My Parenting Style - The Educator

In my true fashion of the quest for self-awareness, I was analyzing my parenting style the other day, looking at my strengths and weaknesses.

21 Day Fix update

I thought I would pop on here and give a quick update on the 21 Day Fix.  I am halfway through!

21 Day Fix

To kick off this year, I was offered a chance to join a group of friends in completing the 21 Day Fix together.  If you haven't heard of 21 Day Fix, it is essentially a 21 day workout and meal eating plan with accountability.  I'll tell you... I am the last person you would normally find doing a "fad" workout plan, so this is in no way a sales pitch!  I am, however, interested in holistic living and find that all too often I will eat more junk than I mean to, simply because I'm not aware of what I am putting into my body.  Over the past 10 years (yes, it takes a long time to change habits), I have grown in knowledge about how to feed and treat my body.  A lot of that has been lost (or maybe put on the sidelines) since the babies came along, simply due to survival mode and trying to feed a family of 6 (exchange students included) on a budget.  I also find it too easy to slip back into old habits and sometimes a drastic change can help level things out once again.  Enter... the 21 Day Fix...

I'm not an extremist by any means, but I can be quite disciplined if I want to.  I am excited to try out this program, simply because it involves discipline in eating, daily exercise, and a group of friends holding me accountable.  

So, for anyone who's interested, I will be sharing a few posts about my experience and what I am learning and maybe some helpful tips.  I'm only 2 days in, and I'm excited to see where this goes.  

First off, my main prep came from doing a super healthy BIG shop to stock up on essentials.  Here it is!  

My list included the following:

Fruit and veggies: Apples, cantaloupe, kiwi, bananna, cucumber, lettuce, kale mix, green peppers, squash, root veggies, carrots, celery, avocado, oranges, lemon

Grains: Quinoa, cous-cous, whole wheat tortillas, spinach pasta

Meats: Turkey, chicken breast, turkey bacon

Fats/Cheese/Dairy: Ricotta, cheddar, almond butter, cashews, hummus, coconut milk, greek yogurt, almond milk

Also, around the house I already had other staples, such as: frozen meat (pork and chicken), edamame, coconut oil, brown rice, spices, butternut squash, soup stock, etc.

I'll hope to share some recipes and meal ideas as I go along.  I already made the double chocolate cookies in case of dire need of a treat, but so far I've only had a small bite to taste.  Wish me luck!  

Simple Living

It's that time of year.  The time to set new intentions, exercise regimes, healthy eating meal plans, and ideals of simplifying life.  I must say, I am a sucker for dreaming of simplicity.  Those perfectly manicured magazine photos get me every time.  Wouldn't it be nice to have just the right amount of "stuff" and everything in its place all the time?

About Me

Hello!

As I come back to the world of blogging, I thought it might be helpful to share a more in-depth look at who I am.  It's that time of year where a little introspection is a good thing, and as I hope to use this blog to write more personally, I thought it would be good for me to share about myself. (I must say, it's a little scary posting all about yourself but if I want this place to be more honest and true to who I am, what better place to start?)

A new year's post

For Christmas I bought myself a new laptop.

To be specific, I bought a MacBook Air.

I've had an affinity and love for Apple products since I worked in the tech industry for Club Penguin, which later became owned by Disney.  Ever since then, I can't go back.  Just the look of a Windows based program turns me off.  Apple products come packaged so nicely, and the look is so clean and streamlined.  Now I'm just so used to them that they are innate.  I love the idea of syncing up my phone and my computer and my laptop.  Everything is just in order, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love order.

But I digress...

I had been saving up for a laptop for months (nearly a year) and finally took the plunge on Boxing Day.  The reason I mention this is because my hope is that the use of a laptop will finally allow me to get back to blogging more frequently.

For whatever reason, sitting down at a computer desk is literally impossible with toddlers running around.  Either they want to both sit on my lap and have their hands all over the keyboard or they demand to watch their favorite show as soon as I sit down (which right now is Paw Patrol), or they start fighting or need something as soon as my derriere hits the seat.  And if I wait till they're napping or asleep before I sit down, I can always find something else I "should" be doing, rather than sitting at a computer.  Or I just end up sitting down and mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest.

What I think I need, is the portability to write what I want, when I want, and to take my thoughts with me, whether the timing is right or not.  Does that make me sound crazy?

All this to say, I hope to take up blogging more again.  And use this space to work on developing my "voice" in writing.  I am not a writer and have no idea what that phrase really means, but I want to work on expanding my writing voice, while also posting fun pictures and DIY and bits and pieces of my life.

So here's to the new year!