Day?

Ok so I know I dropped off for a little while. I can give you a list of excuses but this journey is about being real. So I will just say the honest truth of I was getting so caught up in life again I was not taking the time for me. The more I think about this the more it drives me nuts. I really need to get out of this funk stop making excuses and live my life the way I always said I would. Healthy, happy, and active! 

Day 4

Today was grocery day and we are now fully stocked on all kinds of healthy food choices. Tomorrow starts the work outs and heading into this full force. I will post more pictures as of tomorrow these post will be much longer. Here's to a good week ahead. 

Day 3

Let me just say day 3 was rough. I caved into my cravings for something salty and had some tortilla chips. I kept active by taking advantage of a nice day and took the kids with some family. Sunday's are grocery days for me so tomorrow is a new day full of fresh foods. 

Day 2

Today was my day of realization. I realized that this is not a diet. Yes, it is called the 21 day fix but it truly is a lifestyle change. I will be taking these next couple of days to reintroduce myself to healthy natural foods. I have been doing my research finding good tasting recipes I will post these as I try them. I am starting my exercise DVDs on Monday. I want to make sure I have a better understanding about my food before I start adding in the exercise element. 

I want to end this with a new recipe that I found to replace my morning coffee with coffee creamer.

6oz coffee

1 packet stevia 

1 tsb caramel extract ( a little more if not to your taste) 

A splash of Silk Almond chocolate milk

My 21 Day Fix Journey Day 1

I want to start this journey by telling you a little about me this will help you have a better connection to where I am comming from. I usually try to keep pretty private so this in its self is a pretty big step for me. I am not claiming to be a writer by any means so my writing may not be the best. That is not what this blog is about. It is about my jouney to gain myself back. So here we go.........

For years, or I should say for as long as I can remember I have been worried about my weight. I was never the skinny one, or most fit one and it drove me crazy. So finally in my early twenties things were better I felt more fit and healthy. Then being a early twenty something I started to forget how hard I had worked to get my body in shape and started making poor decisions such as going out to eat instead of going to the gym or eating late at night. As the time went on I got married and we decided it was time for kids. Which leads me to the now post baby weight still working to get off all the weight I had gain. You know what it isn't just about the weight anymore. It is about the energy and feeling healthy. 

After doing a crazy amount of research and a lot of trial and error I am hoping I finally found something that will work. The 21 day fix. I am not a beach body coach just a girl trying to get herself back. Today I started to prep so tomorrow I will post about being ready. Until then. 

Getting rid of cable

In today's world we live connected. We have cell phones, iPads, laptops,cable,and everything can have Bluetooth which means it can connect together without wires. We have come a long way since vcr players, Walkmans, and pay phones. With all these convinces comes a cost that just seems to get larger and larger.  With this, and the forever changing world my husband and I really wanted to find a way to eliminate some bills. So we decided to get rid of the $60.00 bill for basic cable. With having two high energy boys we really wanted to turn our focus to being more active. That being said, we decided to get a stream player so the kids do not loose the few shows they do like. After hours of research we found that Amazon Fire would best fit our needs. We took advantage of a holiday special. So what has our experience been............GREAT! We love it. Now there are a few extras that we found we needed. The most important and most challenging for us has been an antenna. We found we needed an antenna because to get some basic channels especially CBS this is what you need. You can stream somethings from their aps but with having a house full of sport loving boys this was our must haveto view them live. Does Fire tv have sport aps ? YES, but they are only good to use in conjunction with your cable service. This was our frustration because the hole point for us was not to have that bill. So beyond the antenna what where are other extras? We decided to subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netfix. Both $7.99 a month. If you get the cd program for Netflix this is separate. The cd program is another $7.99 a month. I should also say that a purchased a e-book for $2.99 called  Amazon Fire TV user guide: Newbie to Expert in 1 hour. This book was a huge help and I love the fact the authors actually e-mail you updates. I should also mention that for those of you with Disney loving children these aps are also in conjunction with your cable. I did find with Hulu and Netflix though my children's Disney needs were met. Overall, this has been the right decision for us. The advise I give to you is do your research,and know what your getting into. Make sure you find what is right for your needs. I hope this helps anyone thinking of going this route. 

New Year

With the holidays behind us we now embark on a new year. This is a time when we reflect on all our good times and come up with resolutions to help prevent the bad. All I can say is I feel so blessed to have my family. Dispite a recent outbreak of a stomach bug we have all remained healthy. I have my usual fondue dinner planned ( I will post more on this later), and my resolutions made. I wish everyone a safe night and Happy New Year! 

Starting things off

I know it has been months since I have kept up with this blog but that is about to change. It has taken me some time to get into the balance of kids, wife, school, and me. I finally feel a little more balanced so I have big plans for this blog. 

To start off, I want to tell you about a little of what I have been up to. I recently took a English research class for school ( it still feels so weird to say that in my thirties. Lol) . I want to start off the relaunch of this blog with what I have learned in my research. No worries I am not going to bore you with gruesome details. My goal here is not to be boring but to be fun. 

So I recently had a discussion with one of my doctors about food. This is not a big surprise for those of you that know me personally. I have struggled my whole life with my weight. I have always been pretty aware of what I have put in my mouth.........or so I thought.

I can not tell you how many low-fat, fat-free,or suppose to be so healthy for food and drinks I have eaten or drank over the years. I thought I was doing everything right. So it must be me why I have struggled so much with maintaining a healthy weight. Well, after this discussion with my doctor I learned I had been so wrong. 

My doctor told me about an article in "Time" magazine that he said supported some of his research on foods. So I found this article and have since been on a hunt for more information. This article goes into about what we have been told is the right way to eat. When in reality what we gave been told may really not be the best options for us. We live in a world of man made and processed foods. There are kids out there that may very rarely  see what a "real" vegtable or piece of friut looks like. Really? I find this so sad. With that being said I did promise no boring gruesome details. I am going to start posting about food made with "real food" I will also post Tibets about what are some healthy benefit. My goal has always been to be a certain weight and live a healthy lifestyle . So now, Sunday dinner post will be all about the foods I encounter on this journey to meet these goals. I will keep you posted on my journey and what I have learned along the way daily. So folks, keep coming back to my blog to learn more about what my journey has been and will be and all the fun stuff in between. 

I'm back

I am back.......

Zulily

Groove Book

So I have to admit. I love the show Shark tank. I think deep down I love the idea of being a entrepreneur. I enjoy seeing the passion and drive that these people have. With that being said I saw something about a month ago that totally grabbed my attention. It was called Groove book. You down load the app onto your phone and it allows you to print your pictures. So I went ahead and did this. I am always taking pictures with my phone. Let's be honest while an actual camera gives you a better quality picture it is just crazy to juggle carrying both a phone, a camera, and two kids. 

I was so excited today to get my book. I felt it was really well put together. I paid 2.99 to get 100 pictures. You sign up and receive a book of pictures you choose every month. I love this hole concept. You can cancel at anytime. So my advice is to give it a shot. Here is what mine looked like. 

I should also note this review is entirely on my own. I did not receive any compensation.  

Shopping online

As a mother of two boys going shopping is always a big event. I have become quite a fan of online shopping. I can not remember who told me about this site called Zulily. I gave it a shot and let me say I love it. I have ordered from them a few times. From boots for me to some hard to find educational toys for my kids the service has been consistent. It has always been great. I love the fact that you can track your package from day one. Not just from when it has been shipped. The quality of the items is always great. Nothing has felt cheap poor quality. I recently ordered swim shoes for my boys. I have to say I bought them for 4.99 and they are the same quality as the $20 pairs I see at the stores. The thing I love is the items are limited so you will not see many people with the same ones. My son has gotten a ton of compliments on those shoes. I have included a link to check out their site. Please take a moment to browse I promise you will not be disappointed . Once I figure out howto get a good picture I will post picture of some of the items I have purchased. I have posted a banner above. I am still trying to figure this out. 

It is a 10!

 I wanted to share a product that I absolutely love. I have been a liscenced cosmetologist for over 15 years and I have tried a ton of different products. When I came across this conditioner it was instant love. I loved the smell and loved what it does with hair. This is not the best product picture but you can see what it looks like. 

This product does a perfect job of conditioning my blonde thin hair without weighing it down. I have used other products within the It's a 10 line and I recommend them all. I really feel these are great for all types of hair. Questions let me know. 

Monday Mania

Usually Mondays are the day of the week I regroup set out my goals for the week, menu plan,and start a cleaning to do list. With the holiday today I am just going to enjoy my boys. Until tomorrow .

Sunday dinner

I thought what better way to kick off the new blog than Sunday dinner. While working in retail I missed Sunday dinners. I always felt it was such a bonding experience for friends and family to enjoy a good meal. In today's world there are so many electronics to communicate sometimes the art of face to face communication gets lost. What better way to bring people together. So Sundays are food days. 

Last Sunday was my moms birthday so of course I wanted to make her a dinner. It is absolutely one of my favorite things to do for birthdays. Ok lets be honest I love to cook and bake give me a reason to do it for others makes it that much more for me.

I decided to grill some sausage on the grill. Nothing really special I just suggest to really keep an eye on it. The juice from the sausage can cause the flames to blacken them quickly. I also decided to do some peppers and onions. This is what I use...

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 orange or yellow pepper

1 large white or yellow onion

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning to taste

I slice all the ingredients and put them in a plastic bag. I sprinkle with some olive oil. Shake the bag really good to coat everything .I set this aside and start to heat the pan . Once the pan is heated I add my vegetables. After they have been cooking for about two minutes. I add a shot of white wine. I cook these until the onions start to caramelize. 

Usually I start the pepper first then throw the sausage on the grill and they are done around the same time.

I will add a picture next time I make this.Until then trust me it looks delicious. I usually have a side of greens salad, potato salad, and some kind of pasta salad.

Now, what would be a Sunday dinner without dessert. It being my mom's birthday I really wanted to do something she would like. So I decided to go for this.......

 This is a Fruit Pizza or I like to call it a Fruit tart. It is super easy and it went really fast. 

Here is the how-to.

Fruit Pizza/ Fruit tart

1 pkg ) sugar cookie dough ( I used Pillsbury) 

1 ) 8 oz pkg cream cheese

1) 4 oz cool whip

Fruit of choice

Orange sauce

1/2 cup sugar

Dash of salt

1 tbs cornstarch

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tbs lemon juice

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp grated orange peel

First cut cookie dough in 1/8 " pieces and place on pizza pan. Bake at temperature stated on package until slightly golden brown. About 10 minutes.

While cookie is baking start orange sauce. Mix all ingredients together in a sauce pan. Cook until mixture is boiling and has thicken. Continue cooking about 1 minute. Then turn off sauce to cool . 

Blend cream cheese and cool whip with hand mixer until blended. Once cookie crust has cooled completely spread mixture on crust. 

 Place your desired fruit on the cream covered crust. 

I choose blueberries, strawberries, raspberries,and kiwi. 

Then drizzle the orange sauce on top.

I placed mine back in the fridge for an hour to make sure it was all cooled and yummy to serve. 

I hope you enjoyed these recipes and will try these for your Sunday dinner or any day of the week dinner.

Xo,

Me for a while 

Restart button

I know it has been awhile. I could give a list of excuses but that will not do any of us any good. When I first started this blog I was just courious of the blogging world. I honestly was wondering if I really could be heard. I was also told by numerous people when becoming a mother/ wife make sure to take time for myself. I have always love to write. So bam here we are. In the past, I have not taken this blog to where I wanted to. I always found an excuse about having time. Well, I know longer want to do that. So with that being said keep a look out for a hole new style of blog. I want to include a variety of things from online shopping , product reviews, recipes, exersise, and probably even some random DYI and things that I just like. I hope this will attract more readers. So until next time. 

Me for awhile 

Off the wagon

Ok, so I have to admit I fell of the T25 wagon a little. I am giving myself until next week to make sure I get my butt in gear. I am no longer on spring break and juggling everyone's schedule brings a hole new challenge to the mix. So Saturday is the restart day. :( 

Ready set go....

So tomorrow is the big start day for T25. I have reviewed all the CDs now it is time to try them. I am not going to lie I am nervous. I feel that now is the time though. Time to push through being uncomfortable to reach a goal that I have wanted to achieve off so long. Ready..... Set......... Go............

T25

So this week it is time to get my butt back in shape. I will post my progress. I am going to do this with the help of T25 . 

Speech day

Today is a day I get to go the the college and make a speech for class. I get so nervous. Tonight I decided to talk about the color wheel. I chose this with hopes of actually being able to talk for 7 minutes. Wish me luck !