Day 4, How Long Can We Make It?

OK, so to be honest, I'm the only one who hasn't cheated yet. Day 4. But, like I said, I'm not being super strict, and the goal is to cut WAY back on sugar and increase awareness of how much junk we eat! I made a meal plan, which is below, and which has also drastically changed since we started 3 days ago. Go figure. I know better, the cardinal rule when doing anything with kids, Keep It Simple, Stupid! So instead of trying multiple new recipes in a week, stick  to one, or maybe two, and just try to modify what you usually eat. I have been surprised what my kids will actually eat when they don't have other options. It also helps to bribe them with "approved" things they like...("If you eat all of the spinach in your eggs, you can have some apple juice when you're finished!" Or "If you eat everything on your plate we can have watermelon for dessert." Juice is always a treat in our house.) And they will almost always try one bite of anything. So here's the first 3 days, with the meal plan below. Also, keep reading to the bottom to see my 7yr old's take on all of this! (He wanted to contribute as a guest writer.) I'm not sure how long we'll last, but if we can get through 2 weeks I'll be happy!

Day 1 My kids ate salad. And S ate spinach in her eggs without complaining. Homemade mayo is way easy to make, and SOO yummy. I'll never go back. Notes from today: I wanted to give in to the constant requests for goldfish. You NEED to have TONS of snacks on hand. Literally. A truckload. The morning went OK, but by afternoon, everyone was STARVING and nothing I gave them seemed to fill them up. Also, be sure to pre-make some condiments and dressings, it saves a lot of time in the kitchen. We had scrambled eggs with spinach and kale, a giant salad with leftover roast beef and every veggie we had thrown in, and for dinner, asparagus, steamed broccoli, roasted potatoes, and rainbow trout the kids caught this morning. I wish I could give them cereal for breakfast...

Day 2: I got a lot of negativity today from the whole family. That makes it harder. But we NEED this, the sugar is everywhere! Everyone is starving in the afternoon. Again. I need to get more protein and fat into lunch so they're not asking for more food every 10 minutes. I'm going through eggs like crazy, I started the week with a dozen hardboiled eggs and I have one left. Seriously! And homemade potato chips are a huge hit, I need to make about 4 baking sheets at a time though. Looking forward to smoothies for breakfast, something different than eggs! We had homemade hash browns with fried eggs on top and sausage, lunch was BLT salad, and dinner was buffalo chicken and sweet potato casserole for Z and baked chicken and homemade potato chips with steamed broccoli for kids and I.

Day 3: Smoothies for breakfast! It's yummy. Hard to get up early enough to make 2 meals to pack and send to work for Z. S & G were whiny today, they miss the sugar. S had a meltdown because she wanted a granola bar, but eventually she bucked up and ate turkey wrapped veggies for lunch. On the other hand, J came home from school with a great attitude, said "I think I can actually live on this diet. For a couple of weeks, I mean." Everyone liked lunch(win!), sliced turkey spread with homemade mayo and wrapped around bell peppers, shredded carrots, and avocado slices. Dinner was also a hit with most of them, Rustic Beef and Cabbage stew. I wanted more, but it filled me up! It was awards night at Awana, and they served cake. So go figure, all 3 kids indulged. (Am I a horrible person for half hoping that they would have a tummy ache?) Z was strong for me though, and after I got the kids to bed I had an apple with almond butter to make up for it. I miss my extra buttery popcorn with butter on top! Z is still drinking energy drinks, and doing his workout protein shakes. But he's trying, and I appreciate it!

Day 4:(So far), Had scrambled eggs with kale and sausage this morning. Bribed the kids to eat it with promises of watermelon. Lunch was leftovers for Z, lettuce wrapped chicken and veggies for J, and I made chicken salad for me and for tomorrow. Couldn't get the younger two to eat that, so I chopped up chicken, cucumbers, and bell peppers. They complained until I gave them toothpicks to spear it all with and then they ate it all happily. Woohoo! Juice may have been a bribe factor. But they did ask for more cucumbers, and they said they were full, and there hasn't been a snack request. Baked some kale chips, interested to see how they taste and if the kids will eat them. Doing steak and kale salad for dinner tonight(that's the plan anyway).

Joey's version:
Day 0(The day before we started, all in his own words): I think I'm gonna throw up. Excuse me, where are my manners. My name is Joey. I will see you more this frightful journey. I am feeling nervous. As I was saying, I'll see you later in this journey. By: Guest Writer
Day 1: Not as bad as I thought. But I needed to go to the bathroom a lot. Sounds like some horrible meals. But still OK. See you later.
Day 2: I needed to go to the bathroom a lot. Bad tasting salad. See you later.
Day 3: I liked the food in my lunch! I'm don't think I'm going to die anymore.

Meal Plan:

April/May 2016

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
24 B: spinach, mushroom, & potato egg scramble w/ avacado L: salad & fruit D: grilled steak, squash, and asparagus P: grill chicken & steak for salads	25 B: fried eggs over potato & carrot pancakes L: BLT salad D:Baked salmon w/ roasted cabbage & almond sauce P:	26 B: smoothies L: salmon & lettuce wraps D: Crockpot rustic beef & cabbage stew P:	27 B: scrambled eggs & veggies w/ fruit L: deviled eggs w/ turkey wrapped veggies D: Buffalo chicken stuffed bell peppers P:	28 B:  hardboiled eggs, fruit salad L: leftover stew D: Baked chicken w/ roasted potatoes and broccoli P: soak nuts & coconut for breakfast	29 B: cinnamon apple “porridge” L: seafood salad D: leftovers/salad P:	30 B: banana “pancakes”, scrambled eggs L: turkey & veggie rolls, fruit salad D: Restaurant salad in Spokane P:
1 May B: gone/ larabars and fruit and hardboiled eggs L: burgers w/o buns? D: Homegroup P:	2 B: scrambled eggs w/ veggies L: chicken salad wraps D: spaghetti w/ zoodles  P:	3 B: chia banana pudding L: BLT salad D: skillet chicken thighs w/artichokes P:	4 B: fried eggs over zoodles w/ tomato & avacado L: turkey wraps, veggies, fruit salad D: baked fish w/ sweet potato fries and kale P:	5 B: sausage & egg “muffins” L: tuna patties, broccoli, apples D: grilled steak & kale salad P:	6 B: smoothies L: buffalo chk. salad D: crockpot kaluah pork w/ steamed cabbage, roasted broccoli P:	7 B: spinach & egg bake L: deviled eggs, turkey/veggie wraps, fruit salad D: hamburgers w/ sweet potato buns P:

 

8 B: breakfast “porridge” L: D: grilled salmon, potatoes & asparagus P: grill steak/chicken for salads	9 B: eggs, veggies, fruit L: chicken club salad D:  crockpot chili P:	10 B: smoothies L: salmon patties & broccoli D: sausage & potato bake P:	11 B: eggs, sausage & potato hash L: steak salad D: stir fried chicken & veggies P:	12 B:  banana “pancakes”, eggs L: leftover chili, veggies D:  baked chicken and roasted veggies P:	13 B: fruit salad, hardboiled eggs L: BLT salad D: crockpot roast w/ potatoes P:	14 B: baked eggs w/veggies L: chicken salad wraps, fruit salad D: lemon garlic shrimp skewers w/ potatoes and asparagus P:

Whole 30 Family Experiment

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I have a hard time thinking of anything "blog-worthy". But here it is, finally, and I hope you enjoy the journey with me.

At the suggestion of a friend, we are going to attempt to do the "Whole30" diet for the next 3 weeks (I know, it's not the full 30 days, but it's what fits our schedule right now, so I'm going for it!). Some of you may be familiar with it, but for those of you who are staring at that number with confusion,it's basically 30 days with no sugar, no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no alcohol(non-issue since I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant with kiddo #4), no additives(MSG, carrageenan, sulfites, anything you can't pronounce). (Check out www.whole30.com) And all 5 (well, 6) of us are going to attempt this. This means my kids will be faced with lots of foods that they "don't like" (we'll see how hungry they get). Now, I'm not going crazy, when we're at church and the kind older ladies give them a cookie, I'm going to let them make the decision whether or not to eat it. After their soccer game, I'm not going to tell them that they don't get the snack that all the other kids do. And telling my husband tat diet soda isn't allowed? Yeah, I'm not even going to go there. I'm going to leave it up to them. But we have been doing a lot of talking about making healthy choices, and I'll be warning them that if they DO choose to eat those things that they may not feel so great.

Why are we doing this? Well, I need a sugar reset. Seriously. And I think an overall reset will be good for all of us. I'm hoping that we can all learn to like some of these foods a little better, and in the future that we'll make better choices overall, whether it's grain and dairy free or not. (I do plan to add these things back in! I mean, there's only so long I can do coffee without creamer.) So consider this my intro. I spent the past week meal planning, reading, and food (and family) prepping. I'll be posting throughout this journey, and stay tuned for future posts!

Happy Easter

As we approach another holiday weekend,  I find myself reevaluating what is really important. There is so much commercialism that bombards us and especially our kids, I want to make sure my kids know what Easter is really all about. Now, I'm not super mom. I haven't been on pinterest at all, we did one craft that had no spiritual purpose, and I'm working really hard just to read them our Children's Bible every night leading up to Easter,  but even then I'm questioning myself. Shouldn't this be the most important part of our every day? Why is it just this week (that happens to be spring break) that I'm making time to emphasize Jesus? Is it because we're not behind schedule by 7:15 every morning this week, do I blame our busy school day schedule? Or is the problem with me? Have I not made knowing Jesus and being in His Word a priority in our house? I'm learning and realizing that I need to make some changes. Maybe a little more structured reading time when we can actually read God's word together. Maybe a short memory verse we can work on together.  That means a little less cleaning,  a little less coffee (ouch), a little less breathing space for me, but I so desperately want for my kids the life changing experience of knowing Jesus as their personal savior.
Easter is a season of hope, forgiveness, and new beginnings. Spring is finally here,  and our Saviour is alive! I am so excited to share that joy with my family. And so grateful that Jesus has redeemed me, in spite of past mistakes,  and what better time than now to start new, make a new priority that is a little less focused on being on time and a lot more focused on making time for Jesus.

The Balancing Act

I've been hearing a lot about balance lately, but somehow it seems to escape me. I just finished doing the Bible study "Makeover: Revitalizing the Many Roles You Fill" by Jen Hatmaker with a dear group of friends. Over at The Better Mom they have been doing a series on finding balance as a busy mom. Whether you work, stay home, have kids, are single, finding balance is something that we all struggle right now.
I posted last week about our adorable new puppy and the challenges of housebreaking her. This week I'm recovering from a cold and trying to figure out how to begin training for the 18.12 mile race I signed up for, and include that into everyday life of trying to have some devotional time, play with and teach my kids, have time with my husband each day, cook healthy meals for my family, train a dog, get the chores done and laundry folded, the dishes done, help at church, and be there for the friends God has blessed me with. Juggling kids activities, church activities, at home time, cleaning, exercise, and everything else seems a little intimidating.
We just began a new study on "Gideon: Your weakness, Gods strength". I'm excited to see what God has for me to learn as I find my place in this current season of my life. And I have blocked out this afternoon for sitting down and planning my "schedule", to include all the things God has put into my life. I think the key for starters is coming up with a plan, and then tackling it moment by moment with the strength and grace God gives us. I'll keep you posted!

Bonus: A link to my current new favorite recipe for homemade granola bars:
Inspired Taste Soft and Chewy Granola Bars

The Tickle Fight that went right

Today was a day. You know, one of "those" days. The ones where everyone and everything is just off. It started out fine, I only cleaned up puppy pee once before 8am. Then we went grocery shopping,  and I lost my keys somewhere between unlocking the car to load groceries and returning the cart. Not a huge distance to cover, but they were gone. So I had to re-unload kids and go and ask inside if they'd been returned. Thankfully they had,  although I have to admit I was a little annoyed that someone's good deed took an extra 15minutes of my time. Because you know if they would have left them where they were I would have found them in a minute. But it's ok, they were doing their best and I wasn't late for anything. Just a little hiccup.
Came home,  unloaded kids and groceries, (I can't remember if I cleaned more dog pee), made granola bars, and then it was time to get my oldest off the bus. It was early for the first time ever, so I almost missed it. He misbehaved at school,  so up in smoke went my dream of a nap. (No screen time if you get in trouble at school.) So we spent nap time writing apology letters (I almost fell asleep spelling "sorry"). Then the boys played. And made jokes. All about farts and poop. All afternoon. I was so tired of it. I sent them outside to play(twice), hoping that would burn off some of the crazy energy they seemed to have today. They came in, still telling weird 3 and 5 year old style farts jokes (like "why did the giraffe cross the road? So he could fart!" Which to boys is apparently hilarious), and proceeded to run laps around the living room for the next hour.
It was at this point I had given up. I know I did stuff, but it sure doesn't feel like I made any progress. I vacuumed the living room,  but only because my middle son had emptied out the dustpan of hair from yesterdays haircuts all over the living room. I sat down as the boys ran laps around me, doing my best to ignore the insanity and obnoxiously loud farting noises, and I felt useless. What was the point? What is the purpose to all this? I'm so tired but I haven't done anything worthwhile. And then it hit me. My perspective needs adjusting. That's when the tickle fight commenced.
Have you ever tried to tickle three children at once? Its hilarious,  and nerve wracking, and exhausting. But it works. My attention was all they needed to get over that edge. My attitude changed, so did theirs. So we tickled. And then I made dinner, and they played *somewhat* quietly (the fart jokes never stopped), and I was reminded of my purpose. The point of it all. To show them the same love God shows me. In spite of my tired, my grumpy, to just jump in and engage. The moments (yes, "those" ones), didn't stop, but my attitude was better.
And maybe,  just maybe, there is something a tiny bit funny about farting giraffes. At least its funny to watch them think its funny.

Puppies and Grace.

We have a new dog. She's a puppy. Very cute. Very cuddly. But exhausting. One more "little" to keep track of. More poo and pee to clean. I forgot how much puppies are like babies. We picked her up Saturday night. She was a surprise to the kids, they didn't know we were getting her. Her flight however, was 4 hours late. That's a long time to wait in an airport past bedtime with 3 small children. It was 2am by the time we got home. Poor puppy was all wound up, so it was after 3 by the time my husband and I got to sleep. The next day was rough. Grumpy kids, grumpy parents, an adorable puppy peeing everywhere and chewing on everything. Last night, after putting the kids to bed almost 2 hours early, and taking the dog outside for the fourth time in an hour, I looked at my husband and I was totally overwhelmed. "I think we bit off more than we could chew." She has been great though, aside from the puddles. She's sweet, she mostly chews on her toys and one rug she's grown attached to. She is great with the kids, not overly rowdy for the most part, and loves to just be beside you. I'm excited to have another dog, I just forgot how much work they are as puppies. And today has been better. Sleep works wonders. For everyone. It reminds me again of God's amazing patience with us, His unconditional and everlasting love. Even though I'm far away from my cuteness "saving" me (like Karu), I know He isn't going to run out of patience, He is always there to listen, even at 3am when I'm cleaning puppy pee, and at 5 when I'm changing diapers. I am so thankful His love is not conditional.
So the next week will be a little crazy, but we'll get there. We'll survive one day and a time, and someday, she will learn to pee outside.

The Race...

So I have to admit, I have been completely unmotivated the past few weeks. I had two races looming ahead of me, that I felt unprepared for. And I knew that two weeks is no where near enough time to cram for a half marathon. Not that you can really "cram" for a race, but it's a lot easier to wing a 5K or even a 10K.
I'm a lucky girl, though, my husband ran with me, and I have amazing friends who stayed with my kids so we could go down the night before and not have to get up quite so early. The night before, we went to bed at a decent time, I was sleeping great, when BRRING! The hotel clock alarm went off. 3am. Yup. Somebody's idea of a prank was NOT appreciated. My loving hubby hit snooze. Sure enough, about 5 minutes later, BRRING! Off it goes again. "Unplug it!" I wasn't happy. But we did go back to sleep. Woke up at 6am to start getting ready for the start time at 8am, and looked out the window to blowing snow. March 23rd, and there is snow accumulating out the window. Where we are due to run 13.1 miles in about 2 hours. Really?
So we get ready to run and expect to be miserable. We walked the .5 mile to the starting line, warmed up inside, and stayed inside until the last possible moment. When we walked out to the starting line, the snow had stopped (Thank you Lord!!), and the sun was beginning to peek out from the clouds. The National Anthem was sung beautifully, and when the gun went off, all 1294 racers began the slow walk to the start line. Apparently, you don't start running when the gun goes off, you wait until your feet actually touch the start line.
The first few miles weren't bad. I was a little slow, but it's hard to get warmed up when it's 21 degrees farenheight and there's a 15mph wind blowing in your face. Finally around mile 3, after drinking some frozen Gatorade, I got into my groove. It was sunny, I was passing a few people that looked like they should have been faster than me, and I was looking forward to hitting the halfway mark and downing a gel pack. Made it to the 6.5 mile mark, and grabbed some GU from a volunteer. Brr. Never before have I actually had to chew the stuff. It was frozen. Drank some more half frozen water to wash it down, and kept on plugging. I still felt like I was doing a good pace.
I kept on going, enjoying the sunsine, and the people, til around mile 9. I started getting tired. And thirsty. I was ready for more frozen GU. But there wasn't a water station. So I started messing with my radio, and watching for a water station so I could re energize. I didn't slow down, yet, I was just getting ready to be done. That was the farthest I had gone in training, and it was the single long run I'd done to prep for the whole race. It was mile 10 when I started slowing down. Finally got to that water station I'd been waiting the last mile for, but at that point I was starting to hurt. My feet hurt, my knees hurt, my hips hurt. Definitely was wishing I had trained more consistently. There was more shade here, and my face felt frozen. But, only 3 miles to go. You can always keep going just a few more miles, right?
The last mile I actually stopped to walk a few times. Just a few steps, but every time it was harder to get going. Finally the finish line was in sight. I tried to speed up, you always gotta give it your all to cross the finish, but I don't think all my effort resulted in any actual speed. It was just more pounding the pavement at the same pace. I was so sore by the time I crossed the finish, it felt so good to be done. And inside where it was warm. And there was food. Yum. Food. I'll be hungry for several days after this, but hopefully after a few gallons of water and some sleep I won't be feeling quite so sore.
So am I done with races? Oh no. I started looking that night at marathons. Now I know where I'm at, and I have a good idea of what I need to do to get where I want to be. Plus I loved the t-shirt.:) That's one reason I love running. It's not about being the best or being the fastest, it's about knowing where you are and slowly but surely overcoming and getting better. Pushing just a little bit harder than the last time, and proving to yourself what you can do.
Oh and the final results, for anyone who cares: Place 800, net time 2:10:57.
Happy running!