Paleo Power

For Lent this year I decided to give up creamer and sweetener in my coffee.  I thought about giving up coffee, but then everyone around me would suffer as well, and it turns out that drinking black coffee for 40 days was definitely a sacrifice.  I had also been reading about the Paleo diet everywhere I turned.  It wasn't something I thought was for me, but it kept calling my name, so I figured that maybe I should bite the bullet and try it during Lent. 
The Paleo diet, also known as the Caveman or Hunter/Gatherer diet, consists of meat and vegetables, eggs, healthy fats, nuts, and some fruit.  There are some different versions you can find online, but basically if you can hunt it, catch it, or gather it, you can eat it.  There are no processed foods or grains or dairy on this eating program.
I really didn't think I would be able to give up pasta and bread and potatoes.  Not to mention my favorite food group - ice cream.  That's why I figured if I was going to do it Lent would be a good time.  It took a couple of weeks to get used to it, but I was surprised to find that I no longer craved those things.  I did still miss my coffee mate and cheese once in a while.  I was hardly ever hungry, and I was able to lose those last few stubborn pounds of baby weight plus some with less exercise.  And it is pretty easy to adjust to family meals.  For the most part I just leave out the starch and eat everything else that the family eats.

Now that Easter has come, I have gone back to my beloved creamer in my coffee, but I have decided to stick with a mostly Paleo diet.  I mean this is a world in which I can have avacado every day, I don't get grouchy from hunger, and I can fit into a lot of clothes I haven't been able to wear since I was pregnant with Luke.  There is no calorie counting and no portion control.  I have read that even eating Paleo 80% of the time is great.  So I figure that if I can do this 80% then I will have the health benefits and still get to splurge once in a while.  I have given up Fiber 1 bars and yogurt but I've found that I love cashews and dates, beef jerky and roasted sweet potatoes.  I don't know if I will follow this eating plan forever, but I will definitely be doing this for a while.  I am amazed at the results!

AW 365 Is Complete!

Since March 8, 2011 I've been working on a photography project.  I named it "AW 365" because my goal was to take a photo every day for a year. (It actually turned into 367 photos due to leap year and I wanted my last picture to show some closure, so it ran from 3/8/11 to 3/8/12, a total of 367 days.)  I loved it.  It gave me a chance to take pictures of everyday things that I would never photograph - my favorite coffee cup, our house during each of the seasons, piles of laundry, soccer practice.  Also to keep it from getting boring I tried some techniques that I don't normally use, like different angles and trying different modes on my camera.  Now that it's over I'm both relieved and sad.  It's nice not to have to come up with a photo for every day, but I'm so glad I did it.  I find myself thinking "That would be a great photo of the day." even though it is done.  I will probably do another similar project in the future, maybe a 365 project in black and white, or maybe a week in my life.  For now I'm taking a little break from the scheduled and structured and just photographing when I want to.

My first photo from 3-8-11

Time to Get Back in Shape

I've been looking for some motivation for several months now to get back in shape. Before I got pregnant with Luke I was working out 5 days a week doing cardio and some weight training. He is coming up on his second birthday, and I haven't been able to get back in the routine. I've been hanging on to the last few pounds of pregnancy weight and gained a few more between my trip to Argentina (totally worth it!) and the Christmas holidays. Now that the boys' play and the holidays are over, and my 40th birthday is this year, I am finally ready. Even though our schedule is still busy, we have a little more free time while we wait for soccer season to start again in March. When am I able to fit in time for a workout? I know the answer, but I just don't want to face it - wake up early and get on the treadmill before school!

I hate waking up early. It's one of the things I like best about homeschooling. I don't know how I would manage if I had to get all of the kids up, dressed, and out of the house early in the morning 5 days a week. But my need to get back in shape has won out, and I am on my fourth week of dragging myself out of bed to get on the treadmill.

My program includes getting in shape spiritually too. While I am walking the first mile I say the rosary. I got the Rosary Army rosary podcast on my ipod. It is the scriptural rosary, so in addition to meditating on the mysteries of the gospels, there is a scripture verse before each Hail Mary. This helps me to focus a little better. A friend shared another good web site for praying the rosary that I have been using - http://www.comepraytherosary.org/ . I also bought a prayer journal. I'm hoping it will help me focus on all the things I need to pray for and help me add more prayer throughout the day.

So here is the plan. I get up early before school (Mon-Fri) and get on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes of cardio. My goal is 45 minutes to 1 hour of cardio a day, so if I can get it all in early then I'm done. If not I finish up later in the afternoon. I'm also doing weight training Mon-Wed-Fri. I use a combination of hand weights, my new kettle bell (a new treat to keep me motivated), and the Wii Fit. As far as eating I'm watching portion size, cutting out junk food, and adding in more fruits and vegetables. I've gotten some great deals on Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones frozen meals lately with sales and coupons, so the freezer is stocked. They are great for a quick lunch. I'm also juicing (carrot-apple juice) every morning and drinking lots of water.

So far it is going well. I have even lost a few pounds. I will probably never enjoy waking up early, but I have to admit it is the key right now, and I'm always happy when it is over.

An Adventure in Argentina

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated here, and we have been super busy. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we have been consumed with Babes in Toyland. Zack and Michael have roles in the play and Nick is working with the stage crew. Corey has helped with the set building.
So this has taken up a great deal of our time with lots of late night rehearsals and very few days off. But the boys absolutely love it, and it is exciting to see them shine on stage.
In the middle of all the craziness of the play I went to Argentina for 6 days for my brother’s wedding. He married a friend of ours who we knew from high school in Singapore
and whose family is from Argentina. It was an absolute blast!!! What a neat chance to spend some time with my brothers and sisters while my wonderful husband stayed home with the boys. While I was so excited about the wedding I was not sure that we would be able to
afford for me to travel to South America. Many family members were planning to go, and I so badly wanted to be there. So after a yard sale, some creative saving, and carefully watching air fares, I managed to scrape together the funds!
So the week after Thanksgiving I set off on my adventure. Even the 10 hour flight was
fun since I got to fly with a brother, sister-in-law, and sister. We started laughing and taking pictures right away. We landed and were met by the bride (K) and groom (T) at the airport. We
were whisked away for a city tour of Buenos Aires followed by a delicious dinner with K’s and T’s siblings. It was just like old times as the food reminded us of our days in Singapore where we
went to high school and were friends with K’s family.
The next day was the registry wedding (the legal ceremony in Argentina). Then was a fabulous
reception at K’s parents’ beautiful home with delicious food and Tango dancing. It lasted all day, and there was more laughing and photo taking. Friday we finally relaxed a bit.
There was relaxing by the pool, a visit to the grocery store, a trip to a market, and an interesting stop at Freddo’s ice cream where it would have been helpful to know Spanish.
The wedding on Saturday was just perfect. Great weather, a beautiful ceremony, lots of
laughing and crying, and hours of dancing. I loved seeing the bride and groom so happy, and I was so excited for K’s two little girls to join our family. They are 7 and 5 years old, and I just love them! And like I said when I spoke at the wedding, we will miss T dearly, but we loved seeing how happy he is starting this new chapter in his life.
It was truly a vacation for me. I really missed Corey and the boys and I wish they could have been there. But while I was there I decided to live it up. I had such a great time just hanging out with my parents and family and visiting with K’s family after more than 20 years. I loved spending time with my new nieces and seeing a new country. Argentine hospitality is the best! I even picked up some Spanish while I was there. It was wonderful, but it was just as wonderful to see my family when I got off the airplane in Dallas.