Well hello out there! 🙂
I hope you are all enjoying 2018 so far. I’ve definitely been loving the slower pace.
We finally put away all of the Christmas stuff a few days ago. I think that is the longest I’ve ever kept it up! I really enjoyed having it up this year, but now that it’s all put away, I’m loving my “naked” house.
Really, my house looks so empty now! It makes me want to clean and organize everything and paint all my walls! I’m actually hoping now that Christmas is over, I can actually do just that.
Seriously folks, the past 7-8 years I’ve pretty much been living in survival mode. With having so many kiddos and having teenagers alongside babies, it’s been tough! Fun and rewarding, but tough. I’ve had to cut so many things out of my life and have definitely had to lower my goals and expectations a bit. House projects have had to wait, my house hasn’t been as clean and organized as I’d like it to be for a long time now and there have just been so many things I wish I could do, but have just had to say “no” to for now.
WELL, now that we are done having kids and my baby is getting a little more self reliant (that mostly makes me sad, but there are some definite perks) I can actually start to dream BIG again! I can actually imagine doing those house projects I’ve been wanting to do for years, I can deep clean the house a little bit instead of just surface cleaning all the time, I can actually get ahead in life instead of just constantly putting out fires and I can actually do a few more things for MYSELF that I’ve wanted to do for a long time!!!
It’s an interesting place to be in and is definitely a transitional time. I’m a huge sentimental sap, so it always pulls at my heart strings when I realize all my precious kiddos are growing up and things are changing all around me, BUT I like to remind myself that life would be very, very boring and unfulfilling if we all just stayed the same all the time and no one ever aged or progressed. Progress and change is a good thing, but it still doesn’t make it easy!
Frighteningly enough, I can actually imagine myself as a grandma now. Auuugh! As I’ve been dejunking and throwing things away, I’ve actually started to save some of the best toys for the “grandkids!” Now THAT just blows my mind folks!! I will LOVE being a grandma, but it’s just crazy to actually think I WILL be one someday! It actually helps me to cope with the whole “kids growing up and leaving me thing” as I remember I will have a zillion little babies to love on and squish and squeeze once again!!
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Well, I’ve really been loving my 2018 healthy living goals that I’ve been working on! In my last post, I listed quite a few of my goals; some I’m doing very well with, others….not so much. But, I’m just fine with that! Because I listed so many, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do well with all of them all of the time. It just feels good to identify the things I’d like to focus and work on throughout the year.
I’ve been doing very well with flossing my teeth. It’s one of those goals that is so simple and takes less than a minute to do, but I always struggle with it! I’m one of those people who floss here and there and then do really well the month before my dentist appointment, lol! So, I’m happy to have it as a goal so I can remember to do it EVERY day! FYI, Kev just had a root canal and it made me realize that I WANT to take good care of my teeth! It really doesn’t take much time….it just takes commitment.
I’ve also been doing well with getting my workouts and runs in. I ran 3 miles on the treadmill twice last week and it felt great. I do not love the treadmill, but I’m grateful to have it since I did both of my runs late at night when I wouldn’t be able to run outside. I’m also a “cold wuss” and do not love running outside in the cold. I think I’ll keep my runs to around 3 miles for the next couple of weeks and then I’ll ramp it up. It feels good to be running again!
My eating has been pretty good and consistent. I’ve been doing well at being macro aware. I’ve been getting in plenty of protein and haven’t gone crazy with the fat and carbs. I’ve also been doing a good job at not overeating. I’m not counting calories, but I know I’m keeping it in a good range. I like to eat until I’m satisfied, not stuffed. I know I’m keeping the calories in check because I’m a little hungry between meals and before I go to bed; not starving, just slightly hungry. I’ve learned time and time again that that is where I need to be to lose weight.
I’ve been terrible at getting my sleep and I’m definitely paying the price! Ugh. I don’t know what my problem is, but I’ve always struggled with getting adequate sleep. All of my wonderful “morning people” friends out there tell me that they just get so tired around 9:00 so they go to bed. I’m so impressed by that because although I get so tired around 9:00 too….I just keep on staying awake and doing stuff!!
It doesn’t help that my teenagers are usually up late doing homework or my oldest son likes to have friends over at night. The whole “friends over late at night” thing drives me crazy. Sometimes I turn on the “mean mom mode” and kick them all out and sometimes I just deal with it and let them stay for a while. Thankfully all of his friends are good kids, but ever since my son’s been like 13 (he’s 19 now), ALL of his friends have loved to hang out at OUR house ALL of the TIME! Auuugh. It has been an ongoing battle that just never seems to end. Like I said, thankfully they are all good kids. Sigh.
It also doesn’t help that both Kev and I have always been night owls…ever since we were dating. We’ve always enjoyed the quiet peacefulness of night and spending that quiet time together. I also enjoy mornings too, but they are not as joyful when I’m super tired! Sooooo, I will continue to work on this goal and hopefully one day I’ll get a grip and become a morning person!
My favorite goal that I’ve been doing right now is having a green smoothie and a protein shake every day! It really is such a simple thing to do and such an easy way to get a bunch of good stuff in the body. I love this goal because there have been days that I haven’t gotten both of them in, but I’ve always gotten at least one of them in! I’ve been making my green smoothie in the morning around 10:00 and then have been having my protein shake (basically a green smoothie with protein powder mixed in) after my workout in the evening.
I’ll admit, I don’t looooove green smoothies or protein shakes. I’ve never been a big “drink” type of person. I don’t love or crave things like soda, shakes, Jamba Juice stuff, hot chocolate or things like that. I don’t know why. My kids think I’m crazy. I would much rather eat my food instead of drink it, BUT I love the simplicity of green smoothies and protein shakes!
It is so much easier to just chuck a bunch of good things into my blender and drink it up! I love salads, but for some reason I don’t love making salads at home. I should probably just do it anyway, but I’ve just learned to love my smoothies instead. I like to think of them as pulverized salads. Now doesn’t that sound yummy??? Ha.
I have several really good green smoothie and protein shake recipes listed in the Recipe Section of my blog. They are all good!
Another one of my goals is to take my vitamins and supplements every day. You guys, they really do make such a difference! Several years ago, I felt like I was tired and run down all of the time. I always felt like I was coming down with a cold and it was very discouraging. I visited a natural doctor and asked her about it (I wrote all about it in this post if you care to read the play by play.) She told me to take several different vitamins and it has made a huge difference! Now the only time I feel tired and run down is when I haven’t been getting my sleep!! As long as I get decent sleep, I feel great and full of energy. I hardly ever get sick either. We all got sick last month and that was the first time I’d gotten sick in a long time!
Soooo, I’ve been committed to taking my vitamins for several years now. It is a very easy thing to do. I also have a few supplements that I take on an “as needed” type of basic. I try to take Collagen Peptides every night and I take BCAAs and Glutamine after tough workouts and before bed on the days I exercise.
I just started taking the Collagen Peptides a couple of months ago. If you Google it, you can read about all of the benefits. It’s supposed to be really good for your skin, hair, nails and joints. Apparently it’s a good thing for anti-aging too. Woo hoo! The BCAAs and Glutamine both help the body to repair and recover after tough workouts and BCAAs help to maintain and increase muscle mass.
I’ll have to write a separate post all about vitamins and supplements and go into more detail. I’m pretty careful and picky with which supplements and vitamins I choose to consume. I want to make sure that they are actually helping my body. After researching and reading about these supplements, I feel pretty confident that they are actually good to take and actually make a difference!
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Well this past week has been a bit of a tough one for me and for my extended family. My precious uncle, my mom’s brother, passed away last week and has left a huge hole in our family.
You’ll have to forgive me for getting a little personal for a minute. I consider this blog to be a bit like a journal for me, so I like to share my thoughts and feelings, at least the upper level version, about the things going on in my life.
My uncle, President Thomas S. Monson was also the President of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons. One of the many things I love about our church is that we have a living prophet and the members of our church revered him as our prophet for the past 10 years.
I really don’t talk about religion on this blog much because it’s obviously a health and fitness blog and I really want everyone to feel comfortable and welcome here. However, my religion is a HUGE part of who I am. I am grateful for it every single day of my life and it brings me such comfort, peace and direction. I’m so so grateful. I also have a lot of love and respect for all of the other Christian religions out there as well.
The passing of my beloved uncle is such a monumental event in my life and in our church that I just wouldn’t feel right not saying something about it and not taking a minute to honor him and pay tribute to him.
He was an incredible man. He lived an exemplary life and did so much good his entire life. He loved everyone. When he was only 22 years old, he presided over a church ward of 1,000 people; 85 of them were widows. He loved each one of those precious widows so much. He visited them, took care of them and spoke at each one of their funerals.
He loved everyone and took especially great care of those who were struggling or having a hard time in life. I could write pages and pages about all of the amazing things he did in his life and about the incredible person he was. If you’d like to, I would highly recommend reading this tribute about him and his life. I read it the other day and it says it way better than I ever could. It is a beautiful tribute to him.
This is a picture of he and his beloved wife, Frances with me and my little family on Thanksgiving back in 2008.
President Monson was alsothe one who performed the marriage for Kevin and I. I am so grateful he was able to do that and I cherish the advice and words of wisdom that he shared with us that day.
This is another picture from a Utah Jazz game that I went to with him and my parents several years ago. President Monson loved the Jazz and loved to go to as many games as he could!
It hurts my heart to see both he and my dad in that picture. It really feels like a physical pain in my heart. Oh how I wish all the people I love could just stay here forever.
I’d love to share a few of my favorite quotes of his that have touched me.
He has shared countless thoughts and given so many talks over the years that have really touched me and made a huge impact on my life. He was such a pillar in our family. My mother is 13 years younger than him and he was like a father figure to her and to my entire family.
I really don’t have the words to express my gratitude for him and for all the good he’s done in his life and for the incredible impact he’s had on me and on my entire extended family. He was such a strong leader and was such a strength and comfort to me. I’m so grateful for his example. He makes me want to live my life the best that I can.
It is so hard for me to watch this older generation; my parents, aunts and uncles and those who have touched me and guided my life for so long get older and pass on. It is a very harsh reality check and is very hard to accept.
However, I’m very grateful for the knowledge and belief I have that I will see them and be with them again. I’m so grateful for what I’ve learned from them and I hope I can honor them by the way I continue to live my life. I’m so very grateful for all of the people who have blessed my life and at this particular time, I’m eternally grateful for my dear uncle who influenced my life for good so much. I will always cherish him and he will be remembered in my heart forever.
I’ve been thinking about you my friend. What a wonderful man President Monson was. Your quotes are some of my favorites from him too. Lots of love to you and your sweet mom. <3
Thank you so much my sweet friend. ♥️♥️ It is so hard to have him go, but I’m so grateful for all he’s done and all I’ve learned from him. Love you!
I’m sorry for your loss. He seemed like an outstanding human being. We can always use more of those these days.
Thanks so much Beth. <3 He really did live his entire life serving others. I will miss him greatly, but will always remember his example and strength. <3