Mug-O-Comfort Swap!

At the end of April, I participated in the Mug-O-Comfort Swap from Chaotic Goddess Swaps.

I was paired up with Whitney at Decor Chronicles! Seriously love all her ideas on her blog!! :D

She sent me really cute stuff! Check it out!

She found the cutest packaging tape!

crammed full of goodies!!

  I love love love owls, so this one was perfect!

I love everything I got! The tea is delish, and my hubby totally stole the cappuccino and refused to share! lol

I was super sad that my measuring spoons broke! :(  

 

So she sent me some new ones!!!

And the cutest bracelet! She has a shop too!!!

Check it out! 

Thank you Whitney for all my amazing stuff! I LOVE IT!!!!

Remodeling our coat closet

So almost a year ago, we bought our first house!

We love it a lot, but of course, there were things that drove me crazy.

Our coat closet being one of them.

It's your standard coat closet. Minimal function, zero aesthetic. 

Additionally, it was right behind the front door, when the door was open. Those accordion doors were horrible to try to manage as others were coming in.

It had to go.

So Dave and I spent a few months throwing out ideas, including but not limited to moving it all together and expanding my laundry closet.....

Then I ran across this image on Pinterest.

I fell in love. So much so, that I started looking for hooks immediately!

I fell in love with these hooks from House of Antique Hardware.

So I started saving.

When we had the funds for the hooks, I gave Dave the green light.

This was in January.

He started by taking everything out {of course}

My laundry closet was a disaster.

So was my kitchen.

This is a very important and high functioning area of our home.

Next we went with paint.

We wanted something dark to hide dirt.

I'm a realist. I have kids, with muddy boots, and wet coats.

Dark was a necessity.

Next we put in the boards for the hooks to mount to.

We went with a black "drunk octopus" hook on the bottom.

Just your standard double hook from Lowe's.

And finally, it was done!

Organized.

Amazing!

We snagged the blue roller cart from Ikea. It has holes in the shelves so that the water from the kids boots hits the rug on the floor. 

The top shelf we use for gloves, hats, and the like.

It honestly is the best thing! We took off the door too. At first that was temporary, but we love the ease of getting into the closet that we don't want to put it back on!

Score!

I miss Disneyland.

I'm having a rough morning. I'm really trying to put something someone said behind me. So instead of posting the RANT that I've got in my draft section, I figured I'd just mention how much I miss Disneyland.

It's been a little over 2 years since we went last. We still talk about it all.the.time.

Swapping Goodness!

I've signed up to be a part of the Chaotic Goddess Mug O' Comfort swap! I'm super excited as it's been a year {at least} that I've done a swap, and I love me some warm tasty beverages!

YOU still have time to enter! It's open until MIDNIGHT Mountain time TONIGHT! So get over there already!!!

   

Early Puberty In Our Children

I ran across an article recently that has me all upset. "Preventing Early Puberty and Hormone Problems In Our Daughters" talks about girls going into puberty early, as in 7, 8, 9 years old. Many in the medical community are calling this the new "normal". What is normal about a child going into puberty at such a young age? They don't understand what is happening, why it's happening, or what to do about it!

What caught my eye was the list of ways to try to PREVENT this happening. They hit on preventing obesity in your kids. Obesity has been shown to prevent more estrogen, estrogen is a hormone. Lets put that one together.

Prevent/Reduce Obesity

• Cut out the soda and juice completely! (Water is the best beverage.)
• Cut portion sizes in half.
• Do your best to eliminate bread, pasta, potatoes and white rice from the diet: emphasize good quality proteins and vegetables as the mainstay of their diet.
• Cut the amount of TV watching in half (and adding exercise will make this even better!).
• Make sure you are doing all of these things yourself!

 Two things on that list are specifically related to the TYPES of food we eat. TWO!

Going Primal it is in my scope for me to avoid processed sugars, wheat, gluten, and any grains. Corn, rice, quinoa, and legumes are all considered grains. It has NOT been easy. In our fast food, in your face, convenience world, stepping away from some of my favorite foods is hard! I am a lover of fried, baked, sweet yumminess! Eating out or doing fast food is all too common in my house. But since becoming educated about what's going on with our food, and how far away it all is from the farmer, I have daily been motivated. I can't say that I don't lapse. Some days I'm lucky if I hate any meal that was "Primal", but there is grace. I'm motivated. I'm continually motivated. It's what drives me to continue making better choices, not just for me, but for my kids and hubby. I love them too much to let them suffer! To know that I could be contributing to a problem now or in the future, makes me think twice before I cave and buy McDonald's.

I have recently started compiling a list of websites and info-graphics on Pinterest. You can check out my Food: Educate Yourself! board here. I also have pinned a couple other items there regarding this topic of puberty and the food we are eating. It's always a good idea to be informed!

Primal Recipes from around the Web

As I mentioned last week, I have been working on going "Primal". This is not a diet for me, this is a lifestyle change. The health of myself, my husband, and my kids depend on it. As Maria said in "The Art of Healthy Eating: Savory" you can either pay the doctor or the farmer. I'd like to pay the farmer if I can help it!

So I thought I would post some of the recipes I've found around the Internet that I've fallen in love with. I do have to substitute in some of them. Best judgement practices here people.

Almond Joy Larabars

Simple, easy, and RICH. I enjoyed the blended flavors, and it tasted like a dessert more than something healthy. It is a bit pricey to make, but they were worth it. 

Christmas Tree Salad

In season, this is a treat! We served it by itself on a day where we had had a late lunch. It would pair well with chicken either on the side or in it. I wish I could get Pomegranate year round without the added expense. They are seriously amazing fruits!

Banana Pancakes

This was honestly the first thing I tried to make. I like them! My kids have to be in the right mood for them. Don't expect amazing pancake texture, you won't find that here. I did try them once with adding a bit of coconut flour to the mix. They did rise more. I think I will be trying the batter with this idea this week.

Bacon & Egg cups

Super simple here folks! Just remember to grease your muffin tin. I didn't do that as I thought the bacon would handle it. Errr....Wrong. Just grease them. And don't expect yours to look like hers. Mine never come out like that.

5 Minute Frozen Yogurt

This was amazing. We are all big ice cream people in this house. This was quick, healthy, and tasted great! I may add some more honey next time to give my son that added sweetness he wants. I did frozen strawberries AND cranberries. I've even got frozen banana. Ya know the ones, they are almost down for the count, and you either throw them out or make bread? I peel, slice, and freeze them. BAM!

Baked Dijon Salmon

I made this last week and my husband sang it's praises! My kids ate it ALL. It was the first meal in weeks that I felt successful! This is definitely on my list for a couple weeks from now.

Flourless Brownies

I have a sweet tooth. Baked chocolaty goodness calls my name around 8pm nightly. So when I ran across this recipe, I had to give it a try. The texture is almost identical to a boxed variety, and they are rich and sticky. They hit the spot with a glass of milk. It does have coconut sugar in it, which is going to raise insulin levels, but it's better than refined sugar by a mile.

As you can see, I've tried a LOT of different things with success. I've also tried a LOT of things that either I hated something about it, or I hated it all together. Primal eating is definitely trial and error. Like I said in my last post, it's also not something I've got down consistently either. 

If you want to see more recipes, I do have a Primal board on Pinterest!

Have a great week!

Going Primal

It has been a LONG time since I posted anything. Mostly in part to the desire to not let it be a "job". But lately, I've had a lot on my mind, and in all honesty, I need to jot it down somewhere. Mostly for me to come back to, but also to share with friends, family, and the world in general. If my ramblings benefit anyone other than myself, I will feel accomplished.

In January I turned a whole whopping 33 years young. However, for my birthday I did not feel young. I actually gave myself the worst birthday gift ever. I hit 200 pounds on the scale. On my 5'6" frame, lets just say there is some junk in my trunk and up front too.
I am not proud of this at all. In fact, it's kind of horrifying and liberating to admit this "out loud". The only person I've really told is my husband.

The day before my birthday I ran across this article about DIY Health on Ana White's blog. She started describing how she was NOT happy nor healthy despite eating "healthy" for a long time. In fact, her "diet" caused her to gain 20+ pounds in over a year. I related with her emotional status as well as her weight gain.. While my eating habits had NOT be healthy, I was gaining weight yearly. Significant amounts of weight. Additionally, I am on meds for PMDD which are a build up of these emotional issues the week before my period. If I forget a pill, I am UNBEARABLE. My poor family.

Then Ana mentioned Paleo. I'd seen pins on Pinterest about Paleo eating, and I laughed at the thought. I can't give up my breads and pastas! Rice, corn, and beans were out too? NO CHEESE?!!! Fergeddaboudit. But because of Ana's mention, and the fact that my mom had been talking about being gluten free for years, I started wondering if there was something to this.

I had my birthday dinner at Bombay house the next day with my family. I started talking to my mom about Paleo. I complained about not being able to have cheese, milk, or yogurt. She told me to look into "Primal" eating. Basically Paleo with dairy products.

So I went home and started reading more and more about Paleo and about Primal. I pinned and pinned and pinned items and recipes. The more I learned, the more I was shocked. All these grains {Wheat, Quinoa, Rice, Corn, Legumes} were making people not only fat, but sick. Inflammation was a HUGE side effect from these items. My husband has Fibromyalgia. Inflammation is the LAST thing this guy needs. In addition to that, I knew what foods set him off. Fast food burgers being one of the worst, but we ate out TONS. He rarely complained, but I knew it was slowly taking the life from him. Yet I did NOTHING.

I started reading up on "Primal" eating from Mark's Daily Apple. What you can eat, what you can't. He even has a shopping list and a book. {Which I have not read yet.} I started gleaning more information and pinning more recipes. I was becoming informed, and it scared the grains right out of my house.

About a week after my birthday I did a pantry purge. Anything and everything gluten and sugar got tossed. Processed foods, GONE. I couldn't have it in the house. I wanted us all to go through this together. I was not going to poison my kids while I ate healthy. Not going to happen.

My mom also got me 3 books by Maria Emmerich. I'm almost done reading "The Art of Healthy Eating: Savory". Her information as a nutrition and wellness expert is interesting and good to know. In this book she talks about "Why we get fat". How wheat and other grains turn into sugar in our body. Sugar is BAD. She talks about insulin resistance, Fibro, Crohn's Disease, hair loss, and other health issues. She talks about why eggs are good for you, including the yolk. She gives amazing recipes that are healthier for you than the regular version. Her blog is chuck full of information, but is a bit difficult to find that info. So keep digging. But I can say that she has such good information, that it is worth a look.

So how has it gone? Well, I can honestly say that I am addicted to convenience foods. Fast food happens when I'm not in the game 100%. It is HARD. Lunches are the worst. WORST I tell you! My kids are not at all supportive of our switch, and some days I'm needing an energy boost by the time it comes around that a fight is not what I want. So I cave and we get something totally horrible. If I don't plan ahead for dinner, it is the same issue. Primal and Paleo are all about PLANNING! You would think I could handle that.

So here we are. Everyday is a new day to try better. I know every day won't be perfect. I know that I struggle. I have an unhealthy addiction. So do my kids. But with information, practice, and time, I know that we can do it. Well, we can do it most of the time. I just have to make sure I plan ahead. ;)

I think later this week I'll post some of my favorite recipes, as my post today is HUGE. Sorry about that. ;)
xxoo