR2feavtIGOkYJvkMa6HbK/s1600/P1170095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeJzh4GWl_YxwTvwUaPzMbPBo3P6WIfinOzYIpWYTtxBXvig_VTevts6d_UEVg4sUib1IpLuEgnVXXpFf1OJ0lIpHVdv2w2SRsnd8hRE9Q_rmhYej72AY5HLR2feavtIGOkYJvkMa6HbK/s320/P1170095.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The worst offender I found in the snack cupboard were Cheese Curls. My boys love them and while I didn't think they were the best choice (obviously), they were much worse than I thought and I won't be buying them any more. They contained MSG, artificial colors, artificial flavors (all on the worst foods list), and Disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate (2 flavor enhancers on the "beware" list). <br />
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Fortunately, the book had Cheese puffs (p40 & 41) and compared the Cheetos (bad choice) to Barbara's Cheez Puff Bakes, Original Cheddar. I haven't purchased these before, but will definitely be looking for them as a replacement. <br />
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So, after organizing the snack cupboard, I had to check the freezer for my coveted Ben & Jerry's ForoYo Half baked ice cream. And I'm so excited that it doesn't have any of the worst ingredients or the caution ingredients! Yay!<br />
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So, what are the results from this snack cupboard clean-out? First, I definitely need to start reading the ingredients list before putting things into my cart. I will be carrying the list of the ingredients to avoid and beware in my purse to reference if I have questions while I'm shopping! I have a lot to learn, but this is a great resource for beginners. If you are interested in buying the book, you can find it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451616562/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=natursavvy-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1451616562">Amazon</a>. You can also follow Naturally Savvy on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NaturallySavvy">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/naturallysavvy">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://pinterest.com/naturallysavvy/">Pinterest</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a><br />
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* I received a free book in exchange for my review. The opinions expressed are my own and I did not receive any monetary compensation for my review.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-44417314937880223192012-04-12T14:35:00.000-04:002012-04-12T14:35:28.853-04:00Yogurt and Fruit ParfaitsI'm back for my first post in, err, a while. I'm suprised Beth hasn't fired me yet!!! We are moving into our new house in a little less than a month, so I hope to post more regularly then. The past 10 months of living in a 2 bedroom apartment haven't been too terrible, but I haven't had much motivation to cook or craft in our small space. The lighting is also terrible, so I haven't been able to take good pictures of any recipes I have made. Over the next 3 months, I plan to do lots of DIY decorating of our new home, including a nursery for our baby girl due in July!!, and lots of cooking in my new kitchen and stocking my freezer in preparation for baby. I hope to post about a lot of those things. <br />
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I have also been terrible about responding to comments on our posts, but I appreciate them all. I got several supportive comments on my motherhood vs. career post, and it's great to know other ladies can relate. Just today there is a news story about a commentator attacking Mrs. Mitt Romney for "not working a day in her life". I don't know much about the Romneys, but apparently she's raised 5 sons. Sounds easy to me! (insert heavy sarcasm) Anyway, my point is that in a nasty world of women attacking each other and putting each other down, I am grateful for those who took the time to comment in such a positive way!<br />
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I am always looking for quick, healthy snacks my kids can grab from the refrigerator. I am pretty much the pantry police, because my oldest son always heads there when he is hungry and I am always trying to direct him towards either a healthy pantry choice, or preferably something from the refrigerator. I really don't have alot of candy, sweet things, or junk in my pantry -- I am much more likely to bake a cake than buy snack cakes or cookies or chips -- but still most items in my pantry that don't require preparation are inferior to choices in the fridge. For some reason, my son doesn't choose unsweetened applesauce from the pantry! Anyway, I love to make these and the kids love them too. I have long been a fan of McDonald's yogurt parfaits, so that's kind of the idea behind these. See what I mean about terrible lighting?<br />
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Choose your favorite yogurt. I tend to use Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Yogurt for the kids. For myself, I try to use Greek yogurt for the extra protein (kids won't eat this kind). I am addicted to the little Chobani Champions in Berry flavor. I tried them in the store, and although they are meant for kids, I keep buying them and hiding them in the back of the fridge hoping no one else notices them. Layer your yogurt with the fruit topping. I like putting them in these glass jars and it makes them more attractive to the kids for some reason. Before eating them, add granola if you want. You could also layer it within the parfait, but I like mine crunchy and the kids don't like it at all.<br />
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<strong>Fruit Topping:</strong> (blueberries, peaches, strawberries, raspberries)<br />
<em>2 cups fruit</em> (I use frozen right now, may use fresh this summer as it is in season)<br />
<em>sugar</em> -- amount depends on your taste. The recipe I adapted called for 1/4 cup, but I use half of a 1/8 measuring cup. Sometimes I use a couple of tablespoons and then 1 tablespoon of splenda. Adjust this to your taste and to your preferred sweetener.<br />
Place these in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the frozen fruit starts to break down a little. In a little bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon cold water, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons <em>cornstarch</em>, and 2 teaspoons <em>lemon juice</em> together. When it is smooth, pour it in the saucepan. Add a sprinkle of <em>cinnamon</em> to your taste, and a little <em>vanilla</em>. Bring mixture to a boil and then quickly reduce to a simmer. Stir a minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.<br />
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For cherry, I reduce the sugar a little more and use a tablespoon of brown sugar. I also add about 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the mixture and omit the cinnamon. I love the addition of the almond flavor to the cherries.<br />
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The parfait above has cherries and blueberries. The strawberries make for a much prettier presentation, but this is probably my favorite flavor combo. Don't skip the cinnamon. Just a little gives the fruit such a great flavor. I keep these for 3 days or so in the fridge. After that the fruit starts to get watery. This fruit topping would also be good over pancakes, french toast, or frozen yogurt.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gA2kW0wZqN2Gkhs97c7JVjRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwBILOHa70NgFi9cYL4BsxS6A3hlcA-YP1o_BzEWQOY4GpXqiyLy_PJvmMSVPVqQnbuESXy4tE0aKWJKit55emfJERbhOIaxihNEnAeEmjymqrY3OhMkyV6ZWJBtZ9Hczbj2ksn3m8xEu/s144/signature%252520lesley.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a>Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116325013844720125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-63856110075459783922012-04-10T23:10:00.003-04:002013-10-16T22:51:21.585-04:00The Evolution of a Swing SetToday we built a new swing set for the kids! My parents and Steve's dad came this morning to <strike>help</strike> assemble the new swing set. I bought a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FBMFD4/" target="_blank">kit on Amazon</a> that included instructions, brackets, swings and a canopy and then I purchased the wood and screws separately as well as a glider swing. I took photos of the entire process and wanted to share :)<br />
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Mom and Molly sitting on one of the piles of wood. <br />
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I had two little boys who "helped"the entire day. The past week they have been telling everyone that someone "sole our old swing set so we are building a new one." I actually sold the old one on craigslist, but whatever :)<br />
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Starting to put the "fort" area together.<br />
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Getting there, but so much more to do!<br />
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For those of you who know my dad, you won't believe this photo...WHAT!? He's actually reading the INSTRUCTIONS? Maybe he was just posing for the picture :)<br />
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The boys helped me screw on the deck boards and then we paused for a photo op.<br />
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Putting the swing hangers on the beam. Oh, and the kids decided they didn't want to wait any longer. Who cares that the ladder to get up isn't built yet...just climb up the slide!<br />
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SWINGS!! I still need to buy one more set of swing hangers for Molly's swing, which will go between the boys' swings.<br />
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Almost there! Just need to finish adding the safety boards around the "fort".<br />
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Finished for now...just need to hang the glider on the cantilever area (I forgot to buy the hangers for it), add Molly's swing, stain and add the sand. Oh, and you can't really tell from this photo, but the yard kinda goes downhill towards the fence, so I need to dig some holes for the A frame brace to go into to make it level...right now it goes uphill.<br />
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Oh, and just to compare, here is a picture of the previous swing set. It was similar except it was about 20 years old, wobbly, leaning and it only held 3 swings. It's hard to tell with the different angle but the new one is much bigger, sturdier and will hold 3 swings plus the glider.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UQzFmT-XZrPW60K6BBjuqYaONxK-VtmxZTdn4Mts_CKwVRCJT2d3DnEkzdsDr-cBb7y4Ui4g_IaipO79a-5XtYwIhVNY3fb2k99lYfB7_eLEVjJTf-FgfXleihOToz84VJlzMruAmzw7/s1600/P1160451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UQzFmT-XZrPW60K6BBjuqYaONxK-VtmxZTdn4Mts_CKwVRCJT2d3DnEkzdsDr-cBb7y4Ui4g_IaipO79a-5XtYwIhVNY3fb2k99lYfB7_eLEVjJTf-FgfXleihOToz84VJlzMruAmzw7/s320/P1160451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a great team effort and I'm so excited to have this project almost finished :)<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-67958637943466321132012-04-03T13:10:00.000-04:002012-04-03T13:10:34.541-04:00Grocery TripSo, the focus of our blog isn't to share coupons, grocery ads for the week, or anything along those lines. When Lesley and I met together to talk about our blog, we both agreed that there are plenty of other blogs out there that already do those things. Our goal was to share real experiences from our lives, recipes that we've enjoyed and ways we have made our houses a "home". <br />
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As such, I have never shared about my grocery trips or how I use coupons (or not). But this post is different. I wanted to share a photo from a recent trip I made to the store. I just went to pick up a couple things I needed for a cake and also wanted to check and see what they had as far as organic items. <br />
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So, I bought some Kale and grapes...neither of them are organic or new purchase for me, but I knew we would eat them. The new stuff for us...Organic Whole Milk, Keifer fruit smoothie (not organic, but I've heard good things about Keifer), Sunflower oil and Organic coconut oil. I was excited to find the coconut oil but it was really expensive! I also bought some organic butter and I just realized i forgot to include it in the photo :(<br />
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The problem is that I'm new to buying organic items, so I really don't have a price reference on them. I have no idea if $3.58 for a 1/2 gallon of organic milk is a good price, average price or on the higher end! So, my next project is to create a spreadsheet that I can use to compare the non-sale prices on the new items I'm planning on purchasing. That is what I did when I quit my day-job to stay home with my babies and it gave me a good reference to start learning what was a good deal on items that I was purchasing all the time.<br />
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And for breakfast, I had some Kashi cereal with Organic Soy milk. Tyler wanted some as well and he thought it was yummy :)<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-37216568058395590052012-04-02T13:53:00.002-04:002012-04-02T15:04:48.395-04:00Eating healthySo, lately I've been trying to eat healthier. Partly because my body still isn't back to normal since having baby #3. And by normal, I don't mean back to pre-pregnancy weight or pre-pregnancy sized clothes, but I mean health wise. My last <a href="http://www.isletsofhope.com/diabetes/treatment/hba1c_1.html">A1C </a>(the average blood glucose level for about 90 days) was over 8. To give perspective, the goal is less than 7 and a normal person without diabetes usually is between 4-6. An A1C of 8 or higher means your average glucose levels were around 205...yikes! The problem with this is that the longer your body stays at the higher level is the higher risk you have of developing complications. <br />
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Another medical condition that I've had since I was diagnosed as Type 1 diabetic in 2004 is high cholesterol. I tried changing my diet (although my diet has never really been that high in cholesterol to begin with), but that had no effect on my cholesterol levels and I was put on Lipitor. I didn't have any adverse reactions to the drug (that I know of), but was taken off of it when we started trying to have a family (it causes birth defects so you can't be on it if you are pregnant). My doctor mentioned to me at my last checkup about going back on it since we are finished having kids. However, I'm still nursing so I can't be put back on it until Molly is weaned. Anyway, my bad cholesterol is 132. Which isn't super-high, but again with being diabetic, they want it less than 80. <br />
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Anyway, all that to say, I've been trying to change my diet and adding some supplements to 1) get my blood sugar back into a normal range, 2) hopefully get my cholesterol under 100, with a goal of not ever going on Lipitor again, and 3) become more healthy to lose a little weight and maintain a healthy weight for the rest of my life. <br />
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So, this is what I had for breakfast:<br />
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And it was good! This was my first time buying soy milk and I must say that I tried to drink a glass of it and it was disgusting. But, when I put it on the cereal, it was really good. I also put it in some organic Annie's mac-n-cheese for the boys the other day and they didn't even notice. In fact, they had thirds. We haven't made all the changes to eating as healthy as I would like, but we are making progress!<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-88273139572425299992012-03-30T08:02:00.001-04:002012-03-30T08:04:20.620-04:00FINISHED!<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, last night I completed the Bible in 90 Days program (B90)! The actual finish day was Saturday, so I finished 2 days early...well, actually only one day, because by the time I was done, it was 12:08am.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeS4dI-jyGfV61TLbLGq1ifSVr4wO5PaWAMgKIBqZKreh6Mf9TUYj04k729EiFYj7a8MGZM1hvVZyLoSEbuMUU0Av8zYQF1J-kqOTLEauZMUeztkFx5eLDR-iIduQafHNrPlEOs_gHoCp/s1600/B90finish2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeS4dI-jyGfV61TLbLGq1ifSVr4wO5PaWAMgKIBqZKreh6Mf9TUYj04k729EiFYj7a8MGZM1hvVZyLoSEbuMUU0Av8zYQF1J-kqOTLEauZMUeztkFx5eLDR-iIduQafHNrPlEOs_gHoCp/s320/B90finish2012.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did this entire reading program (except about a week) on my iPod touch using the <a href="http://youversion.com/">YouVersion.com</a> <a href="http://www.youversion.com/mobile">bible app</a>. It had the reading program already in the "reading plans" section, so it really helped me keep on track. The only reason why I didn't do the entire program on it was because my 2nd son decided to throw my iPod in the toilet and I was without one for about a week :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, this was my 2nd time completing the program and I learned some new things along the way this time:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some reason, it was much more difficult to complete this time. I think I tried to take on too much with my reading plan, training plan, trying to juggle 3 kids, Lent, and working my home-based bakery.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the days, I actually got things from my reading. There were days were I was reading just to mark it off the list, but I really tried to read at times where my comprehension was better and my attention span could be kept (i.e. not trying to read while the kids were awake and constantly interrupting or needing attention).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did try and read some times while the kids were awake, though. I wanted them to see me reading and to ask questions about it. I even read a little out loud to them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still don't like Chronicles.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's great to be finished! I will probably take the next week off from reading just because my schedule has piled up and I really need to concentrate on getting back on my training plan, but I'm looking for a study to start or just a book to start reading.</span></li>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></span></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-36682452287214309732012-03-25T16:58:00.000-04:002012-03-25T19:33:03.943-04:00Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been trying to catch up on pinterest the last couple days because I've been so busy that I haven't been on there much. There are a couple spring/summer projects that I want to do, so I was searching for some inspiration and instructions on how to do these projects. First, I want to buy, re-build or build a new swingset from scratch. Not sure which way I'm going on this project yet, but I was able to find some ideas on what I want with a limited budget, limited space and limited time. Another project that i want to do is to replace our door to the basement with a sliding barn door. You know, like a pocket door, but on the outside of the wall. When our door is open now, it swings out into the hallway and is just in the way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, whenever I'm on pinterest, I tend to find a lot of YUMMY looking recipes. I also found this quote...which is totally true for me! </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://media-cache.pinterest.com/upload/20336635787417327_ypEdkxFi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://media-cache.pinterest.com/upload/20336635787417327_ypEdkxFi.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm Type 1 diabetic, but I <i>love</i> my sweets and baked goods. That's probably the reason I started my at-home bakery. :) And also the reason why I love my insulin pump so much!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, back to the whole purpose for this post...to share a "healthy" cookie recipe I found on there. it's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.364em;">Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies. These were good! They don't have any refined sugar in them and they also don't have any flour. It's still a "dessert" so you have to eat them in moderation (I've only eaten 4 today, haha!), but it's much healthier than eating one of those frosted cookies that are so yummy but so fattening!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZRGtkA8Sh-n-np8XzzQMBQTtpQnJvvMimtU3k6fkYBqO1P9jyOrSufLHUu3m3HWk5N0FdY81nHPKqhoplf-66JH5mv2xE1UaXARjDOEXKO4jJQkWpIGME2QOZfI09JbFA60UcPnoJP_V/s1600/P1160344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZRGtkA8Sh-n-np8XzzQMBQTtpQnJvvMimtU3k6fkYBqO1P9jyOrSufLHUu3m3HWk5N0FdY81nHPKqhoplf-66JH5mv2xE1UaXARjDOEXKO4jJQkWpIGME2QOZfI09JbFA60UcPnoJP_V/s320/P1160344.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cookie dough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho77sKC3dbA9zf6smgExmJ8WNhh95XLTVotNnin-9aOX7FmP6IAiZvGLTMsLpt1YQxBqQ35x7eZthtS4XJCSjQT-5nS4Cws-8kwcYh4HdpeF3Knyj8GMnYxiC_bsFjVF7x0fZGfi_E1j3w/s1600/P1160355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho77sKC3dbA9zf6smgExmJ8WNhh95XLTVotNnin-9aOX7FmP6IAiZvGLTMsLpt1YQxBqQ35x7eZthtS4XJCSjQT-5nS4Cws-8kwcYh4HdpeF3Knyj8GMnYxiC_bsFjVF7x0fZGfi_E1j3w/s320/P1160355.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">baked!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.364em;">Here's the recipe. I need to note that I used green coconut. Not because it's any better or anything, but I made some cupcakes and dyed coconut for those. I way over-estimated and had a lot leftover, so I bagged it up and put it in the freezer to keep. Since I was just making the cookies for us to eat at home, I figured it couldn't hurt! The interesting thing was that just the coconut stayed green...it didn't make the whole cookie green like I thought it would. Also, my cookies weren't vegan because I used regular chocolate chips (but I did use bittersweet ones). I think if I make it again I will use less coconut and more oats...just because I don't really care so much for coconut. For better pictures of the cookies (and with regular, un-dyed coconut), click on the recipe link below!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.364em;"><br /></span></div>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Nobile, Corbel, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://fooddoodles.com/2011/04/19/vegan-peanut-butter-banana-chocolate-chunk-cookies/">Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies</a></strong><br />
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Recipe adapted from <a href="http://fooddoodles.com/" style="background-color: transparent;">http://fooddoodles.com</a>, originally from <a href="http://kitchenkarate.blogspot.com/2011/03/peanut-butter-banana-chocolate-chunk.html" style="color: #2361a1; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Kitchen Karate</a></div>
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Makes about 2 1/2 dozen small cookies</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Nobile, Corbel, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 1.571em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">3 large ripe bananas</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 C peanut butter</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">3 tbsp coconut oil(or substitute any flavorless oil like canola)...<i>I used 2 T canola oil plus 1 T applesauce</i></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 tsp vanilla</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1-2 tbsp maple syrup</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">2 C old fashioned rolled oats</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/3 C shredded coconut</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 tsp baking powder</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/4 tsp cinnamon</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 tsp salt</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 C chocolate chips</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">up to 1/2 C other add ins(dried fruit, nuts, or more chocolate chips) Optional...<i>I used 1/2 c dried cherries</i></li>
</ul>
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas in a large bowl using a fork and combine with peanut butter, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients and then combine with the wet ingredients and mix well. Add in the chocolate chips and dried fruit and mix just to combine.</div>
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop cookies by spoonfuls 1″ apart. I used a smaller size ice-cream style scoop and then slightly flattened the tops. The cookies do not spread much and tend to keep their uncooked shape. Bake for 12-14 minutes just till set.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Nobile, Corbel, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Make sure they’re completely cool before putting them in an airtight container. I’d even recommend leaving them on the counter for a couple hours because the bananas in them will make them soft if they’re covered too soon. But don't leave them out too long, or you'll end up not having any left to put away!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.364em;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4bDEyJ2oN848-ryrCb6pJOgXPyCtbsDgy8oo_8QBgE3gzVdD208q3fZfepA5VU2Qcm3wnZn7ERhF3CL188Pu6_1OpYJ9guylUCK57ZIFKjw0bAUk04JBhAyVugej2ztuZ-LXWiUpHb8U/s1600/P1160369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4bDEyJ2oN848-ryrCb6pJOgXPyCtbsDgy8oo_8QBgE3gzVdD208q3fZfepA5VU2Qcm3wnZn7ERhF3CL188Pu6_1OpYJ9guylUCK57ZIFKjw0bAUk04JBhAyVugej2ztuZ-LXWiUpHb8U/s320/P1160369.JPG" width="276" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a></div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-16781354630168120952012-03-23T19:16:00.001-04:002012-03-23T19:16:43.954-04:00Update!Yikes! I just realized that it's been a MONTH since my last post! I've been busy, but not <i>that</i> busy! We've been having some crazy weather here in Ohio...80+ degree days and it feels like summer! We've been taking advantage of the nice, record-breaking temperatures and playing at the park, going to the zoo, and playing in the back yard. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lilaccitymomma.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/motherhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://lilaccitymomma.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/motherhood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lilaccitymomma.com/2012/03/motherhood/">source</a></td></tr>
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There are two other reasons why I been lacking on posting lately...training for my triathlon and doing the Bible in 90 Days program (B90). I completed my first race of the year earlier this month, and my training is pretty much on track. I had to miss a couple runs because of a sprained ankle and some shin splints (from not doing a good transition from treadmill running to outdoor running). But those are pretty much gone, so I've gotten into running 2-3 miles 3-4 times a week. <br />
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My B90 reading had actually been more difficult. I have completed the program before, so I knew what it would take to finish, but it's been challenging. To keep on schedule, it's pretty much 1 hour of reading every day. So, as you can imagine, when you get behind it's really tough to catch up. I was about a week behind at one point, but doubled up on my readings (2+ hours per day!) for a week and caught back up. Right now I'm about 5 days behind, but the finish line is in sight. March 31 is my scheduled completion date, so just another week of reading! I see some more double reading days in my near future in order to finish up on time! <br />
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I've got lots of post ideas, so I'm hoping to get back into regular posting mode again. But it might not start until March 31 :)<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-39598180265745512812012-02-27T09:18:00.000-05:002012-02-27T09:18:38.254-05:00Ramblings on Motherhood vs. CareerI've been absent from blogging for several weeks now. It is amazing to me how quickly time passes when you are preoccupied with normal life. Besides the normal taking care of kids, volunteering in classrooms, making meals, housework, and trying to keep in touch with family and friends (although usually failing miserably with that one), I have had 2 major "projects" in the past couple of months. One is building our home, which should be done by May. Not actually building it of course, but choosing all the elements and making decisions -- floors, cabinets, countertops, tile, trim and paint colors, light fixtures, stone for fireplaces,.... the list goes on and on. I really doubt anyone is too interested in that, but I am going to do a post later this week with pictures since Beth requested it and I have picked up one or two ideas that may be helpful to anyone thinking of building or remodeling in the future.<br />
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My second "project" has been starting to work a little (and I do mean little!). I've never really gone into detail on my career history here, although most of my friends who read this probably know about it as we've all talked about what we did before being moms. I graduated from veterinary school almost 10 years ago at age 24. (I always get this question, so a veterinary degree requires 3-4 years of undergraduate work and then 4 years of veterinary school. There are a limited number of veterinary schools in the country; 28 when I graduated. I did my undergrad work at WVU in 3 years and then received my doctorate of veterinary medicine from The Ohio State University in May 2002.)<br />
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After I graduated, I worked full-time in a tiny little town north of Dayton, Ohio for a little less than 2 years. It was a great place to start and I had a great boss. I will forever be indebted to that man for his kindness and patience and I miss him still. While I liked my job, I just wanted to be a mom. My mother took a long break from her career as a math teacher to raise us, and I knew I wanted that for my kids as well. Although, at this point I think I still thought it was possible to do it all so I probably thought I'd work and raise kids and all would be wonderful! My son was born in 2004 and I left my job to stay home full-time with him. At that time we lived about 5 hours from my parents and 2 hours from my husband's parents. My son was a colicky, cranky baby who absolutely rocked our world!! I remember days that he cried for 5 hours straight. We quickly decided that we needed to be close to family and we moved to Lebanon, which was about 30 minutes away from my in-laws. My mother-in-law helped me maintain my sanity during that time (she may disagree about the sanity part though). When my son was about a year old, I was antsy to go back to work and I started doing relief work 2 afternoons a week in the Cincy area. Relief work is basically like temping for vets. You work at clinics that need a vet because someone is going on vacation or on maternity leave, etc. I liked that, but I really wanted to work at one clinic. I eventually ended up finding a clinic and started working there 2 days one week and 3 days the next. It was a good job, great clinic, but really too many hours. After working there about a year and a half, I was pregnant again and left that practice too. Part of my reason for leaving was time. 2 days sounds good, but when you start at 8 and stay until you're done, that can easily turn into 8 or 9 pm. And it did. Although we usually transferred hospitalized patients to a local ER clinic, there was still a ton of charting and other work to do once we finished appointments. And my 3rd day every other week was a Saturday, 9-5, which was horrible. Everyone waited until Sat to bring their sick-for-4- days animals in, so we were there all day. So on a good 2 day week, I may have been lucky to only work 20 hours, but on long 3 days weeks, I could easily put in 35 hours. That was more than the the part-time I had in mind. My other issue was childcare. My mother-in-law was happy to watch one grandson twice a week, but I think by that point she needed a break too and 2 kids was too much.<br />
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Fast forward to present, and I have been home full-time for 4 years. In the past few months, I have started to investigate some work options that would allow me to dabble a little, but still be home for the kids most of the time. I have started doing some spays and neuters at a shelter a couple days a month, and I am also starting to do just a little relief work. I've kept up my continuing education and license every year, but I definitely forget alot so I've been doing extra reading and brushing up on my knowledge too.<br />
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As a side note, last week I went to Las Vegas for my continuing education conference, and I got to catch up with some classmates I hadn't seen in 10 years. It was sooooo fun to see them. That was such an intense 4 years of my life, and the people in my class and really the only ones who can truly relate. It was so great to reminisce about our experiences, although most were much more fun to remember than experience! It was also fun to eat great food and socialize because I don't normally do much socializing. We ate at a restaurant one night owned by Hubert Keller, a judge from Top Chef and Top Chef Masters competitor. We got to meet him, and my classmate (who was a huge fan of his) told him she named her dog after him. He thought that was super funny and he sent us complimentary desserts -- the best creme brulee I have ever had.<br />
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So all this (thanks if you're still reading!) has led me to what I really wanted to talk about, and that is motherhood vs. career. Maybe I should say motherhood and careers, to be less polarizing. That is the first point I want to make -- regardless of whether working full-time, part-time, or staying home full-time with kids is your choice, we really need to get rid of the judgement. As mothers, I truly believe we are all doing the best we can. Only we can know what is best for ourselves and our families, so any comments I make about staying home with kids is from the perspective of what is right for me. I would never presume to know what is right for someone else. I get pretty irritated when I hear comments like "I could never stay home with my kids all the time. I'd be so bored." If I were a working mom, there would be comments from the other end of the spectrum that irked me. I have friends who are working moms, and I am in awe of their ability to juggle it all and their mothering skills. This discussion isn't about mommy wars. I love my fellow moms and I think you are all pretty amazing.<br />
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For me, I know without a doubt that I want to be home with my kids as much as possible. However, there are times when the "career bug" calls. I am lucky to have a career that doesn't require climbing a ladder. All the hardest work was done in the beginning. Now I can basically work for someone else or own my own clinic. I don't have to worry about how time off will affect my next promotion. For that I am so grateful. I am also thankful that part-time work is even a possibility. For many careers it is not. Anytime I hear a teenage or undergrad girl talking about what she wants to major in, I always mention the ability to work part-time for consideration. At that age, you aren't thinking about motherhood because you think you can do everything, all at once, and do it well. My own cure for the pesky career bug is the following: 1) I tell myself "You will never look back at your life and wish you'd worked more." What I mean by that is that my kids are only this young once. I can never get it back. I have the chance to be with them now, and I will never get that chance again. As long as I remain healthy, I have many working years ahead of me. 2) I remember what my first boss, a very strong Christian, once said to me "You CAN have it all, but not at the same time". The reality is that one of the areas of my life is going to have to take a backseat. I can't be everything to all people. I am not that good and I don't have that kind of energy. So for now, the career gets the backseat. 3) I realize that life is not perfect for anyone and we all have to make choices. Last week really provided clarity for me on this point. Two of my classmates that I reunited with are on the other end of the spectrum: mid to late 30s, not married, no kids, career is the driver. I think they are both pretty happy, but they were very honest to say that at this point they thought they would be married with kids and neither is sure if that will ever happen. It made me feel even more thankful for the family I have, because without them I wouldn't be me. I know that being a wife and mother is more essential to me than being a vet, so I am happy with where I am. Beth posted a graphic about comparison a few posts back when she talked about not being a perfect mother. I thought it was great. There is nothing like comparison to steal your joy. You can never know what is going on in someone else's life and comparing yourself to them is destructive. <br />
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Lastly, my mother-in-law told me last week that another family member had made a positive comment about me starting to work a little more. Her comment (the family member) was along the lines of, "Oh good. What a waste to have that education and not use it.". My mother-in-law took offense to that, but I've heard it enough by now that I really didn't. First, if that is how you view my break from a career, you could never understand my choice. In a way, I think someone who thinks this way may be too selfish to ever put kids ahead of themself. That sounds harsh, and I really don't mean it to be. But this isn't really about me. It's about what is best for my family. Second, if I needed to support my family today due to an accident or sudden unexpected unemployment of my husband, I could do it. I could have a job within a week and support a family of 4. How could that ever be a waste? When my kids are in school full-time and I decide to work more, I will be able to help them pay for college. So no, I don't see my time off as a "waste" by any stretch of the imagination. It's more an investment in my family, and the future of my children.<br />
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I hope someone can relate to something here. If you are a working mom, I really hope I haven't said anything offensive to you. My purpose here was to share my feelings in the hopes that someone in the same position can say "thank goodness someone else feels the same way." :)<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gA2kW0wZqN2Gkhs97c7JVjRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwBILOHa70NgFi9cYL4BsxS6A3hlcA-YP1o_BzEWQOY4GpXqiyLy_PJvmMSVPVqQnbuESXy4tE0aKWJKit55emfJERbhOIaxihNEnAeEmjymqrY3OhMkyV6ZWJBtZ9Hczbj2ksn3m8xEu/s144/signature%252520lesley.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a>Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116325013844720125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-32283337472294473112012-02-24T10:30:00.000-05:002012-02-24T10:30:00.769-05:00Craigslist gets even more EXCITING!If you've spent any time with me in the past 2 years, you probably know that I'm addicted to my iPod touch. See, we don't have smart phones (well, really I do have a smart phone but it is stupid because we have Cincinnati Bell and I can have a smart phone without a data plan. Which is what I have, and that means while I might look "cool" I can only get online when I have wi-fi access. But getting online with my iPod touch is SO much easier.). I just can't see the point in paying for a data plan when I have faster internet service at home. And really, how many times have I NEEDED to have internet access while cruising down the road? There have been a few times when I wished I had it, but never have I truly needed it. Anyway, I love my iPod touch...I have just shy of 5800 songs, 30 audio books, 5 podcasts that I follow and 74 apps (of which I probably use about 25 all the time). <br />
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But I digress. About a 10 days ago, my youngest son found my iPod on the nightstand next to my bed. You see, I've been doing my <a href="http://www.biblein90days.org/">"Bible in 90 Days"</a> reading from the iPod (<a href="http://www.youversion.com/">youversion.com app</a>) and had been reading in bed the night before and placed in on the nightstand when I was finished. So, Ryan found it and for some reason (I really don't know) it got dropped in the toilet. Which, if you recall, I also dropped it in the toilet on Christmas day. But this time, Ryan tried to turn it on. While it was wet. And water got inside it. And it fried. I've tried all the tricks but it seems that it's toast. <br />
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So, the past few days I've been scouring Craigslist and eBay and all the stores to see what deals might be out there. I really wanted the same storage size (32g) but the newest version (4th gen). I've emailed and texted probably 10 people over the last day or so and I'm currently watching about 10 more on eBay. But I really wanted to get something locally because it's easier to fudge details or withhold information on eBay but with Craigslist you can check it out and make sure it's as described before paying. So, tonight I got on the computer about 9pm and saw that a person in Lebanon posted one around 2:30 in the afternoon for a pretty good price. I texted them to see if they still had it. They did and said they could meet me tonight because they just needed the money asap. <br />
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So, when I asked where they wanted to meet (not knowing if it was a guy or a girl or anything about the person), I was relieved when he suggested outside of the police station in our town. Perfect. Because if anything were to happen, the police were right there. And it's also across the street from the fire department. Not that I thought he would set me on fire, but there are extra people there :)<br />
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So, I got there, and he asked if we had an older iPod that we weren't using because he just wanted something to run with. I said we did and went home to get it and meet back up with him. So, I got there and gave him the old iPod (1st generation classic!), he took some money off the purchase price and it was a deal. Until the police decided to check out what we were doing!<br />
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It makes sense, because why on earth would 2 people meet at 10:00 at night and exchange something? Once we explained the story, it made sense to the police. But for some reason there ended up being 3 cars there so it looked like a big deal. They ran my id and the other guy didn't have his so they took his social. Turned out he had a warrant in Butler county...something along the lines of failure to show up in court. They said that since it was in a different county they didn't know the details, but they said it was a pretty big deal. I guess he said he was drinking and he thought someone took care of his fines but obviously hadn't. </div>
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Anyway, after that little detail was discovered, it took a little longer. They ended up patting him down, checking his backpack and running the serial number on the iPod to make sure it wasn't stolen. I had asked him before buying it and he had told me a convincing story, but after finding about warrants, I was really glad the police were able to check it out. </div>
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Turns out, it's not stolen! I've only had a few run-ins with the Lebanon Police (I had my identity stolen so I had to file a report once, and the other time we left our garage door open one night and they rang or doorbell to make sure nothing was stolen and to shut it), and I must say that every time they've been really great! It's great to know that they are watching what is going on and spotted suspicious behavior. </div>
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Although, I do not recommend purchasing something off of craigslist at 10pm at night and meeting across from the police station. Maybe some other public place during daylight hours :) I guess eBay maybe would have been a little easier this time?!</div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.com29 N Sycamore St, Lebanon, OH 45036, USA39.435397516842457 -84.20969009399414139.43233151684246 -84.214625593994143 39.438463516842454 -84.204754593994139tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120108069052683811.post-26724047522287065642012-02-21T21:59:00.000-05:002012-02-21T21:59:06.822-05:00Lose that belly!If you know me in real life or if you have been following the blog, you know that I have 3 kids. Two boys 4 and 2, and a sweet baby girl who is now almost SEVEN months old! Time flies! How and when did I ever get old enough to have three kids?! <br />
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Anyway, after having 3 kids, I must say that my belly isn't nearly what it used to be pre-kids. I think most women say their body changes after having kids and mine certainly isn't an exception. Even my friends who are lucky to get back down to pre-pregnancy weight shortly after birth say the number on the scale might be the same, but their clothes certainly don't fit the same. <br />
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I've heard for years how unhealthy belly weight is, so it's definitely something I want to say away from. <span style="font-family: inherit;">But it's easier said than done. Especially with my Type 1 Diabetes and PCOS. My endocrine system is so far from normal which makes losing weight harder, but not impossible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently read an article (that I found on Pinterest!) and thought I would share it with you. It's "Top 10 Tips to Lose Your Belly Fat Quickly and Naturally". The "quick" and "natural" were two of the key words for me :) Especially since I am still nursing Molly, I can't take most supplements or cleanses. Please note, that this is the image from the article and not of me! :-)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/166844361165109474/">Pin It Here</a>; <a href="http://youthinsider.blogspot.com/2012/02/top-10-tips-to-lose-your-belly-fat.html">source</a></td></tr>
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Some of the tips were things I've always heard. Like don't skip breakfast, work out (duh!), avoid alcohol and drink more water. I never skip breakfast, I've been working out consistently, I don't drink alcohol (it messes with my blood sugar!), but I'm terrible with my water consumption and I know it. Definitely on my list of things to improve upon!<br />
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But a couple of them were not as obvious to me. Like get 7-9 hours of sleep. I typically stay up late running and doing my Bible reading as well as cleaning projects that are not able to be completed with the 3 kids during the day. So, I usually only get around 6-7 good hours of sleep each night. Which my husband is always on me about but I'm not sure how to change.<br />
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The other one that really got me was to work out BEFORE you eat breakfast. I usually work out at 10pm after the kids go to bed (thanks to my husband who drug the stinkin' heavy treadmill into the basement for me!) but then I can't go to sleep right away which doesn't help the whole sleep thing. But the article said that if you work out before you eat, you burn your "excess fat" instead of the food you've eaten during the day. Makes sense to me! So, this morning, against all that is normal for this late-night girl, I set the alarm for 6:30 and got up and ran 2 miles on the treadmill (20min:50sec). Not an awesome time and I felt like I was going to puke the entire time. I have only done one other run this year that wasn't after dinner and I felt like puke during that run as well, so I'm not sure what it is. I've done a couple of 3 mile runs, so 2 miles shouldn't really be that difficult for me anymore. <br />
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I guess we will see where it goes from here, but I'm going to stick with it and hopefully it will help do the trick!<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hB_ty3COC_Ze_bxVwIO-bDRDZKFypDjsXnkbsytQcW0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iRR57f125tWG0SckTjsufJge9yFUEO2q6chZeirwv0OsWKif6sIVqFKpUpbIOOO_rk0l4kVlz0Ws6BtEK2GAb70WtloPZb7ubeG-YJsVvEQIJtR7XlmCPZocD2KLiyzRcFeDAax5l_P/s144/signature%252520beth.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07234728658342392401noreply@blogger.com