New Carpets

We *finally* got new carpets in the three bedrooms and the main stairways. They are beautiful and soft and plush and they smell new - not the stinky smell but the lovely new home scent. I love it. Although then I noticed that the walls were dirty from small hands. So I walked around and scrubbed the hallways (up to my chest for good measure) and door frames, handles and baseboards. Now THAT makes it look new again ;)

I'm Outta Control

Do you ever find that the state of your house (or living area) reflects the inside of you? The house is chaos, I have a ton of projects on the go and on the horizon and I keep planning to do things but then cannot seem to get them implemented. Sound like you? If so, how do you cope?

Going Bananas

My head's a-spinning. I am reducing my meds and I thought I was doing better. Then today came. It's not a good day. The weight isn't dropping (even though I'm forcing myself to exercise to get those endorphins up) and have been upping the water and fruit & veggies intake. Nope - still 25 lbs to go. It doesn't matter if I have good food or bad, exercise or not. So I'm focusing on the "getting healthy" versus the "losing weight". But seriously ... how long do I need to remain large and unhappy?

The Power of One in a Marriage

These days I am working on simplifying marriage with my hubby. Life goes by so fast that I don't want to wake up one day with the kids grown and out of the house and not knowing who he is or who I am. I've been doing a lot of personal growth and in that have realised I need to also pay attention to my relationships, starting with my husband.

I have mentioned the Simple Marriage blog before as I believe Corey provides fantastic content that starts my "think-on" (my word, you get it don't you?).

Michael Smalley guest posted for "The Power of One". Here is a summary of key points I took from the article and plan to implement. The theme follows the trend of Corey’s post Marriage is all about growing up.

"My wife and I have been helping couples for almost 15 years. And do you know what we have found to be one of the most powerful ways you can change your marriage? The power of one or the power of you.

The power of one is your ability to grow up in the sense of learning how to take personal responsibility for your life, feelings, actions, and decisions. The power of one is your acknowledgment that changing your attitude and behavior will change your marriage. You have tremendous influence on your spouse. You do not have control over your spouse. You’ve probably already figured this point out. But you do have influence. So are you going to influence your marriage for the better or are you going to influence it for worse?

I’m not one to endorse keeping secrets, but this secret did feel like it had real implications on my life going on or ending.

Here are three things you can do when you’ve messed things up with your spouse. These are all ways to take personal responsibility in your life:

Take it on the chin ~ Sometimes the best decision is to simply take whatever your spouse says right on the chin. Just allow your spouse to feel whatever feelings get provoked when you have made a mistake. No matter how your spouse responds, just let the response go and accept the consequences to your actions.

Do not blame ~ The last thing you ever want to do when you’ve blown it is to blame. If you blame your spouse, others, the weather, hormones, the tides, or any other person, place, or thing you are setting your spouse up to be defensive and to feel invalidated. Suck it up and accept responsibility for your actions. Corey has mentioned in the last several days that we need to grow up. My friends, this is a huge way to show our maturity in life. When we stop blaming our past, we start growing and moving forward in life. The longer we blame, the longer we stay stuck.

Do not explain ~ This is a difficult one to do. Some times we hurt our spouse unwittingly. Don’t explain your actions if your spouse is not ready to hear you. First validate and ask what you need to do to repair the damage. Then, just maybe, you will get a chance to eliminate any negative or false beliefs your spouse had against you. But do not attempt this until your spouse has reported feeling understood and validated.

Taking personal responsibility is fun because it makes your relationship easier and more satisfied. You might even say it makes your marriage simple."

Finding Motivation when Working from Home

I've come to realize that having a home daycare is working from home. I know it sounds silly but because my own children are involved it took me a while to understand that I need to end the work day after the children are done, change modes and morph into family and relaxing time. Then I came across this post from Simple Mom (I seem to be quoting Simple Mom a lot lately but that's why I subscribe - truly relevant to my life at this time). So what does she recommend you do to find the motivation to work at home when you just don’t feel like it?

Here is a summary of Simple Mom's post titled "7 Ways to Find Motivation at Home".

1. Remember it’s a job ~ When you manage your home, plan the meals, handle the finances, juggle the calendar, and make sure that family members enter the world relatively groomed and sanitized, you work a lot.

2. Start your day with a realistic morning routine ~ Do your best to write down a weekday morning routine for starting your day. Whether it be working out, reading your Bible and journaling, going on a walk, or simply showering and getting dressed before the family wakes up, do what you can to prepare yourself for a day of work.

2. Eat your frog ~ After your morning routine, attack that one thing you dread the most.

3. Find inspiration ~ Spend a few minutes reading blogs that encourage you in your job as home manager. Flip through some home magazines you enjoy to motivate you to clean up the clutter. Set a timer as you do this, so that you know when it’s time to actually put your found inspiration to work.

4. Don’t let those blogs and magazines discourage you ~ It’s easy to throw in the towel before you even start your work when you read about other moms that seem to do everything, or look at glossy pages with gorgeous, stain-free furniture. Make a point to not open your laptop or a magazine until a certain chunk of your checklist is crossed off.

5. Leave the house ~ Get a change of scenery. Sometimes fresh air will do all of you a world of good.

6. Evaluate what you’re about ~ Perhaps you feel lazy about starting your work because you feel like you have so much to do, with no sign of completion. Are you trying to do too much? Is the goal of your job to have a sparkling house, spotless kids, and a three-course meal every evening? Are you losing the love of your game? Maybe it’s time to sit down and create a family mission statement. Decide who you are as a family. Let that be your guide for what you prioritize during your working hours.

7. End your work day ~ Do what you can to end your work at a reasonable hour in order to spend time with your spouse, recharge your batteries with some adult (or alone) time, and get adequate rest for tomorrow.

Everyone has valleys in life, when your spark has waned a bit, and you’ve forgotten what it’s like to love your calling. Your love is probably still there, somewhere. Do what you can to find it, instead of running your batteries on obligation. Everyone in your family will thank you.

Health Busters

Thanks to Simple Mom for the article on "Watch Out for These Health Busters". I'm summarizing the highlights of the article below. For the full article click on the post title.

Our family is attempting to direct our diet away from processed foods and less sugary treats. This is hard for me in particular as I have a super sweet tooth and I am not the most informed on how to identify healthy products ~ the family is lucky I serve them a well planned dinner! The original post on watching out for health busters is helping me learn to navigate the grocery store.

Anything that has been altered from its natural state is technically considered processed. I tend to think of it this way: if it comes in a bag, box, wrapper, or carton — it’s processed. And yet, not all processed foods are the same. Some have wholesome, natural ingredients, and others are tainted with artificial additives and chemicals.

So how do we become savvy healthy food shoppers while jockeying the cart down an aisle with a babe on our hips and another running ahead? Keep a short and simple list of guidelines so we can quickly scan the ingredients and identify potentially unhealthy ingredients.

Red Light Ingredients

In The Healthiest Kids in the Neighborhood, the Sears family wrote that if you remove the following three “red light” ingredients from your diet, you’ll probably remove 90% of the junk you eat.

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

HFCS messes with the hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, and that when we consume HFCS we do not feel as full, which leads to overeating.

Smart Tip: Remove this chemical as completely from your diet as you can. It’s really a no-win additive, and the less you consume, the better. It’s best to wean high fructose corn syrup in small increments so that it’s not overwhelming. Make a list of all the foods you currently eat that contain it. Then one by one, seek out acceptable alternatives.

A helpful hint is to look for organic options of common foods (like ketchup or jams). Organic foods should not use HFCS, but always check the label to be sure.

2. Trans Fats

Beyond heart disease, trans fats are also linked to diabetes, stroke and cancer. The benefit to the food industry is that these altered fats are very stable, so they extend the life span of the food and allow it to sit in warehouses and shelves for a long time.

Smart Tip: To identify trans fats, look directly at the ingredient list. Trans-fats are often called “partially hydrogenated oils” or “hydrogenated oils”. Fried foods in restaurants often are cooked in trans-fats, so unless the restaurant explicitly states they do not fry in trans fats, stay away from the fried stuff when eating out.

3. Dyes with numbers after them

Natural dyes are more expensive than chemical dyes.

Smart Tip: Look for the numbers. When you scan the ingredients, the dyes are usually at the end of the list. If you find them present, move along. Again, opting for organic alternatives may be a good bet as you try and find new foods that avoid chemical dyes.

Ask this question

As a rule of thumb, when I buy a processed food I ask myself, “Could I actually make this in my kitchen?” Could I assemble all these ingredients and replicate it if I wanted to? This one question helps me weed out many of the problem ingredients we discussed, not to mention others like artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and preservatives. If the product has ingredients that I recognize and often use in my own kitchen, I feel pretty comfortable buying it.

I rely on processed food in my diet because of the convenience they provide. I don’t have the time to make everything we eat from scratch. But in relying on processed foods, I don’t want to sacrifice my family’s health.

2009 Goals Check In

Since we are half-way through the year, I thought I'd check in to see how I am doing with the goals I set at the beginning of the year ~ some of which I admit I forgot what they were but they are pretty much the same after reviewing them.

Health Goals

Lose 15 pounds ~ UPDATE Due to medication changes I want to lose 20 pounds now (ugh)

Exercise 2-3 times a week ~ UPDATE I am doing at least this, if not more. Too bad about spraining my ankle the other night!

Drink more water ~ UPDATE I am on track here (yay)

Eat well-rounded meals (including all four food groups) ~ UPDATE I got a printout of the Canadian Food Guide daily recommendations so I can check them off as I eat them


Financial Goals

Complete Suze Orman's "Women & Money" goals over the allotted 5 months ~ UPDATE complete!!

Shop for Christmas gifts year-round ~ UPDATE I am starting to prepare my Christmas plan and consider what I will be making / purchasing for everyone to space it out ;)

Continue with "Smart Cookies: Women & Money" group once a month for motivation ~ UPDATE this is still happening

Homemaking Goals

Organize menu plans and shopping lists weekly ~ UPDATE Oh yes I am!

Sit down and eat at least one meal daily as a family at the table ~ UPDATE We are fairly consistent here

Declutter! ~ UPDATE I've done the bedrooms and bathrooms, the main floor, as well as the office and the play room in the basement. We even have had a garage sale and have started clearing out the garage and re-organizing the furnace room

Finish basement renovations and make into a play/games/movie room ~ UPDATE We need to declutter the basement and save some moula $$ before this happens but plans are in place and actions are i n progress

Family Goals

Continue family nights once a week (Saturdays) ~ UPDATE the family game night thing has fallen to the way-side since the kids are a little on the young side. We have been starting to do family walks in the evenings though

Enjoy date night once a month with hubby (and get a babysitter booked well in advance!) ~ UPDATE this has not been happening at all

Focus on each moment with the kids - the house can be clean when they move out ~ UPDATE we got the cleaning crew to come weekly (started last week). I feel less stressed already

Creative Goals

Limit interests to ...

1. Reading
   
2. Crocheting
3. Pen Pals

UPDATE ~ I've been reading & crocheting but have not been writing letters (oops). I also started knitting and have been doing some re-decorating around the house. I am limiting the number of projects I have on the go at once though.

Weight Obsession

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
~ Confucius ~

I started new medication for the post partum depression, which may not be so post partum any more since the baby is 17 months old next Thursday. The weight gain is absolutely ridiculous. Especially because I am a very motivated person when I set my mind to something. I've been walking at least once a day through a work-out video with the kids as well as gardening and other active things (which is hard not to do when I have 7 toddlers to handle and entertain). I sprained my ankle but good this past week and I was only out of commission for one day. I'm not dancing about but I'm walking around. I am taking a break for a few days from the exercise to let myself heal (no reason to be silly about it) but plan to get back on track this week, if only the walking instead of the Zumba class that I adore at the gym (we dance for an hour and I sweat while envisioning myself in a bathing suit on a warm island beach somewhere).

So what is the plan? I think I'm going to talk to the doctor about weaning off the meds and see how I do without them. I'm also going to continue reasonable exercise with my foot injury and chart what I eat on the Canada Food Guide check chart.

That means:
7 servings of Vegetables and Fruit
6 servings of Grain Products
2 servings of Milk and Alternatives
2 servings of Meat and Alternatives

Have you ever had medication effect your weight loss? If so, how did you manage it?

Weight Gain Surprise

The joke must be on me but I'm not getting it. I figured out that it was 8 weeks to the day (on June 1st) until my sister-in-law's wedding. I estimated that an average loss of 2.5 pounds per week was reasonable to achieve a twenty pound weight loss (my current goal). So I started portion controlling what I ate, limited sweets to only 2 chocolate chip cookies per day if I felt the need (I did until Friday) AND I worked out at least once per day all last week. Much to my chagrin, each day I added a pound. What the heck?! I'm shaking my head but trying not to let it get to me.

Vacation Planning

We are starting to get ready for our two week summer vacation. Annually we spend one week at my in-laws who are 20 minutes from the beach and the second week at my parents who have a cottage as well as a pool at their home. Since the kids are getting older and much more active, sitting at the grandparents' for two weeks inclusively is not as desirable an option as it once was. Hence my quest for a fairly inexpensive and planned vacation.

Thanks to Mandi @ Organizing Your Way for leading me to Amanda at Mommy’s Idea Book. Amanda has prepared a four-part series of Tips for Family Vacation Planning and she includes printable lists to get things going!

Stop on by, check things out, and please mention that I sent you over ;)

Hemming Curtains

I have had these curtains hanging in my bedroom for a year now I think. It's time to hem them and finish them off. I have 6 panels of navy blue curtains (2 on a small side window x2 windows and 4 on the main window). I want to have the main window have 2 larger panels and longer hem while the 2 side windows will require shorter hem and I am currently debating keeping the 2 panels or making them 1 as well. I'll look up cute ideas after the main one is done and the hem is complete.

Pictures of the too-short and too-long before ...














Pictures of the better hem AFTER ...














I am going to document the hemming process because, well, it just motivates me. Also, I was dreaming about the process all night and half-awake looking forward to doing this so I feel I need to share it with you too ...

Step 1: Pre-measure cutting line

Step 2: Take curtain off rod, place on a hard flat surface, rip-stitch the existing hem










Step 3: Iron out the pre-existing creases










Step 4: Place curtains on rod and re-measure with new hem

Step 5: Take the curtains off the rod and do a second measurement on the floor

Step 6: Measure and mark your cut line @ 3/4 inch and a fold line at 1/2 inch

Step 7: Press the base line with an iron

Step 8: Take a big gulp and grab the scissors ... cut along your cut line

Step 9: Fold under your fold line and press with an iron

Step 10: Sew along your fold line

Getting Fit

Yesterday I got motivated and did TWO workouts. Since I was up at 4:30AM any way I decided to do a 7AM 30 minute workout tape (Thank you Kathy Smith for walking my pounds away). Later that night I went to Zumba at the gym and wow! I became a dancing machine for an hour and had a blast mamba-ing and grape-vine-ing the pounds away. Now I'll just wait for the scale to reward me for all my hard work.

How To Have Curl Your Toes Sex

Here's a subject title that grabbed my attention ...How To Have Curl Your Toes Sex. Obviously I'm not the only one curious about this because it was posted a year ago and is by far the most popular posts on the Simple Marriage blog so far. Here is a summary of the article below. Click on the title link if you want the full goods ;)

"If there ever was an area that needed to be more openly discussed among married couples, it’s this one: sex. It is easy to believe that every other couple has no difficulties with the subject. That if you and your spouse are having trouble when it comes to sex, you are the only ones. You couldn’t be further from the truth. Every couple will experience at least some difficulty in the area of sexual connection.

When it comes to sexual connection, there are three categories of couples. The sexually barren, the sexually average, and the blessed few. Membership in these categories has little to do with physical anatomy. To be part of the blessed few requires more of each person mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

Couples who fall in the sexually barren category often are not having sex due to reasons other than physical incompatibility. They often have resentment, bitterness, disappointment or all of the above directed towards their partner. While these emotions may manifest themselves in physical ways, the problem is not physical. It’s mental and emotional...

The sexually average are also not immune to these difficulties. Although they have most likely had times when they felt a deeper connection they are desperately trying to recapture the experience.

To reach the promised land of the blessed few requires you to be more present not only during sex, but also during life. You must grow up. And so must your spouse...

Sex is so much more than just an act. Sex is a language. When you begin to look at your sexual language, you will discover it is in line with how you live your life. It will uncover the areas of your life where you are insecure, scared, anxious, or even ashamed.

To begin the growth required to be among the blessed few, work to be more present with your spouse. Both during sex and the day to day interactions. Speak up about what’s going on inside your head. Listen to your spouse as they tell you what’s going on in theirs. This is the fastest way to better sex.

Better sex doesn’t automatically create a better relationship, but the personal growth required to enhance sex and intimacy will improve the marriage in other ways. When you learn ways of maintaining yourself in your marriage you will improve all your relationships as well.

Here are a few ideas on creating a more passionate relationship.

1. Let the best in you run your life.
   
2. Sustain eye contact with your partner outside of the bedroom.
   
3. Hug until relaxed.
   
4. Make eye contact in bed.
5. Pay attention to depth of involvement with your spouse during sex.
   

Sexual compatibility is developed over time. “Curl-your-toes sex” does not just happen by chance. It is co-created by both partners being more involved, not just physically present. When more of you comes forward, it is often greeted by more of your partner. This growth isn’t easy, but it’s the only way to enter into the realm of the blessed few."

Menu Plan Monday ~ June 1-7

I didn't quite get to everything I had planned on last week's menu plan so some are repeats. The theme of "bugs" during the day for the daycare is going to continue this week too.

Monday

Snack ~ Rice crackers

Lunch ~ Pemeal Bacon, pickles, potato salad, strawberries

Snack ~Celery and Pretzel Butterflies ~ Cut a small piece of celery for the body of the butterfly. Spread some cream cheese or peanut butter inside of the stalk of celery. Add 4 small folded pretzels for the butterfly wings. Add 2 strings of black licorice for the antennas.

Dinner ~ One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables leftovers

Tuesday

Snack ~Multi-grain Cheerios (dry), oranges

Lunch ~ One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables, yogurt

Snack ~Ants on a Log ~ Needed: Raisins (ants) or prunes (bugs), celery, peanut butter or cream cheese. Spread peanut butter on the celery and put either their ants (raisins) or their bugs (prunes).

Dinner ~ Tomato Basil Quiche. Makes 10 servings.

Wednesday

Snack ~ Mini Breton vegetable crackers, apples, cheese

Lunch ~ Tomato Basil Quiche, toast with cream cheese, fruit (TBD)

Snack ~ Fruit smoothies

Dinner ~ Pizza Braid served with salad

Thursday

Snack ~Vegetable crackers, applesauce

Lunch ~ Grilled cheese, sliced meat, fruit (TBD)

Snack ~ Waffles & blueberries

Dinner ~ Stir Fry (use pre-cooked frozen chicken & fresh vegetables)

Friday

Snack ~Graham crackers, grapes

Lunch ~ Chicken nuggets, cooked carrots, toast spread with no-sugar jam

Snack ~ Yogurt, apple slices

Dinner ~ Leftover Buffet

Saturday

Lunch ~ Tuna fish sandwiches, carrots, apples, yogurt

Dinner ~ TBD

Sunday

Lunch ~ Breakfast sausages, eggs, toast

Dinner ~ Leftover buffet

*Don't forget to check out OrgJunkie for more menu planning ideas.