Goals for 2015

Hope you all had a Happy Holiday & a Safe New Year.

It’s that time of year for everyone to decide on what their New Year’s Resolutions are going to be for the next year.  I like to call them “Goals” vs. “Resolutions”.  I feel that if I call them “Goals’’ and I don’t succeed 100% it won’t be the end of the world.

Like most, I wanna lose weight, eat healthier, save more..blah blah blah. So why am I putting my goals on my little ol’ blog…well in hopes that it will help keep me more accountable.  (let’s hope) 

Goal 1: Organization

I would love the be more organized.  Our house feels like its busting at the seams…we have too much stuff.  So one of my goals this year is to be more organized.  My “Goal” is to accomplish these weekly organizational taskers every Monday…but as long as it gets done before the end of the week I’d be ok with that.

I found this awesome little chart/website that keeps me on track and it will even send me weekly emails.   

Our kitchen counters are our catch all places.  We come inside and drop stuff down right there…and then eventually get around to it.  It’s a terrible habit.

I am also purging my baby items as Grant grows out of them.  As much as I’d love to have a little girl….I think we’re done with 2.  We have 3 totally (13, 2.5, 4 months). Luckily a lot of my friends are having boys right now, so as Grant grows out of stuff…which seems like it’s every week. I fill up a bag and send it to someone.  It makes me sad to see if go because that just means I don’t have a little baby anymore but it’s so nice to see it leave too…more room and less clutter!!!!

Goal 2: Health & Fitness

Ok this is where I need to get my shit together…like for REAL.  I have about 30 more lbs. that I need to lose to be close to where I would like to be weight wise.  And yes trust me I have the 30 lbs to lose.  I’m not one of those people that weight 100 lbs and talk about how weight I have to lose. 

I have a terrible sweet tooth…it gets my every time. This morning, I purged the Christmas candy dish…that of course sits on the kitchen counter…see you thought I was kidding  So instead of having it sit on the counter, I threw it in a Walmart bag and I took it into work and filled up the work candy dish. We also switched over the Coke Zero…I don’t drink soda that much at home..but we have it to mix with our adult beverages. 

I am hoping to run & workout more.  I am terribly out of shape…like its bad. I have the next 2 months to get my act together so that I can pass my Army Physical Fitness test and pass my weight in.

Drink more water….I’m terrible at not drinking enough water.  My brother’s GF got me this super cute mason jar drinking glass for Christmas, so I’m hoping the cute glass will assist in my water intake.

We are also working towards more Clean Eating. So I’ve been scouring Pinterest for new recipe ideas…I’m a creature of habit so I could totally eat spaghetti every weds and be ok with it.   I have to have a recipe when it comes to clean eating because I’m not creative enough to come up with it myself. It is was up to me it would be way too bland.  

Goal 3: MONEY $$$

I am going to be honest here…we aren’t terrible with money…but we should REALLY save more.  So I’ve printed out a 52 week money saving challenge page so that I can put it on my change jar and hope to stick with it for the next 52 weeks and save a little extra cash.  There are a ton of them on Pinterest.  

To go along with my health/fitness goal….I am going to eat our less.  I bought a 6 pack bag not long ago and I’ve pretty much not used it since Thanksgiving. So in order to save some $$$, I’m going to start bring my lunch. and when the weather is cold and crappy, I never want to leave and go out in it.

I would also like to try some of Dave Ramsey’s money saving tricks & tips. For the people I know who’s done it…it has worked well for them.

I need to spend less money on misc stuff. Or if I’m going to buy misc stuff ;) purchase from a small business vs. a chain store. 

Goal 4: Be a Better Wife & Friend

We’ve had a lot go on this past year.  The hubby deployed, I ran the house while he was gone. I got to play mommy and daddy to a 2yr old all while pregnant. Hubby returned in August and within the week, we had a new baby.  We’ve been going none stop for the last 4 months and I’m spent. Like physically/mentally spent and I know that I’ve not been the best wife that I am capable of.

With us going none stop all the time, 2-3 kids at any given time…I probably haven’t been the best friend either.  I know I don’t call as much or hardly ever…but sometime a text is the easiest and you don’t have to listen to my small children say “I want more mile”, “Can I watch Mickey” while we’re trying to have a conversation.

Goal 5: Finish my DIY/Craft Projects

If you check out my Pinterest board (DIY Crafts) I have a laundry list of items that I need to start/finish or de-clutter and get stuff out of the house/garage to make more room . Maybe that will be my goal…finish at least 1 pinterest project a month.

What’s your New Year’s Resolution/Goals for 2015?

Nashville Country Music Marathon Recap

OH...what a fun weekend in Nashville.

I almost forgot what it was like to have an adult girls weekend away. 

It was just what I needed.

Friday I met up with Holly & Kelly, and we grabbed some Mexican for lunch and headed down south to Nashville for the Rock and Roll Country Music Marathon. 

This was my 12th 1/2. My times have not been the best lately. It could be because I hadn't trained or the fact that I'm 20 weeks pregnant.  

We got to the expo in time to run in and grab our packets and head to dinner.  The expo was a slight cluster but it all worked out in the end.  After the expo we headed over to Cabana's for drinks and dinner and meet some of my other fave bloggers, Aubrey Leigh , and Janessa.  It was a blast meeting eveyone. Aubrey's husband, Tommy was such a trooper, a table for of women chatting away.

After dinner, it was time to check into the hotel and get ready for bed.

Saturday, we gave ourselves enough time to get ready to get to the race on time...but traffic we were cutting it close. The race started and 0700 and about 6:57 we were still a few blocks away so Holly and I jumped out and made our way to the start line, to find 40 corrals and about 33,000 people.  It was 08:02 before we crossed the start line.  

Holly and Janessa were shooting for 2:30...I just wanted to finish. I stuck with them for a few miles then decided to let them have it.  It was too hot for my pregnant self and the fact that it felt like I had to pee every mile didn't help.

The course was so hilly, but the crowd support was amazing. It was seriously probably the best crowd supported race I've ever been to.

I came up on Janessa around mile 10 and it was great to see someone I knew along the course. I think it gave me the motivation I needed to finish.  

I ended up finishing in 3:09, a minute faster than the Lincoln Presidential 1/2 I had done a few weeks before. I was surprised on how not sore I was after this race...Hey I'll take it.

Mandy from House of Rose also completed the Country Music Marathon too. I swear the videos and pics she post IDK how she does it. She always looks super cute, even 11 miles into a race in 75 degree heat. I looked like a hot mess. She's a rock star.

After the race, Holly and I took hooker showers and loaded on the deodorant, body spray and lotion and headed over to the Pharmacy for lunch. The beer garden was awesome and the burgers were yummy too.

 Amber from Crafty Healthy Mommy, was amazing and got there early to get us a table.  She was a doll. I seriously could of hung out with her all afternoon and chatted. Aubry and Tommy came and met us for lunch and we also met Alyse and Faye.  

After lunch Holly, Kelly and I made the trek back to IL/MO.  Kelly was AMAZING. She was our coach/driver/cheerleader for the weekend.

I had a great weekend and can't wait to do it again.

At What Point Do You Call Yourself a Runner?

Sorry I've been MIA...I've been swamped at work and have finally gotten a moment to slow down.

Two weekends ago I finished my 11^th half marathon.

The weather was perfect for a wog (that’s what I’m calling it now).

 It’s walking + jogging=wogging

The Springfield ½  isn’t a large race, it’s actually quiet small. They finally had over 2,000 people sign up for this year’s race. I will say that next year, please have more porta potties. There was such a long line at the beginning that I knew there was no way we would get in to use them before the race started.

But I should of just waited then crossed the start line because at the start of the race we were hanging with the 2:30 group for about 2 miles. Then the 1 lone porta potty was sitting there are mile 2 and I had to potty. So knowing there wasn’t many other stops along the route I should stop now. Almost 10 mins later….we were able to use the facilities and get back into the race.

Sadly, my motivation to catch back up with the 2:30 was not gonna happen. I was in no place to even try it. I hadn’t trained or had done any sort of running since the Little Rock Marathon a month before. So what did I do…we just enjoyed the beautiful sunny and took our time.

Which I’m glad we did, because I was not even close to prepared for this race. I didn’t bring anything with me so around mile 7, I was STARVING!!!

I can only speak for self when I say with both pregnancy, when I get hungry I have about a 5 mins window before I need to get something into my system.  Well that definitely wasn’t going to be happening so luckily the next few water stops had some Gatorade so I was able to get some sugar into my body.

Note to self, for the RnR Nashville at the end of the month…I’m bringing snacks :) 

 Yesterday I received a few emails with pics from the weekend’s race and we got on the discussion at what point do you consider yourself a runner?

(I’m the squirrel in the snow leopard compression socks and sweat band on the right)

Many people tend to think that I must be fast because I’ve done, as they put it “so many races”.  In compared to others I know I have not done that many. I think people believe that because I have my medals displayed in my office.

So far I’ve completed:

5K=a lot I haven’t actually kept track of them my last count was 10

10K= 1

1/2 marathon= 11 (I’ll be completing # 12 later this month)

Full Marathon= 4

In all actuality, I’m not fast at all…not even close. 2:20 is my fastest half and 5:30 for a full marathon.  I’m telling myself after this baby…I’m actually going to train and put out a little effort just to see what I’m capable of. 

I think that is what is keeping me from calling myself a “runner” is that  I don’t train, I just finish races.

Since I’ve started “running” I’ve learned that there are no stereotypes in runners.  Runners come in all shapes in sizes. You see a  lean in shape person in front of you before the race and tell yourself “man, I bet they’re fast” and then you’re passing them along the route. On the other hand, you can come across someone who you may feel is larger than you and they leave you in their dust.  We cannot stereotype runners, they will amaze you every time.

At what point do you consider yourself a runner?

clean eating...my foods not dirty

 

"CLEAN EATING" has to be one of the new buzzwords.

The phrase "clean eating" is being used just about everywhere these days.

I eat clean...I wash my food before I eat it...

What that's not what you ment by cleaning eating?

What Clean Eating Isn't

I want to start off by telling you what clean eating isn't. It is not a diet or some other eating fad. It's not counting, adding or subtracting calories, of any sorts.

From what I have read so far...there doesn't seem to be a set definition for clean eating. I have read and followed others and have looked a lot into this and have realized...to just stop. This whole idea of clean eating should not be difficult or to stress one out.

What Clean Eating Is

Now that we have figured out what clean eating isn't, let's talk about what it is. Clean eating is about eating foods in their most natural state. No processed foods, foods high in preservatives, foods with a ton of sugar and high levels of bad fats.

As I mentioned earlier, there isn't a good definition/guideline of clean eating to follow. This is just MY interpretation.

• fresh fruits & veggies
• more veggie centered meals than meat-centered meals
• WATER, WATER, WATER...I must admit...I am terrible at my water intake.
• Make healthy cooking choices, such as baking..not frying, steaming and a light sautéing...not with butter.
• Eat healthy fats {nuts, avocados, organic coconut oil}
• unrefined, whole-grains

Learning to cook (and eat) cleanly is all about learning to simplify things and not overdoing it with your meal prep. When you keep things simple, meals normally turn out to be more healthy. When grocery shopping make a bulk of your grocery purchases from the fresh & natural food section. Fresh produce, whole grains, organic meat/fish.