Happy Monday!
We had a nice, relaxing weekend. On Saturday, Kev and I took our older kids to see the new Hunger Games Mockingjay movie.
I really liked it! I’ve never read the books, but my kiddos have. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of the Hunger Games movies. They are so well done and so well cast. I love them!
I also told my kids that sadly, the Hunger Games story offers a great view of history and government. The movie and characters seem so farfetched, but unfortunately things have happened and are happening in the world that closely resemble some of the things that happen in that movie.
Sad, but true.
It seems like the older I get and the more I learn about the world we live in, the more frightened I become to live in it! It’s especially frightening to raise children in such a scary world. BUT, I’ve also learned to be BRAVE and to strive to be a FORCE for GOOD in the world.
I also try to teach my kiddos to be brave, fearless and unwavering….just like Katniss! Sounds cheesy, but as a mother I worry about my kids and the things they’ll have to face in this world. I wish I could protect them from every bad/sad/scary thing that will ever happen to them, but I know I can’t. I also know that experience and challenges are good for them and make them stronger.
I want my kids to be brave, strong, capable and prepared for life!
Thankfully, over the years I’ve realized our family kind of, sort of lives in a bubble. We live in such a great community and are surrounded by so many wonderful people. I am very happy, content and grateful to live in our bubble!
I’ve also learned to embrace my naivete. Ha ha.
Anyway, we had a great weekend and I loved spending time with my sweet family. Here are a couple cute pics I took this weekend…
Oh my word, there is nothing quite like snuggling a sweet, squishy baby!
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Well folks, my healthy efforts had serious issues last week. I have so many goals, ambitions and things I want to accomplish, but lately I’ve felt a little unorganized, unmotivated, sleep deprived and overwhelmed!
Auuuughhh!
Soooo, I decided to STOP, take a deep breath and take a long hard look at my life. I reminded myself that I am NOT wonder woman, but I AM capable and I AM IN CHARGE of my life!
Sooooo, I decided to sit down with one of my notebooks and make myself a plan. I’ve always LOVED notebooks. They are so motivating and therapeutic to me! Whenever I make serious goals or life changes, my notebooks are my best friends…
After the kids go to bed at night, I love to curl up with a notebook and put things into writing. I write goals, ambitions, to-do lists, deep thoughts, menu plans, exercise plans, workouts, etc.
There’s something so empowering about actually writing thoughts and goals down. I love the quote, “A goal not written is merely a wish” and I’ve definitely found that quote to be true in my own life!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought, “I’m going to eat really well” or “I’m going to kill it in the gym this week,” but I don’t actually write it down and PLAN. If I don’t have an “official plan” and actually write my goals down, they fizzle very quickly.
When I write my goals and share them with others, I am so much more committed and ALWAYS have so much more success! In fact, that was the main reason why I started this blog back in 2011…..to be accountable to all y’all!
With that being said, I decided to sit down with one of my beloved notebooks last night and write down some goals. I planned out my exercise schedule for the week and I WILL stick to it! Here’s the schedule I came up with…
Monday: Run 3 miles
Tuesday: Attend a muscle class at the gym!
Wednesday: Rest (or do some cardio if I’m feeling ambitious)
Thursday: Run a 5K Turkey Trot
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Go to the gym and do a total body resistance training workout
Sunday: Always a rest day
I would really like to work out every single day, but I’m trying to “keep it real” and not get too overwhelmed. I definitely plan to kick it up a notch as my life and body allows. But, I am happy to be going back to the gym this week! Eeeee!
I’ve felt so out of shape and frumpy lately, so I haven’t wanted to show my face at the gym. Hee hee. BUT, I decided that was just stupid! I gave myself a swift kick in the butt and decided to buck up and get back there. I seem to push myself so much harder at the gym and always get a great workout in!
I also recommitted to eating CLEAN! I’m staying away from sugar, white flour and processed food. I’m striving to eat lots of veggies, fruits and real foods! I really should write some more specific goals for my eating plan, but for now this will suffice.
I’m also committing to GET MY SLEEP! I’ve been so dang tired lately and I know that’s why I’ve been struggling in the other areas of my life. Soooooo, 11:00 PM is my “lights out” time.
When I get really serious about losing weight, living healthily and accomplishing goals, I also like to write in my notebook each night. I usually write down things like what I ate, how much water I drank, what I did for exercise, if I lost any weight, and my THOUGHTS about my efforts for the day.
It’s so helpful to me!
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Soooo, this morning after I got my kids off to school, I got dressed in my exercise clothes and hopped on the treadmill! I got my 3 miles in and it actually wasn’t too bad. The time went by quickly and I was so glad I stuck with my goals! Woo hoo.
After my run, I made myself a very yummy Strawberry Banana Protein shake!
I had this sample packet of Strawberry protein powder, so I decided to give it a try!
This protein powder isn’t the healthiest out there, but it tasted really good! I’m now on a mission to find a healthier Strawberry protein powder. Oh, and FYI, I put coconut milk, protein powder, frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds, a little bit of stevia, spinach and ice in my shake.
Oh, and I recently bought this stevia on Amazon and I love it!
And dang it, I just checked on Amazon and this stevia is currently not available right now! What’s up with that?!?! Hopefully, they’ll get some more in stock soon. I loved that this was just 100% stevia with no added fillers!
This packet of stevia is very small btw. It’s about the size of a small envelope. I only use a tiny amount every time I use it though. I also bought these on Amazon so I could more accurately measure my stevia…
They’ve worked out great. Yes, I’m an official Amazon addict.
Well, I gotta wrap this up so I can stick with my bedtime goal! I will leave you guys with a little bit of motivation…
Have a wonderful night!!!