Well hello friends!
Yes, I’m still alive. I haven’t been able to blog for a while for several reasons….
- I’ve been enjoying Christmas and the beautiful calm that follows Christmas with my family!
- I’ve been suffering from the stomach flu (one of the worst forms of torture known to man, IMO) for the past several days. Blah.
- We were out of town most of last week so we could spend time with Kev’s family in Oregon.
- Blogging remotely is very hard for me to do because I use an old fashioned desktop computer! Soooo, when I’m not home, my options are to use my phone or use someone else’s computer. Both of those options drive me absolutely batty!
So, there ya go.
But, I’m so happy to say that Santa took very, very good care of me this year…
Ahhhhhh!!!!!! Isn’t that so exciting!? It’s a new laptop (Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series Touchscreen) and I’m still in disbelief. I’ve wanted a laptop computer forever, but haven’t justified spending the $$ on it.
I’m so grateful to have such a sweet Santa who very carefully researched and selected this computer for me. He even consulted with our mega computer-y friend about it.
I can’t tell you how excited I am! I’m also a little bit intimidated. 😉
Once upon a time I used to be tech-saavy and could figure out new computers/operating systems pretty quickly. Now, I feel like an old lady who is very much behind the times! Ha ha.
Case in point, here’s a picture I took by accident with my laptop on Christmas night…
Pretty much sums it up!
I’m sure I’ll figure things out eventually and I KNOW it will revolutionize the way I blog! Yay! I hope to become a more efficient, consistent and organized blogger. It will also be so nice to be able to blog remotely so I can actually check in from time to time when I’m out of town!
Anyway, enough ’bout that….
I hope each and every one of you had a fantastic Christmas! We loved spending most of the week with Kev’s family.
On Christmas Eve, we had a fun little “program” at Kev’s parent’s house.
I sat back in the corner with this sweet little baby…..taking selfies…..hee hee.
We shared Christmas jokes, sang Christmas Carols around the piano, had a family gift exchange and heard Grandpa read “How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas” (from Family Circle magazine 1961.) He’s been reading that story every year for over 50 years now! Love it!
We also watched a Christmas video for the song “Where’s the Line to See Jesus?” It’s such a cute song.
It was a fun night. Afterward, I gave the kids their Christmas Eve pajamas (the two biggest kids just got pants) and they were so excited for Santa to come!
I didn’t take too many pictures on Christmas morning (boo), but here’s one pic I got of the kids with their stockings…
Magical.
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On Friday night, I started to feel sooooo……..sick! I ended up staying in bed all day long Saturday. It was terrible. It’s especially hard to be sick when you’re not at home too. 🙁
We drove home Sunday night; I felt better, but not great. I’m still not 100%….FOUR days later! I’ve had ZERO appetite and just feel achy, tired and run down. Today’s been the first day I’ve actually been able to function.
Yes, it’s been a doozy. The strange thing is that so far, none of my kids have had it. I’m not complaining, but isn’t that weird???
I’ve had a terrible immune system most of my life, but the past 4-5 years (since I’ve really focused on healthy living) it’s improved so much! I hardly ever get sick anymore. However, if I DO get sick, it’s usually when I become sleep deprived, stressed out or eat too much sugar.
So, it didn’t come as a shock that I got sick around Christmas!
Now that I’m slowly starting to feel better, I’m excited to take charge of my health once again. I’m very much looking forward to the New Year and the renewed energy, motivation and commitment it brings.
However, I’ve decided not to make my typical “eat healthy,” “exercise,” “get in shape,” “lose weight” resolutions. I figure I’ll make various goals related to those things all year long, but I want to simplify my actual New Year’s Resolutions. Here are my TWO goals for this year….
- Commit to get at least SEVEN hours of sleep every single night!
- Get to church on time. Ha ha.
That’s it. Random, yes.
I have always struggled to get my sleep, but I know it’s vital to my overall health and well-being. When I’m well rested, healthy eating and exercise become so much easier!
I also struggle with getting to church on time for some reason! It’s super lame. Most of the time I’m only a couple minutes late, but I want to fix that! I know it’s all a matter of planning and committing to do it!
FYI, our church has been at 9:00 AM this past year and we are changing to 11:00 AM this coming year, so quite frankly I have NO EXCUSE not to be on time this year!
I’m going to make sure it happens.
I also have another goal I’m going to start at the New Year. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for about TWO years now, but I’ve just been too chicken.
Yes, I’M GOING TO DO WHOLE 30!
And yes, I actually said that out loud! I don’t know why it scares me so much….it’s just food. However, I know that cravings, mental attachments to food and food addictions are very real and very strong!
That’s exactly why I’m doing it.
If you’re not familiar with Whole 30, you can click here for more details. It’s basically a very strict 30 day Paleo diet. You only eat real and whole foods like meat, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. You stay away from grains, dairy, legumes, sugar and all the fake crap out there.
I’ll talk about it A LOT more over the next month and will of course let y’all know every teeny tiny detail. Ha.
The only sad thing is that I planned to start on January 1st, but I’ve now decided to start on Monday, January 5th instead. I’ve been SO SICK, have had no appetite and the thought of pounding salads and mountains of veggies pretty much makes me want to hurl…..so I think it’s wise to put it off a few days to give me time to adequately plan, prepare and allow my body to heal.
I’m so excited to start, but also very, very nervous!
Well, that’s about all I have to say tonight. I will leave you guys with our belated Christmas card….
and a cute pic of Kev and my baby by the Christmas tree (so so sweet)….
I love you all! Enjoy the rest of 2014!!!!
Such an adorable picture of you and your baby..He is just so precious!! So sorry to hear you were so sick, that sucks! And yes, sugar and no sleep are bad triggers. I used to get sick all the time from sleep deprivation, too much sugar and of course dairy was the worst…so bad for the immune system. Anyways, hope you start to feel better really soon. Get rest! I must admit my greatness weakness is getting enough sleep too. I try to do some of my work late at night because it’s so hard during the day and I have a crazy wacked sleeping schedule.
Feel better girl!
Thanks so much Brandi! I’m hoping my “sleep resolution” will help me to get back to full strength and stay that way! I blog/work late at night too because it’s one of the only times I can actually concentrate and the house is quiet. 😉 I’m hoping with a laptop, I can hide myself away for a little bit and work more in the daytime (here’s to hoping!)
Love that last picture by the tree, so sweet. We’ve been sick too. It’s been over two weeks of a sore throat and cough. Terrible to get over and miserable to deal with during the holidays.
Happy New Year!
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been sick at your house too! I was just saying a week or two ago how grateful I was that none of us had been sick for a while. Apparently, I jinxed us!
Happy New Year! Sorry to hear about your stomach bug. That is such a nasty flu. I love your Christmas pictures. I took a break from blogging too because we’ve been so busy with family and friends. I’ve never heard of The Whole 30. I have to check out the link. I’m sure you’ll do great.
The last picture could be on a Christmas card. Very sweet.
Happy New Year to you too! I’m glad you were able to take a break and spend some time with family and friends too. I’m nervous to try Whole 30, but also excited because it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while!
I hope you’re 100% soon! Thank goodness you got to enjoy Christmas before the flu hit you.
Have a wonderful New Year!
I’m so glad I wasn’t sick for Christmas too! I hope we can all stay healthy for a very long time now. I hope you have a wonderful New Year too Deborah!
Love your Christmas card and how exciting to get a new lap top! hope you have a great New years!
Thanks so much! I was so happy to get a new lap top and can’t wait until I know how to use it. Ha. I hope you had a wonderful New Years as well!
New computer yaaayyy!! I plan to start this month off right with no sugar and lots of whole foods. Well I’ll have plenty of FRUIT sugar, but that’s it. I have been wanting to try a vegan-ish version of whole 30, but it will take planning.
I was so excited to get a new computer too!! I hope you have a wonderful healthy month and start to the New Year. I bet you could come up with a vegan-ish version of Whole 30. I just love trying new healthy challenges, especially after the New Year.
So sorry you have the stomach flu. That is the absolute worst. But glad you had a wonderful Christmas.
I know!! I hate the stomach flu so much. It always makes me so grateful for my health though!
I wish I got a laptop for Christmas, such lovely pictures, thanks for sharing. I hope you are feeling better with that stomach flu, that can be a nightmare. Have a happy new year!
Thanks so much! I’m so so happy to have the flu behind me. It’s the worst! I hope you have a wonderful New Year too!
You were definitely on Santa’s nice list! Sorry to hear you’ve been sick. I’ve heard great things about Whole 30. Once you’re feeling better and ready to start you’ll rock the clean eating!
Thanks Jill! I was so excited to get a laptop. It’s definitely simplifying the blogging process a bit. I’m so excited to start Whole 30 and hope to feel back to 100% soon!
OH, so sorry that you have been sick. I agree – the stomach flu is the very worst thing ever!!!
Very exciting that you got a laptop – it really will make things much easier!!
Thanks so much Kim. I’m so glad to have the flu over with and I’m so excited to have a laptop. Can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get it!
I hope you’re feeling better. Getting enough sleep has been a struggle for me lately. My oldest got a job over the break that requires he be at a bus stop at 6:30 in the morning every day. For some reason this hasn’t stopped me from being a night owl. Boo.
Oh and the being prompt to church thing made me laugh. We are always sliding in to our seats in the back as they’re still singing. I’m thankful we go to a casual service.
Oh I always struggle with being a night owl!! It’s especially tough when the kids have to get up early too….it doesn’t seem to help me get to bed any earlier!! I’m glad to hear you struggle with getting to church on time too. LOL.