Hey my friends!
I have quite a bit to share and since it’s been so long since I’ve updated this blog, I’m just gonna share all of the random pictures and things that have been going on around here lately!
Family Life
I had a birthday a couple of weeks ago. I am now 44 years old.
FORTY FOUR folks!
I really can’t believe it. It’s so strange to watch myself grow up and turn into an old lady. I do not feel any older than I did at 25! Time flies and it’s just so strange. It’s a constant reminder to me to cherish every single day!
Sadly, I didn’t take too many pictures of my birthday celebrations. We went to dinner, played games, had cake, opened presents and my mom, sister and her family came out to celebrate another night. It was a lot of fun, but sadly, these are the only pictures I took….
My darling 11 year old made me some warm lemon water with cayenne pepper. It was actually so good and I told him it was the best lemon water I’d had! It really was. I’m not sure why?
Kev made me a beautiful birthday omelet that was fabulous. He’s known for his “mad omelet skills” and I’m so grateful when he makes me one. Sooooo yummy!
We also had a fun Valentine’s Day, but once again I didn’t take many pictures! In my defense, I had a bad cold for a couple weeks that kicked my trash (I’ll talk more about that in a sec), so I just wasn’t on my game.
I snapped this cute pic of my 5 year old doing his Valentines. He wanted to wear his Home Depot apron while doing them and I thought it was the cutest thing ever!
My 11 year old made his very last Valentine’s box. It’s definitely bittersweet. I actually enjoy making Valentine’s boxes with my kids, BUT they are a big pain and take a lot of time! I’m just sad he’s growin’ up so fast and won’t be making any more boxes. 🙁
He wanted a football field box this year….
My 9 year old’s class didn’t make boxes this year. They just decorated bags in class, which was nice, but he was disappointed he didn’t get to make a box.
I did help with his class party though, which was a lot of fun. I love being in the classroom with my kiddos!
Later that day, I went to a Valentine’s program for my preschooler at an Assisted Living center. It was the cutest thing ever! They sang a lot of songs and then the kids gave the residents necklaces they had made and some chocolate candy. We also heart attacked all of the doors.
It was such a special experience although it weighed a little heavy on my heart because my sweet dad passed away about 2 1/2 years ago from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was in a care facility for several months before he died.
It just brought back a lot of not so happy memories. 🙁
My heart also felt heavy as I looked at all of the sweet elderly people. Some seemed very healthy and “with it” and others were really struggling. It just made me so sad as I thought about all of their full, beautiful, long lives and how humbling and heartbreaking it is to see them living the last part of their lives this way.
It was definitely a thought provoking and heavy experience, but I’m so glad those sweet little preschoolers were able to bring some joy to those beautiful people on Valentine’s Day!
My 16 year old son also went to a Sweethearts Dance at his high school. I snapped this pic as he was walking out the door…
Oh, how I love these precious kiddos!
Exercise
I’ve been enjoying going to some of my favorite classes at the gym lately. My favorite classes are the ones that incorporate a lot of weights and strength training. I have two classes that I especially love and look forward to each week, Thursday night and Saturday morning.
I took this pic just before my favorite Saturday morning class…
Aaaaand I took this beautiful pic during class as we were doing abs. Ha ha!
I took this pic after class as I was enjoying the beautiful sunny day and warm-ish weather! It was probably about 40 degrees, but it felt wonderful.
Aaaaand, I took this pic after a Pilates class I went to….
I can’t say I love Pilates, but it’s fun to change it up sometimes! This particular class is actually called “Pop Pilates” and it’s a lot of fun. It’s kind of like doing a lot of mini Pilates dance routines.
Healthy, Yummy Food
I bought these healthy wraps recently and they are awesome! I made a yummy turkey sandwich on one and it was so good!
These wraps are made by Xtreme Wellness and each one only has 50 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 16 carbs and 4 grams of protein. Even though they’re green, they taste great! Ha ha! They make other flavors and colors too! I just found them at Walmart, in the bread aisle.
We also went up to my sister’s house a couple days ago and made grilled pizzas. They are so so so good folks! My sister has made them for us many times and I always look forward to them. I’ve never tried making them at home, but I want to!
That’s the pizza on the right, salad on the left.
That’s the only picture I took, but maybe one day I’ll take more pictures and share more of the “process.” But, for now I’ll just tell you the basics about how to make them.
I imagine most pizza dough recipes would work just fine, but my sister uses this one from Martha Stewart.
The way we make them is a little bit different than how the recipe on Martha’s website tells you to make them.
After the dough has risen, we just break it into individual sized pieces, roll it out, brush one side with olive oil and then put it on a hot grill, oiled side down.
Then after that side of the dough is grilled, bring it inside, flip it over and top the grilled side of the dough with whatever toppings you want (marinara, pesto, cheese, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, tomatoes, peppers, pineapple, olives, etc.) Then throw it back on the grill (uncooked side down, of course!) and grill it until the cheese is melted.
When it’s done, we like to drizzle some balsamic glaze on top. It’s sooooo good!
Wow, now I’m craving grilled pizzas. I think I might need to make them at home sooner than later!
Cute Dogs
I saw this cute dog in the Costco parking lot yesterday….
I thought he was the sweetest!
My darling puppy also was groomed yesterday.
Before…
I actually really love his fur long. He’s so soft and fluffy! BUT, it’s high maintenance.
Here’s the after.
He wasn’t too thrilled about getting his picture taken, so this was as good as I could get! He looks so soft and clean now.
I’m a HUGE dog lover, so I have to share pics of cute dogs from time to time. 😉
Sugar Problems
Well folks, I have a few “deep thoughts” to share! I’ve mentioned on this blog many times how much I love sugar. Thankfully over the years I’ve learned how to control my sweet tooth a little better and I’m not as addicted to sugar as I used to be.
HOWEVER, just like an alcoholic is always tempted by alcohol, I know that sugar can get a hold of me very easily and I can become addicted to it again if I let it!
With that being said, for the past several months I’ve been in a really great spot healthwise. I got a little off track around Christmas time, but other than that, I’ve been in a really great place!
I’ve felt good, had lots of energy, my appetite and cravings have been in control and my sugar intake was very much in check. I also felt leaner than I have in a long time! Yay!
Well about a month ago, I got a cold. It wasn’t terrible, but MAN, it just made me tired and run down. I could still do all the “life stuff” I had to do, but it’s amazing how when you feel tired, you just lose that motivation.
So, to make a long story short, I started eating a little more sugar than I usually do. The birthday and Valentine’s Day didn’t help my cause either!
Soooo, now I’m happy to say that I’m mostly over my cold. I feel back to normal again, BUT I feel poofier, I’m up a few pounds and I feel addicted to sugar! It’s been callin’ my name!
Sugar addiction is a real thing and it is tough! In fact, studies have been done that show the addiction level to sugar to be similar to cocaine addiction! That is crazy, but I believe it.
Well since this blog post is already long enough, I won’t go on and on and on, but I will just say that if you are addicted to sugar, there is hope! Ha ha! In all seriousness, life is so much better and I look and feel so much better when my sugar intake is in control.
I think if you’re strongly addicted to it, “the best” way to get back in control is to either cut it out cold turkey for a while or just cut way back. The first week or two of cutting out sugar is hard. You will have withdrawal symptoms. You may get headaches and just feel pretty blah. You will also have HUGE cravings for sugar. It will feel impossible to stay away from it and you may tell yourself it’s just too hard to stay away from it and give in.
DO NOT GIVE IN! STAY STRONG!
I promise it gets easier. It almost feels miraculous when you feel those cravings go down and when you can feel that sugar doesn’t have such a strong hold on you anymore.
I love the way I feel when my blood sugar and hormones stabilize.
It feels so good to get that sugar out of the system! I always have way more energy, sleep better and my skin becomes much more clear and smooth. It makes weight loss so much easier and I don’t feel bloated.
Sooooo, right now I’m in the middle of that journey of getting sugar outta my body and getting myself back to a good spot again. It’s tough, but I’m looking forward to getting back into control again.
The other thing I gotta say is that once I get to a good spot with sugar, I can have a little bit here and there no problem. I usually don’t want large quantities of it anymore because more than a little bit makes me feel sick. That’s a great place to be! It really feels liberating because I can enjoy a treat here and there, but if I listen to my body, I can also keep myself in a good spot.
I hope that all made sense? My overall message is watch your sugar intake! It really does make a huge, huge difference in overall health, weight, mood, energy and so many other parts of life.
Once we can look at it as the incredibly addictive substance that it is, hopefully we can be mindful with our intake and in how much we let it into our lives and bodies.
Well folks, this post is super random. That pretty much sums up the last few weeks of my life! I hope you are all well and happy. Have a wonderful night! xoxo
I totally feel you on the sugar addiction! It’s crazy how it feels after avoiding it for a while. I’m trying to really cut back on processed food and especially sugar. Sweets and potato chips are kryptonite for me!
I know, it is so hard! Kudos to you for trying to cut back on sugar and processed food in general. I know it’s a never-ending battle! Good luck!