Love this

http://whatcomfamilies.com/2013/05/11/the-invisible-mother/

Time.

I don't know where the time goes ...

Wow, I've been M.I.A. from this blog for far too long!!  

Here's a quick update on my previously stated goals:

~ doing alright with the laundry!  I don't remember the last time someone didn't have a pair of clean socks in the morning and thankfully summer is soon approaching and we won't need clean socks every morning ;)

~ bedtime ... failing miserably :(  I can not get my butt into bed at a decent hour.  I know this is very unhealthy.  It's a work in progress!!

~ I have lost 6 lbs to date!  I'm excited about this and find that I am on a fairly good path as far as diet and exercise go.  I started out with a 'bang', losing 5 lbs quite quickly but have petered out a bit!!  For me, my success is pretty much all dependant on my diet.  I really wish this wasn't the case, I wish I could eat whatever I wanted and just exercise like a maniac every day!!!!  (I'm sure many of you feel this way?!)  I've done a few weeks of KB class on Tu, KB class on Wed, followed by yoga, KB class on Th.  These weeks feel FANTASTIC!  I love it!  But I can't afford to do that every week, nor do I have the time!  But once in awhile, I will sneak those extra classes in there!  I've also been seeing a ridiculously wonderfully talented massage therapist.  She's been working me over and it hurts so good ... lol!  She is so great and has been very helpful with my various aches, pains and strains.  It feels good to take care of myself and I only feel a little bit of guilt ;)

Like I said, this will be quick!  I'm trying to catch some of my PVR'd programs while hubby is at spin class but all I am finding are news reports on the Boston Marathon bombing.  What is wrong with this world.  So terrible, sad, depressing but unfortunately, not unbelievable.  I wish I could say I was in disbelief but sadly, I am not.  My thoughts and prayers are with everyone.  I saw the following post on FB and thought it was worth sharing.  Thank you to all the 'helpers' in our world.

  

Love it.

Grocery Budgeting

I just had to share this!!  We've been using the below 'envelope' budgeting tracking system for the month of January and WOW!!  It works SO well.  We've tried spending a certain budgeted amount on groceries for awhile now, sometimes sticking to that number but most often not sticking to that number.  It became more of a buy what we need (or what we thought we needed!) and try not to buy too many extra's (i.e. packaged cookies, fruit snacks, and all those other 'expensive' pre-packed goodies!!!).  But with setting some new financial goals this year, this is coming in very handy.  Again, thank you Pinterest for this great find :)  I hope this video works:

Envelope budgeting system (click here)

Let me know if you try it!

xo
Tracy

Checking in :)

I feel pretty good about the past week, exercise and eating wise!  Kettlebell classes have started again and boy am I feeling it!!  Abs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, etc, etc, etc ... hurts so good ;)  I love those classes!  It was my 1 yr 'anniversary' on Tuesday, attending two times a week for a full year.  There were a few breaks and I missed a couple of classes here and there but it is definitely routine now, which I am proud of!  Now I need to add a few more exercise days/week into my routine and make healthy eating more 'routine' :)  A friend has started a FB group, where we encourage each other to drink an adequate amount of water each day and make healthy eating choices and share tips, tricks and recipes.  I'm looking forward to the accountability that this group will provide!

My laundry goal  is going good although it has changed!  I'm finding it much easier to wash and dry a load every day and put it away the next day.  Putting the laundry away is the hard part because of Reese's nap time and the kid's going to bed so early.  But I am getting more laundry done throughout the week and avoiding the weekend pile-up that is so overwhelming (5 people create A LOT of laundry!!)!!

And goal #3 - earlier bedtime.  I made it ... into bed before or at 11:30 every day!  But I've discovered being in bed at 11:30 really doesn't do much good when I read or play on the iPad until 1 am or later.  So this week's new 'bedtime' goal is to be in bed, light's off and attempting to sleep by 11:30 pm!  Being meet week this week (Cameron's Closet), this will be difficult.  I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, as I do 90% of my work late into the night but I'm going to find a way and make it work.  I need to be better rested, for myself and my family!

So there's a quick update :)  I hope your week went well and once again, feel free to comment (anonymous comments are welcome ;) )!!!

xo 

Tracy

Resolutions?!

Not for this gal!  I have never had much success with New Years Resolutions!  I say much success because to a certain degree I have followed through on many of my New Years Resolutions ... But I think the main problem is that my 'resolutions' are never specific enough and are often very broad.  I need to break them down into smaller, more attainable goals.  So here I go!!!

Goals for January:

1. Lose 5 lbs by February 1st (more then attainable and realistic, hopefully the number will be more like 10 lbs!!)

2. Do 1 load of laundry every second day.  (I would love to say every day but that ain't going to happen!!  And by completely, I mean folded and PUT AWAY!!)

3. Be in bed by 11:30 pm every night for the nights of January 7th to January 11th (I have to work up to this ;)  I will re-evaluate on the 11th and hopefully move on to in bed by 11 pm!!) 

And that is all for now!!  I have great ideas and want to write out a whole list of goals but I am trying to be realistic :)  I'd love if someone, anyone (lol) would comment on this post with some of your own goals for January!  Maybe together we can motivate each other?!  I have no idea who reads this blog other then my family and a few others who have mentioned to me that they read it!!  It's a bit strange to be honest, not knowing who is 'out there'!!! 

I will end with this, my more broader 'resolution' for 2013 and my wish for you!  I found this onPinterest and LOVE it: 

xo
Tracy

Happiness

Wonderful, wonderful statement and reminder that money does not = happiness.                                   

{although I have to admit I'd love the chance to confirm that ;) }

This & That!

True 'dat!



This made me laugh!!


~ T

Yum Yum!

I have so many ideas for this blog, but no time to post!!! 

I've been trying a lot of new recipes lately and in September we tried our hand at meal planning.  It went quite well, we definitely ate out less (goal!) although we didn't always follow the "plan"!! 

Here is one recipe we tried this month:

Cheesy Cheddar 'n Ham Loaf

prep time 15 min
total time 1 hr 5 min
makes 6

What you need: 1 lb. (450 g) refrigerated Pizza Dough, 1/2 lb. (225 g) sliced deli Black Forest ham, 1 cup Kraft Double Cheddar Shredded Cheese, 1/4 cup Miracle Whip Dressing, 1 egg (beaten), 1 Tbsp. Kraft 100% Parmesan Grated Cheese


HEAT oven to 350°F. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 12x8-inch rectangle. (If dough is difficult to roll, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 min. before rolling out.) Cover dough with ham, overlapping slices slightly and leaving a 1/2-inch border around all sides. Mix Cheddar cheese and dressing; spread over ham.

MOISTEN edges of dough with water. Starting at 1 of the long sides, fold 1/3 of dough over filling; repeat with other long side. Firmly pinch ends of dough together to seal. Place, seam-side down, on lightly greased baking sheet. Cut 3 diagonal slits in top of dough with kitchen shears. Brush with egg; sprinkle with Parmesan.
BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until golden brown. Cool 10 min. before slicing to serve.

Healthy Living, Good news! You'll save 50 calories, 4 g total fat and 2.5 g saturated fat per serving by preparing with whole wheat pizza dough, Kraft Double Cheddar Shredded Cheese Light- Made with 2% Milk, Miracle Whip Calorie-Wise Dressing and Kraft 100% Light Parmesan Grated Cheese.
 
Pizza Loaf: Omit Parmesan. Prepare substituting 16 pepperoni slices for the ham, Kraft Mozzarella Shredded Cheese for the Cheddar and 1/3 cup pizza sauce for the 1/4 cup dressing.
 
Veggie Lover's Loaf: Omit Parmesan. Prepare substituting 2 cups chopped cooked broccoli and 1/2 cup shredded carrots for the ham and Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread for the dressing.
 
We did the ham and cheddar loaf and it was delicious!!!  But I'll do the veggie one next for my lil' veggie lover's :)
 
Let me know if you try it!!
 
ttyl
 
~ T

LOVE THIS:

No washing machine ...

Our washer broke down yesterday ... we're in the middle of deciding what to buy and will probably be without a washer for a week or so, depending on when we buy and when it can be delivered!  DH informed me tonight that he doesn't have any "work" shirts.  AWESOME.  So I googled "how to wash laundry in your bath tub" and found this article!  I found the line that says, "pound the hell out of your clothes" humorous :)

How to do your laundry in the bathtub.


Posted on December 1, 2006

by laurawolfram
22 Comments

Motivated more by penury than environmentalism, I recently decided to start washing all my clothes by hand. Towels, sheets, and blankets still go to the laundromat, since they’re too unwieldy to rinse and dry in the confined space of my little NYC apartment. Otherwise, I’ve kicked the washer and dryer habit, which is good, since both machines eat electricity like candy.

Feel like giving handwashing a try?

You will need:

■a large plastic or — better yet — metal bucket

■a bathtub

■laundry detergent (I like Seventh Generation)

■a laundry line, either in the bathtub itself, or anywhere else that’s convenient for you

1) Fill the bucket about halfway with your dirty clothes, packed loosely. Dump in the appropriate amount of detergent, fill the bucket with warm water. Allow the clothes to soak for at least ten minutes.
2) Take a shower. Wash, scrub, exfoliate, condition — do whatever you normally do in the shower. While you’re doing all this, stomp on your laundry to agitate it and force the soap through the fabric. You can also use a washboard during this stage, though I don’t think it’s really necessary.
3) When you’ve finished your shower, empty the laundry bucket and wring out the clothes. Fill the bucket about halfway with cold water, and then pound the hell out your clothes so as to remove as much soap as possible. Rinse, refill, repeat. Unless you’ve used way too much detergent, the rinsing process shouldn’t take more than a bucket or two of cold water.
4) Wring out your laundry, hang it up to dry. My laundry line suction-cups itself to the tiles of my bathroom wall, so that I can let my clothes drip-dry right over the tub.

Addendum: To shrink denim back to its proper size, soak it for five to ten minutes in very hot water. No tumble-drying necessary!

by laurawolfram

I'm going to give it a try tomorrow night.  I'll let you know how it goes, but I'm already thinking I'm going to like this!!  I was just thinking tonight that I need a punching bag to take my frustrations out on, but after reading this, I think I'll take my frustrations out by stomping my laundry clean :p)

~ Tracy

The Dress

My first impression was slightly surprised!  I expected something a tad more extravagant.  A longer train perhaps, I'm not sure, just ... more!!  But after watching for a few minutes "the dress" began to grow on me.  It could be summed up in two words - Simple Elegance.  From head to toe, Kate was absolutely stunning - from the beautiful long lace sleeves on her gown (a requirement when getting married in the Abbey), the 9 ft train, her earrings (which were a gift from her Mom and Dad and inspired by the Middleton family coat of arms), the sold silk bodice and skirt (which apparently had padding on the hips - imagine needing padding on your hips?!) and the simple bouquet.  Just gorgeous!  Apparently she did not have any extensions and I thought her hair style was perfect with a few loose curls and 1/2 up!  Were you enthralled with the Royal Wedding and all the events and coverage leading up to it?  I obviously was and I have hours of PVR'd coverage and specials to still watch ;)

Interview With God

Once again, something I saw on a blog ... something that I loved :)  How true!



Makes you think doesn't it.

Hello!

Hi there :)  I created this "new" blog a looonng time ago, but have never posted on it!! 

I've been thinking of starting a different blog for awhile now and so here I am!  I have no idea how often I'll post?!

I am have a lot of random thoughts flying around in my head every day and often want to blog about them, but didn't want to do it on our "family" blog. 

I also find myself wanting to share recipes and pictures of some of the things I bake and cook ...

So here we are ... my "ramblings!!"  Enjoy ... or not ;)

Tracy