Hello all! Sorry this post is coming a day late; we have family in town, and blogging is taking a back-seat. Anyways, how did everyone do with last week's challenge to eat more vegetables? I don't know if I got exactly 4-6 servings of veggies each day, but I DID have vegetables with every meal (except breakfast) for the entire week. I usually had a large salad filled with a variety of veggies OR a veggie-filled soup for lunch, and then I incorporated veggies into our dinner meal, either adding them to some recipes or having veggies as a side. I didn't measure them so I'm not sure if I got the servings I was supposed to get, but I know I got more than I USED to get. And coming from someone who was struggling to eat vegetables before this week, that's DEFINITELY an improvement.
This week's challenge is called "Enjoy Some Alone Time." The challenge is to carve out at least a half an hour per day that is just for you. No kids, no husbands, no friends, no cell phones! It's just you and whatever you want to do. This is a good way to relieve stress, clear your mind, and gain some confidence in yourself (if you struggle with being alone).
I personally crave alone time. I love my husband, my son, and my friends but I NEED some time by myself each day. I tend to get a little grumpy if I don't. Luckily, with my husband at work, I usually get my alone time during Matty's nap time. However, I'm going to take a step this week to turn that alone time into something I do for ME; I'm going to spend at least a half hour of that alone time NOT doing laundry, cleaning house, cooking dinner, etc. I'm going to do something that I enjoy, such as running, reading, writing, sewing, or watching a movie.
If you don't have the luxury of naptime, the author has a few suggestions on ways to incorporate alone time into your day:
1. Get up a half hour earlier or go to bed a half hour later (but remember to keep your 7-8 hours of sleep each night!)
2. Take your lunch break from work alone.
3. If you're a stay-at-home mom, have someone watch your kids for an hour.
4. Set a technology curfew by turning off your cell phone, laptop, etc at a specific time and for a specific amount of time. This will allow you to really utilize your alone time.
So, what to do with your alone time? Here are some ideas.
1. Exercise.
2. Read.
3. Bond with Nature.
4. Learn Something. Take a class, go to lecture, watch a documentary.
5. Explore a new area of your town.
6. Start a project
7. Get pampered.
Bottom line--do something you ENJOY! Alone time is not alone time if you spend it working! Good luck!
27 February 2012
19 February 2012
52-Week Challenge: Week Eight
Hello, fellow challengers! How did last week's challenge of "keeping the outside. . . out" work for all of you? We actually did pretty good here in the Wright household---surprisingly, my husband REALLY got on board with it! As I mentioned in a previous post, we spend a lot of time down on the floor with our son nowadays, and he happened to notice (without my prodding) how dirty the floor was, even with my best attempts at cleaning. From there, it was pretty easy to turn the conversation to "Well, you know how it gets that way, don't you?"
I actually took it a step further and shampooed my carpets this week to give us a fresh start. I got some cash from my in-laws for Christmas and bought myself a steam cleaner (how boring am I?). So on Valentine's Day (again, how boring am I?), I brought it out and got to work. I had every intention of posting pictures of the dirt I got out of my carpet, but I was actually REALLY embarrassed by how dirty it was! And this is coming from someone is who borderline OCD-clean (I spot clean my house every day and deep clean it once a week). So, not to sound pompous, but if MY carpets were that dirty, imagine how dirty your carpets might be if you're not an obsessive clean-freak. And, keep in mind, my carpets LOOKED clean, as I'm sure yours do too. I HIGHLY recommend getting your carpets cleaned and THEN really starting in on the strict "no shoes" rule. If your carpets are already crawling with dirt and germs, what's the point of taking your shoes off? Cleaners can be crazy expensive, but I got this one at Target for $80, and it works wonderfully.
Anyways, onto week eight. This week's challenge is "Eat Your Vegetables." Eat four to six servings each day of fibrous vegetables (one serving equals 1/2 cup of non-leafy vegetables or 1 cup of leafy vegetables.) The author really got into the health benefits of vegetables, such as weight management, heart health, immunity boosters, etc, but I won't go into that. We all know vegetables are super good for you. But I'm sure we're all guilty of not getting enough.
When I was pregnant, I CRAVED vegetables like nobody's business. It was seriously crazy. If I didn't get my full servings of veggies for the day, I felt sick. My child REFUSED to let me be unhealthy. However, I think I over-did it a bit; since Matty was born, the thought of vegetables almost make me sick. I'm slowly returning to eating more, but it's been a long process. I can do a salad for lunch, but that's about it. This week will definitely be a challenge for me.
Here's a few tips the author suggested that I'm willing to try:
1. Prepare for the week ahead. I plan my menu for the week on the weekend so I can do my grocery shopping accordingly. While planning my menu, I'm going to make sure I include vegetables at every meal so I can make sure I get enough.
2. Eat a salad. Since I already do this, I figured this would be a good way to add more veggies to my day. The trick is to garnish your salad with lots of other different kinds of veggies to get more than one serving of vegetables out of it. Instead of topping my salad with croutons and cheese, I'll add things like broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots.
3. Load up your sandwich. Another good idea. Instead of just a plain old ham and cheese sandwich, I'll top it with all kinds of veggie goodness like lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, and onions. Look out Subway---I'm heading your way this week! :)
4. Veggie Snacks. I can never make it through the day without an afternoon snack. Instead of reaching for the chips, I'll grab some carrots or celery and spice it up with hummus, yogurt, or --my favorite: peanut butter.
Good luck!
I actually took it a step further and shampooed my carpets this week to give us a fresh start. I got some cash from my in-laws for Christmas and bought myself a steam cleaner (how boring am I?). So on Valentine's Day (again, how boring am I?), I brought it out and got to work. I had every intention of posting pictures of the dirt I got out of my carpet, but I was actually REALLY embarrassed by how dirty it was! And this is coming from someone is who borderline OCD-clean (I spot clean my house every day and deep clean it once a week). So, not to sound pompous, but if MY carpets were that dirty, imagine how dirty your carpets might be if you're not an obsessive clean-freak. And, keep in mind, my carpets LOOKED clean, as I'm sure yours do too. I HIGHLY recommend getting your carpets cleaned and THEN really starting in on the strict "no shoes" rule. If your carpets are already crawling with dirt and germs, what's the point of taking your shoes off? Cleaners can be crazy expensive, but I got this one at Target for $80, and it works wonderfully.
Anyways, onto week eight. This week's challenge is "Eat Your Vegetables." Eat four to six servings each day of fibrous vegetables (one serving equals 1/2 cup of non-leafy vegetables or 1 cup of leafy vegetables.) The author really got into the health benefits of vegetables, such as weight management, heart health, immunity boosters, etc, but I won't go into that. We all know vegetables are super good for you. But I'm sure we're all guilty of not getting enough.
When I was pregnant, I CRAVED vegetables like nobody's business. It was seriously crazy. If I didn't get my full servings of veggies for the day, I felt sick. My child REFUSED to let me be unhealthy. However, I think I over-did it a bit; since Matty was born, the thought of vegetables almost make me sick. I'm slowly returning to eating more, but it's been a long process. I can do a salad for lunch, but that's about it. This week will definitely be a challenge for me.
Here's a few tips the author suggested that I'm willing to try:
1. Prepare for the week ahead. I plan my menu for the week on the weekend so I can do my grocery shopping accordingly. While planning my menu, I'm going to make sure I include vegetables at every meal so I can make sure I get enough.
2. Eat a salad. Since I already do this, I figured this would be a good way to add more veggies to my day. The trick is to garnish your salad with lots of other different kinds of veggies to get more than one serving of vegetables out of it. Instead of topping my salad with croutons and cheese, I'll add things like broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots.
3. Load up your sandwich. Another good idea. Instead of just a plain old ham and cheese sandwich, I'll top it with all kinds of veggie goodness like lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, and onions. Look out Subway---I'm heading your way this week! :)
4. Veggie Snacks. I can never make it through the day without an afternoon snack. Instead of reaching for the chips, I'll grab some carrots or celery and spice it up with hummus, yogurt, or --my favorite: peanut butter.
Good luck!
15 February 2012
A Boring Post About Weather. . .
Yes, this actually a blog post about the weather. I swear my life is not so boring that all I have to talk about is the weather, but we have had such unusual weather lately that I have to post. Well, maybe it's not unusual for Nevada, but for this Midwestern girl, it is VERY unusual.
These Las Vegas winters are to DIE for. The temperatures VERY rarely got below 50 degrees during the day, and the cloudy/rainy days could be counted on one hand. However, TWICE this week it's been cloudy and rainy, and today, believe it or not, we actually had SNOW! Granted, here in the valley it didn't stick and was mixed with lots and lots of rain, but still--it SNOWED! Where we live is actually at a higher elevation than the rest of Las Vegas. We're in the foothills of the Spring Mountains at about 3000 feet, so the rest of the city probably only got rain, but we got SNOW!
Here's the Sheep Mountains in the distance, which are just north of the Las Vegas valley. . .
These are the foothills of the Spring Mountains in which we live (literally. . . our subdivision ends at these mountains). It's snowed before in the mountains early this year but not enough to coat these low-lying mountains. BEAUTIFUL!
The weird thing? In addition to the snow, our neighborhood is also showing the first signs of spring. Cherry blossoms (my absolute FAVORITE) are starting to bloom--including this one in our front yard! I had no idea that cherry blossoms even GREW in the desert, let alone that we had one in our front yard. It's the small things that can bring you bliss. :)
Thanks for bearing with me during this boring post about the weather. :)
12 February 2012
52-Week Challenge: Week Seven
Well, I successfully completed last week's challenge: taking a multivitamin. . . mainly because I've been doing that every day for almost 2 years. ;) BUT--I did step it up and begin to take a probiotic supplement in addition to my multivitamin. However, I can't really tell much of a difference yet. Perhaps it takes a little longer to make a noticeable difference in your "digestive health." But, without getting too descriptive, I'll just say that I was already pretty "regular" even before the probiotic. So, for all of you who said you have already been taking one, did you have a noticeable change in your digestive health after awhile? If so, how long did it take?
How about those of you who began taking a multivitamin this week? Did you notice a change in the way your body felt? I've been taking them so long that I actually feel different if I don't take it. Maybe it's psychological, but I swear I feel a little icky if I haven't taken one.
Anyways, onto week seven. This week's challenge is: "Keep the Outside. . . Out." This involves enforcing a strict no shoe policy in your home, even for guests. Think of the ground you walk on outside and WHERE you walk. Then think of taking all the dust, pollen, mold, and dirt from the ground outside and spreading it around on your carpet and floor inside. That is essentially what you're doing when you don't remove your shoes when you come inside. Pretty gross, especially now that I'm down on the carpet a LOT with a little one. . . who rolls around on the carpet and then puts his hands in his mouth. *UGH*
The author suggests creating a "buffer zone" near the most used entrance in your home, where you can remove your shoes and transition from an outdoor environment to an indoor environment. She makes some suggestions about things to include in this area: a shoe scraper, an outside mat, an area rug, a bench, and hooks or a coat rack.
I'm already pretty good at remembering to take my shoes off (mainly just because I'm OCD clean), but I'm going to take the extra step and make a rule about NO SHOES in the house WHATSOEVER. I know I can control myself---getting my husband on board with this might be another story. I'll do my best. I also think I'll invest in an area rug for our "buffer zone." Our most commonly used entrance is the garage and, even though we live in the desert so there is very little mud and dirt tracked in, I do find myself having to sweep and mop this area CONSTANTLY. An area rug might help capture the dirt and make clean-up even easier. And maybe stepping on a soft rug will make me THINK of the carpet and then remember to take my shoes off? More importantly, maybe it will remind my HUSBAND! ;)
One last thing before I go: are you all remembering to keep up with ALL of the challenges we've had so far? It's important to keep doing each challenge and build on them each week in an attempt to make them a habit. Just because a challenge is finished doesn't mean you're off the hook! Try to make an effort to keep going. In case you need a reminder, here are the challenges for the past 6 weeks in no particular order. Hope you're all still doing them!
1. Drink more water.
2. Keep a food journal.
3. Take a multivitamin.
4. Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
5. Have an optimistic outlook.
6. Get routine activity every day.
Good luck!
How about those of you who began taking a multivitamin this week? Did you notice a change in the way your body felt? I've been taking them so long that I actually feel different if I don't take it. Maybe it's psychological, but I swear I feel a little icky if I haven't taken one.
Anyways, onto week seven. This week's challenge is: "Keep the Outside. . . Out." This involves enforcing a strict no shoe policy in your home, even for guests. Think of the ground you walk on outside and WHERE you walk. Then think of taking all the dust, pollen, mold, and dirt from the ground outside and spreading it around on your carpet and floor inside. That is essentially what you're doing when you don't remove your shoes when you come inside. Pretty gross, especially now that I'm down on the carpet a LOT with a little one. . . who rolls around on the carpet and then puts his hands in his mouth. *UGH*
The author suggests creating a "buffer zone" near the most used entrance in your home, where you can remove your shoes and transition from an outdoor environment to an indoor environment. She makes some suggestions about things to include in this area: a shoe scraper, an outside mat, an area rug, a bench, and hooks or a coat rack.
I'm already pretty good at remembering to take my shoes off (mainly just because I'm OCD clean), but I'm going to take the extra step and make a rule about NO SHOES in the house WHATSOEVER. I know I can control myself---getting my husband on board with this might be another story. I'll do my best. I also think I'll invest in an area rug for our "buffer zone." Our most commonly used entrance is the garage and, even though we live in the desert so there is very little mud and dirt tracked in, I do find myself having to sweep and mop this area CONSTANTLY. An area rug might help capture the dirt and make clean-up even easier. And maybe stepping on a soft rug will make me THINK of the carpet and then remember to take my shoes off? More importantly, maybe it will remind my HUSBAND! ;)
One last thing before I go: are you all remembering to keep up with ALL of the challenges we've had so far? It's important to keep doing each challenge and build on them each week in an attempt to make them a habit. Just because a challenge is finished doesn't mean you're off the hook! Try to make an effort to keep going. In case you need a reminder, here are the challenges for the past 6 weeks in no particular order. Hope you're all still doing them!
1. Drink more water.
2. Keep a food journal.
3. Take a multivitamin.
4. Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
5. Have an optimistic outlook.
6. Get routine activity every day.
Good luck!
06 February 2012
52-Week Challenge: Week Six
Sorry that this post is coming a day late this week. I had a house full of pilots yesterday for the Super Bowl, and there was no way I was going to get anything done besides making sure that nothing got broken or set on fire. :)
Anyways, how did everyone do with last week's challenge of "thinking positively?" Unfortunately, mine was perhaps a little too easy to do. Last week brought bad news from friends all across the globe, as loss and tragedy seemed to strike friends both near and far. My immediate family even suffered a sad loss. Although this would normally lead to the OPPOSITE of the challenge (i.e. being extremely negative) for most people, for me, it had unexpected side effect of making me so grateful for everything in my life. There was no way for me to be negative about the small, petty things that normally made me annoyed or pessimistic when so many of my friends and family were genuinely hurting with REAL problems. And witnessing my sister's unwavering faith despite her sad loss was a real turning point to challenge MY faith to trust in God no matter WHAT---and to "give thanks in all circumstances."
So, honestly, I didn't really do any of the things I said I was going to do to keep the "glass half-full" mentality. However, I plan on keeping those things in the back of my mine in case this renewed sense of gratefulness and faithfulness wears off and I need a pick me up to get me back into a positive frame of mine.
Now, on to week six. This week's challenge is to take a multivitamin. Luckily, being pregnant already put me into this habit; I religiously take one every morning with breakfast. (And that's my tip for those who will be starting up this routine for the first time this week---keep your multivitamin near your breakfast foods. It's easier to remember to take it if you SEE it every morning when you grab your cereal or your bagel.)
Since I already take a multivitamin, I'm going to take the next step and do the "extra credit" this week: taking a probiotic, although I'm not really sure how. The author mentions probiotic yogurt, but I'm not a huge yogurt fan. Does anyone know if probiotics come in a pill form that I can just take with my morning vitamin? Does anyone do this already? Any guidance will be helpful!
Good luck!
Anyways, how did everyone do with last week's challenge of "thinking positively?" Unfortunately, mine was perhaps a little too easy to do. Last week brought bad news from friends all across the globe, as loss and tragedy seemed to strike friends both near and far. My immediate family even suffered a sad loss. Although this would normally lead to the OPPOSITE of the challenge (i.e. being extremely negative) for most people, for me, it had unexpected side effect of making me so grateful for everything in my life. There was no way for me to be negative about the small, petty things that normally made me annoyed or pessimistic when so many of my friends and family were genuinely hurting with REAL problems. And witnessing my sister's unwavering faith despite her sad loss was a real turning point to challenge MY faith to trust in God no matter WHAT---and to "give thanks in all circumstances."
So, honestly, I didn't really do any of the things I said I was going to do to keep the "glass half-full" mentality. However, I plan on keeping those things in the back of my mine in case this renewed sense of gratefulness and faithfulness wears off and I need a pick me up to get me back into a positive frame of mine.
Now, on to week six. This week's challenge is to take a multivitamin. Luckily, being pregnant already put me into this habit; I religiously take one every morning with breakfast. (And that's my tip for those who will be starting up this routine for the first time this week---keep your multivitamin near your breakfast foods. It's easier to remember to take it if you SEE it every morning when you grab your cereal or your bagel.)
Since I already take a multivitamin, I'm going to take the next step and do the "extra credit" this week: taking a probiotic, although I'm not really sure how. The author mentions probiotic yogurt, but I'm not a huge yogurt fan. Does anyone know if probiotics come in a pill form that I can just take with my morning vitamin? Does anyone do this already? Any guidance will be helpful!
Good luck!
01 February 2012
Happy 6 Months, MJ!
Our little boy is 6 months old! It is so hard to believe that you've already been with us for half a year! It doesn't even seem possible. As always, here's some of our favorite highlights from the past month.
We've been trying really hard to call you by your real name because, since you were born, we've been calling you "Squishy." I think it had something to do with the squishy cheeks and squishy legs and squishy butt. . . and, well, squishy everything you had when you were born. This has somehow evolved into "Squigee" lately, complete with it's own song. This look here is what we call "Doing the Squigee": eyes wide, mouth open, and drooling. Not the most intelligent look, but we love it just the same. ;)
Scary how much like Daddy you are. Not only does everyone who sees you call you a "little Woogie," but you guys actually act alike too. Case in point. . .
You can make some pretty hysterical faces by this point. This is one of my favorites. I keep it on my phone for whenever I need a good laugh.
Still working on this whole "sitting up by myself" thing. . .
The "blowing raspberries" obsession returned this month. You got a little closer this time. ;)
This month also brought the introduction of a bowl and spoon. Rice cereal in your bottle was easier, but a bowl and spoon was so much messier. . . and way more fun. ;)
LOVE baby giggles!
Look at those teeth!
We have a thumb sucker. It's okay. Momma was a thumb sucker too. ;)
You LOVE Oskar! You laugh hysterically watching him play, and you are determined to touch him whenever he ventures close enough. You actually got ahold of him one day; you grabbed a handful of the extra skin hanging off his neck. Luckily he loves you enough that he didn't bite, growl, or howl. . . he just ran and hid behind the couch after I pried your fingers loose.
Never far from each other. Best buds.
Gift from Daddy, who FINALLY returned home this month. Nothing runs like a Deere. :)
We love you, Squig but, please. . . stop growing so quickly!
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