52-Week Challenge: Week Thirty-One

Ahhhhh. . .  this week's challenge is one near and dear to me:  dust.  Yep, it's another cleaning change.  The challenge this week is to develop and implement a regular dust-reduction strategy.  In other words, clean your house.

We all know our houses get dusty.  But what IS dust?  Well, it varies by where you live, if you have pets, what you cook, if you smoke, and other factors.  So, in addition to regular old dirt that floats in the air and lands on your furniture, dust is also made up of dead skin, pet dander, food, insect parts, bacteria, fungus, and dust mites.  So, even if you're not a clean freak like me, I can almost guarantee that most of you don't want that kind of stuff coating your furniture.  In addition, a dusty house leads to poor quality and can lead to asthma and allergy problems.

Because dust isn't limited to just your furniture, it's important to utilize a myriad of cleaning supplies to combat it.  Vacuum at least weekly, preferably twice a week, including carpets, hard floors, and fabric furniture.  In addition, use a wet mop on hard floors.  Use a microfiber cloth when dusting furniture, and try to dust once a week.

In addition to cleaning, it's important to try and minimize the amount of dust in your house.  Here are some tips:

1.  Remove shoes at the door (see week 7)
2.  Seal cracks in windows and doors
3.  If you live in a humid climate, use a dehumidifier.
4.  Use air purifiers and air filters.

Hoosier Daddy, Part II

A few more pictures highlighting our time in Indiana. . . 

Poor kid is caught in a power struggle between Mommy and Daddy.  I allowed the Illinois onesie . . . but only if he was using his Indiana sippy cup.

We moved into my parents' current house the summer before I turned 10 years old, and we planted this tulip poplar tree (the state tree of Indiana) in the front yard that summer.  It makes me so happy to see how it has survived and thrived . . . and to see my son sitting underneath it.

Matty, look!  A dandelion!

It doesn't taste very good, Mom.

Since Daddy's away, Momma got herself a pool boy. ;)

Boy is he lucky that Buddy is such a patient dog.

Come here, Mommy.  I want to give you a hug!

Keeping an eye on things.

Lincoln Logs with his cousin, Gabe.

LOVE. THIS. PICTURE.

Hamming it up in the big red wagon, getting ready to go for a ride.

First ice cream sundae.  He really did like it, but he was ready to go play at the park.

Right before Gabe freaked out because he realized he was stuck in the baby swing.

Driving his "car" with Aunt Erin.

I picked you a flower, Mommy.

Swimming with Mamaw, Papaw, and Gabe.

Come here, Aunt Erin.  Let me show you my pool.

He really wanted to wear my IU hat.  It made me so happy. :)

Off to explore with Oskar and Gabe.

First popsicle.  Don't worry, Dad.  It was a sugar-free fruit bar. :)

Fixing Erin's license plate with Papaw.

Swimming at Jamie's.

And Jamie had a video game room.  Which game did he gravitate towards?  The football one.  Daddy would be so proud.

Aunt Erin has not learned to keep her coffee out of reach of little hands.  Luckily, it wasn't hot.

Took this picture as proof that I was not the first one to give Matty chocolate.  I had NOTHING to do with it.

Stuck in Chopper's crate.  This was right before he started to cry.

Hooray!  You figured out how to use the duck call all on your own!

Swinging with Mamaw at Columbian Park . . . 

Wallabies at Columbian Park Zoo . . . 

Looking for prairie dogs . . . 

Not too sure about the goats in the petting zoo.

Being silly with Gabe

Our little boot-legger.

"I wanna play Angry Birds, too!"

With Aunt Erin at Turtle Park after some fabulous Dari-licious ice cream.

52-Week Challenge: Week Thirty

So, I'm not sure if anyone else is doing this challenge with me anymore.  I haven't heard anything from most of the people who said they were going to do it with me in QUITE awhile.  However, I'm going to keep posting each week because I'm going to keep going, even if I have to do it alone.

So this week's challenge is entitled "Satisfy Your Hunger."  Eat balanced and nutritious meals and snacks so you feel satisfied and energized throughout the day.  Doing this is a lot more complex than I thought it was going to be.

The author measures how "satisfying" a meal will be by measuring the glycemic index (GI) of foods.  In very simple terms, the GI measures how a food's carbohydrates affect your blood sugar levels in comparison to the same amount of carbohydrates found in white bread.  The higher the GI, the more rapidly food is digested and absorbed, which results in quicker spikes in blood sugar levels.  Foods with a lower GI not only digest more slowly, minimizing blood sugar spikes, but are also associated with a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.  They are also crucial in stabilizing energy levels, suppressing appetite, and decreasing body fat.

The easiest way to figure out a food's placement on the GI scale is to go to www.glycemicindex.com.  However, to get started, here are a few examples:

LOW GI FOODS:
       *Some whole grains:  barley, flaxseed, oats, rye
       *Most fruit:  apples, cherries, citrus fruits, pears
       *Beans and legumes
       *Fibrous vegetables:  carrots, cucumbers, peppers, spinach
       *Nuts
       *Lean proteins
       *Healthy fats

MODERATE GI FOODS:
        *Some whole grains:  brown rice, whole-grain pasta
        *Some starchy vegetables:  corns, peas, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams
        *Some fruit:  apricots, pineapple, plums, raisins, watermelon

HIGH GI FOODS:
        *Some starchy vegetables:  parsnips, turnips
        *Refined grains:  bagels, chips, rolls, white bread, white rice
        *Sugary foods:  baked goods, candy, cookies, juice, sugar

When consuming foods from the moderate to high GI range, try to pair them with low GI foods.  This will lower the overall GI of the meal.  It will prevent blood sugar spikes and stabilize energy and hunger levels better than if the high GI foods were eaten alone.

52-Week Challenge: Week Twenty-Nine

A little late on this week's challenge.  It's hard to stay on top of things when you're on a prolonged vacation, but I can't really complain.  I mean, I'm on vacation.  :)

Anyway, I thought the quote that starts out this week's challenge was interesting:

"The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes.  It is very easy to say yes."

-Tony Blair

The more I thought about this, the truer it seemed.  How often do we get guilted into saying "yes" simply because it's so much easier than saying no?  This leads us to make commitment after commitment until we are stressed out and overwhelmed and NONE of our commitments get our full attention, instead getting only a half-hearted attempt.  How is this better than just saying "no"?

It's not.  That's why this week's challenge is to evaluate opportunities and say no to those things that aren't important so you can make room for things that are.  How can you do this?  Here's a few ideas:

1.  Assess your current commitments.  Look at the things you've committed to in your personal, professional, and social life (the challenges we've already gone through in this book might make for quite a few commitments already!)  Take a hard look and decide which ones are really important and which aren't.  It might help to actually write out all your commitments and circle the important things.  The circled items take priority; the non-circled things do not.

2.  Set goals.  What do you want to accomplish?  When a new opportunity comes up, determine if it fits into your goals (or your mission statement).  If not, it's okay to say no.

3.  Leave guilt behind.  If you don't feel like doing something but feel obligated, this your cue to say no.  Now, this doesn't mean you can say no to EVERYTHING you don't feel like doing.  For example, I don't feel like going to my yearly well-woman appointment; I only feel obligated.  However, that doesn't mean I can say no to going!  

4.  Learn how to say no.  This might be the most important.  Such a small word, yet so hard to say.  Here are some tips:

a.  Take your time:  if you don't know how to respond, take a day or

two to think about it.  This lets the person who inquired know that you

are honestly considering the option and that even your "no" is a thoughtful

decision.

b.  Be transparent:  Don't be phony with your reasons.  Your reasons for

saying no are valid, even if they may seem trivial.  As long as you're honest,

they are good reasons.

c.  Be respectful but firm:  Don't be mean about it, but don't let anyone try

to guilt you into changing your mind or twist your arm.  Your no is final.

Hoosier Daddy

We're in home sweet Indiana!  We've only been here about a week and a half, but already the hot, dusty, desert is a fuzzy memory (at least until we have to go back!) Even though almost the entire state is suffering through a drought, the landscape is STILL a beautiful shade of green to me and even the humidity hasn't been too much of a bother (yet).  MJ, Oskar, and I have just been having way too much fun.

In the short time we've been home, MJ has already made a new best friend (uh-oh . . . watch out, Oskar!) . . .

. . . gotten seriously spoiled by Aunt Angie . . . 

. . . "driven" a "tractor" . . . 

. . . bonded with Great-Grandma Babb . . . 

. . . tried (and failed) to climb a tree . . . 

. . . watched our own private air-show from a crop duster repeatedly buzzing our house to spray the field across the road . . . 

. . . "disappeared" in the grass with his new camo bibs and onesie from Daddy . . . 

. . . discovered a duck call . . . 

. . . swam in the new baby pool that Mamaw and Papaw bought just for him (can we say spoiled rotten?!) . . . 

. . . white-trashed it up in the 100 degree heat with just a hat, shoes, and a diaper . . . 

. . . tasted dirt . . . 

. . . hung out on the porch and watched the rain . . . 

. . . taken a ride around the country in the mule with Papaw . . . 

. . . and "helped" Mamaw clean the house.

As for me, I've really enjoyed watching MJ experience the things that were natural to me growing up and giving him a taste of the world OUTSIDE Las Vegas and the big city.  And when he's in bed, tuckered out from all his new adventures, I get to enjoy the beautiful Indiana sunsets with a glass of wine and not another car or person in sight.

It's good to be home. :)

52-Week Challenge: Week Twenty-Eight

Greetings, everyone!  I am so interested to hear if and how anyone of you completed last week's challenge of giving back.  Now, some of you may thing I cheated on mine but I "gave back" by helping out around my parents' house.  I'm here visiting for the summer and, now that I'm a parent, I realize just how hard my parents have worked over the years (and still work!)  So, although I didn't do anything major, I did some little things like cleaning the house, doing the dishes, and running errands for my mom; I also set-up a new stereo in my dad's workshop for him.  So, no, it may not have been exactly what the author was meaning by "giving back," but I thought it was a good start.

Anyways, this week's challenge is entitled "Beware the Beverage."  Reduce your overall sugar consumption by eliminating sweetened beverages from your diet.

The American Heart Association suggests that women should consume no more than 100 calories (about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar (sugar not naturally found in foods) a day, while men should consume no more than 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons) each day.

Let's put this into perspective.  One 12-ounce can of soda contains over 9 teaspoons of sugar, while the 21-ounce bottle contains 17 teaspoons of sugar.  So just ONE of these beverages puts you at or above your limit for added sugars for the day.  Drinking JUST ONE of these means ZERO sugar for the rest of your day, if you're trying to follow the rules.

And why should you follow the rules?  Well, high consumption of added sugars is linked to obesity, high blood pressure, increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, as well as constipation, moodiness, and premature aging.  Serious stuff.

I very rarely drink soda (but I HAVE to have it with pizza or popcorn) so I'm not too worried about that aspect of the challenge.  However, don't forget that sugary beverages also include flavored water, gatorade, lemonade, sweet tea, and even juice.  Although juice is full of natural sugar, it can have the same impact on your blood sugar as artificial sugar.  Experts recommend eating a piece of fruit rather than drinking it; you'll get all the health benefits associated with fruit as well as some fiber, which will help level out your blood sugar levels.

So what should you drink?  As we said in week one--water.  Honestly, it's the only beverage you should ever need.  If you feel like you NEED a big sweetened beverage, drink a big glass of water instead and see what happens.  If your craving subsides, chances are you are just dehydrated and nothing else.

Good luck!

Happy Birthday, America!

A few photos from Matty's first 4th of July . . . 

“I’ve lived, sir, a long time, and the longer

I live, the more convincing proofs I see of

this truth: That God governs in the affairs

of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the

ground without His notice, is it probable

that an empire can rise without His aid? We’ve been assured in the sacred writings

that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe

this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this

political building no better than the builders of Babel.” - Benjamin Franklin