7.26.2011

Bend or Bust

I am so excited - I can hardly sleep... I am officially on vacation!  A mini, teensy, tiny one but still a getaway with my favorite person and a half to one of my favorite places nearby.  Bend, OR.  We make this trip about twice a year and I always look forward to it.  Summer in Bend if full of outdoor activities, right in the heart of downtown.  Everyone's out walking, eating, floating the Deschutes {did I mention it flows RIGHT THROUGH town??}and skateboarding with their kids.  Duh.  Who wouldn't love this place?!

Babe let's get packed...
Flip flops & tank tops if you've got em
No shoes, no shirt, no problem.
 {yellow Toms that Chris bought me}
 {Jcrew aviators}
{swimsuit because there's actually SUNSHINE across those mountains!}
 {Our kick ass Chariot stroller/world dominator on wheels}
{5 berries + 1 bottle = delightful special to sip on at the pool}

We'll post pics when we get back.  Be prepared to be envious of 80 degree weather, blue skies, and overdue relaxation...  XOXO 


                                                                       

7.20.2011

New Habits: Most Important Tasks

The idea of a daily MIT {most important task} is genius and something that I apply on a daily basis at work.  It's the idea that everyday you chose 1 task that must get done and to insure that this happens, you tackle it first thing in the morning.  That way, the rest of the day is free to put out fires or take on creative projects, or whatever else might come up.  But at least you have your MIT taken care of.  SUCCESS!

Typically, I have about 5-10 MIT's in my day but I find that they are absolutely manageable if I apply myself immediately.  This is not entirely true with the rest of my life.  I am embarrassed to say that my husband has to continuously call me at work to remind me to call the fence guy, or mail the letter, go to the bank... you get the idea.  Somehow, my personal life doesn't get the same attention as my work life.  And that sucks.

So... one of my new habits has been to create personal MIT's that I feel will move me in the direction of becoming more of the person that I really want to be.  The loving, charming, energized, beautiful, successful, and happy wife... The patient, funny, warm, available, huggy mom.  Here are my obstacles:

- I'm tired
- I'm freakin' BUSY
- I'm obsessed with keeping a clean house
- I worry
- Time moves at warp speed these days
- I don't always feel present

Some of these statements are true. Some, not so much.  Maybe more perception than reality, but either way, I feel these things dragging me down and I've already begun tackling them.  Here is a snippet of my personal life's MIT's...


My MIT's for the Hub:
love my husband and do it well
be present and available 
be lovable
be beautiful 
be energetic
be successful 
be the helper
be his cheerleader and confidante 
also make him laugh



My MIT's for the P:
be loving and kind and quiet
be funny {and fun}
stop trying multitask
play
read
teach
be snuggly and lovey
make her feel safe
be available

Getting more rest, eating better foods for more energy, etc.  But, tonight, I have made my first big commitment {and by this, I mean, it cost MONEY which I always hate to part with}... This weekend I am traveling to Bend, OR to be trained as a TRX Suspension Training Instructor.  What? Why? Huh?  Details coming soon but I promise that, Lord willing, this will play into my personal MIT's and I am stoked for this weekend!  If you are reading this and you are a praying person, send a little one my way.  I will be traveling fearfully and alone {both HUGE deals for me} and I am hoping to come home sore & inspired!  Amen.

7.12.2011

New Habits: Eat {well}

All of my life I have been an interesting eater {some might say that's an understatement}.  A little over two years ago I read a book that changed my eating beliefs forever: Sugar Shock.  In a nutshell, it covers the ins and outs of sugar addiction, when it began in our culture, how it was promoted, and why we're all still eating this crap {ie. addiction}.  I know it's not going to ring true for everyone, but for me, it finally clicked.  I was addicted to sugar.

I should mention that I also have a family history of diabetes.  Mostly type II.  And, unfortunately, I tend to run borderline diabetic.  Boo.  All signs pointed to the need to radically adjust my eating habits.  I did this immediately and drastically and... guess what?  It wasn't really that hard.  

Enter: PREGNANCY.

This is when it got tricky.  Fiber in pregnancy became, um, well imperative for me.  I began to slowly bring back some items that I had previously eliminated, such as wheat bread {a pretty simple sugar} and sometimes a pancake or two {duh, I was preggo}. Mostly I was able to stay craving free due to my relatively low-sugar intake.  Unfortunately, my blood sugar remained high and I was almost determined to have developed gestational diabetes.  I worked to control the sugar even more, but even so, I was sometimes low on will power and I definitely indulged more than I ever would have before.  Naturally, I was worried about my ability to wean myself once more after P finally made her appearance.  

It has been 9 months now and I have tried on and off to work myself back into the dedicated low-sugar poster child that I once was.  But truthfully, inspiration is running low.  I get tired of eating what I feel are limited choices in the traditional low-carb diet and so I just skip eating altogether {not a good move} and my blood sugar takes such a mean dive that I become a sweating, blabbering, clumsy fool.  Thus, out of necessity, I have been keeping my eyes peeled for a more interesting  approach and what I keep coming up with is the Paleo diet.  

This diet {aka. "The Caveman Diet"} asks you to evaluate your food choices and opt for things that your ancestors would have eaten.  Essentially, anything from a tree or bush {yay for blackberries and apples!}, most nuts, and meat are allllll goooood.  What's not good?  Sugar, grains, dairy, and most starchy veggies {pretty sure cave people didn't peel and boil potatoes}.  It is similar to the way I am comfortable eating except for the dairy.  I LOVE MY LATTES!  So, I did a little more digging and found that there are tons of Paleo's who add small quantities of dairy to their diet.  The general consensus is, if your body tolerates dairy well, go for it!  

Sweet! Sign me up!

I have not begun a rigorous change {my OCD sometimes takes things like this too far}but I can happily report that I randomly hopped on the scale this week and I am surprisingly down to my pre-Paley weight.  I was shocked but I guess I shouldn't have been.  It's not rocket science.  You are, unfortunately, what you eat.

Side note: Naturally, because I do most of the shopping and cooking, Chris has shifted over too.  {Paley already eats this way because I make all of her baby food and I am careful about what she eats so that we can avoid creating a little cookie monster.}  I am hopeful that this will be a way of eating that will just become part of our family.  We all know the power of food in cultures and among families!

The one thing that I have negative to say is that it hasn't affected my energy levels. I had high hopes for a major energy surge but thus far I dread getting out of bed just like before.  My hope is that this, coupled with my other new habits {details coming soon} will all work and flow and keep me even keeled, alert, and in the present.  Wish me {us} luck!