January Book Report

One of my goals this year is to read for 15 minutes a day and so far, I've been reading every day. Of course, now that I'm reading every day, I'm tearing through books. I read 4.5 books in January which thrills me to no end. 

I started the month with Wildflower by Drew Barrymore and I loved this book. Barrymore's breathy voice was apparent on each page and her love for her children is so robust. I also gleamed some words of wisdom from her. Barrymore put into words something that I've been struggling with. As women and as Mothers, we are told that we can have it all when in reality, no one can have it all. You have to decide where to focus your efforts and go from there. And in doing that, you can be awesome. 

I next read The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny which was wonderful as usual. I love Penny's writing and enjoy the way she both carefully wraps her reader in comfort while keeping them on the edge of their seats in suspense. I could read Louise Penny novels about Three Pines for ages. The mysteries that Chief Inspector Gamache works to solve always include the most tender of human emotions and a protagonist that is quite tender at heart.  

My third book of the month was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and I was enthralled. I've had this book for ages and can't believe I didn't read it until now. I stayed up way too late reading this book for a few nights. I cheered for The Girl, gasped at the suspense and kept turning the pages until the end. I was sad to learn that this was Hawkins first book because it meant there weren't others to read. I will be anxiously awaiting her next novel. 

My next book was Women Are Scary by Melanie Dale. I ended up abandoning this book halfway through but I'm mentioning it here because I did read half of it. I kept hoping that I would connect because I love the author's website but I could not get past the, "Ohhh meeting people is hard" schtick. This might be an awesome book for someone who isn't great at meeting new people but I'm really good at meeting people. #humblebrag

My final book for the month was The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion and I think I may have finished this one at 11:59 p.m. on January 31st. I loved The Rosie Project when I read it last year and was so excited about this follow-up novel. It honestly wasn't as good as the first one. I still found it to be an entertaining read and quite enjoyed hearing about Don and Rosie's new adventure. 

Monthly Goal Check-In (January)

In order to stay true to my 2016 goals, I've decided to do a monthly check-in on them. I've started the year out with a bang and have already crossed two of my ten goals off my list!

1.  Complete the Barre3 Challenge from Jan. 4 to Jan. 31 - I did this! Well alllllllmost. The last week of the challenge came with a cold so I only got three workouts in instead of four but there were weeks where I did five workouts so I'm calling this a win. I've decided to adapt this goal for the year and I'm going to workout 4x a week (more is better!) 

2. Complete Whole30 in January - I did this too! I've been reincorporating some foods back into my diet this week and it's been going ok. I had a terrible stomach ache after eating some of my kid's macaroni and cheese which sucked. That was immediate feedback to really limit that kind of food. 

3. Keep purging the house with the Bowl Full of Lemons 14 Week Plan - I'm so behind on this but I've been working on the dining room and launch pad this week. Next week is the Living Room which I'm excited about. We installed some wall units last year and I need to finalize the decorating/storage options of them. I also want to address our end table situation. 

4. Complete Four (4) Day in the Life Challenges and participate in at least ten 10 on 10's - I did my first 10 on 10 in January and have scheduled our first Day in the Life Challenge on February 14th. I hope you join me! 

5. Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - I have not yet started back on this goal. I was busy working on Maggie's birthday sweater this past month and I'm thrilled that it is done. I'll probably start this goal in March. 

6. Grow a kick-ass Garden! Due to well winter, I haven't started on this goal yet but I will this month. I need to get more dirt and figure out what I want to plant when the time comes. Also I really need to build that chicken run so my chickens don't run away (again).

7. Read for 15 minutes a day- I have read every single day so far and I'll have a full report on what I've read next week. 

8. Volunteer with two organizations and include the girls - I've completed my orientation with Mary's Place and we are scheduled for our first shift in a few weeks. I'm excited for this opportunity with my girls. 

9. Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - I had kinda forgotten about this one so good reminder!

10. Get back to Blogging on a more regular basis and focus more on my writing - I've been so busy writing for other publications that this has not been as great as I want it to be BUT I'm doing it. 

Valentine's Day Crafts and Cards For Your Kids

I love doing crafts with my kids and whenever Valentine's Day comes around, I get really excited about doing Valentine's Day Cards with them. I'll admit that I might get too excited. I've spent hours pouring over websites and Pinterest to find the best Valentine's Day Crafts and Cards to do with kids. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

Image Credit: Homan at Home

1. Valentine's Day Candy Mice - This first one is adorable and fast! Homan at Home has designed the most adorable mice as Valentine's Day cards. Print these out, grab your scissors and start cutting. Place a lollipop inside and you have a fast and almost last minute Valentine's Day card for your kid's classroom.

Image Credit: momdot

2. Glitter Pink Ombre Play Dough - I love making play dough but I'm not a huge fan of the mess my kids make with it. Instead I pawn it off on other unsuspecting parents (my secret is out!) by making it for holidays. I love this recipe from momdot because it includes everything my oldest loves - Pink and Glitter.

Image Credit: Keeping Up With The Joneses

3. Cupid Arrows - These are the cutest Valentine's Crafts and I can think of so many places and ways to use them. Find out how to make them on Keeping Up With The Joneses.

Image Credit: No Time for Flashcards

4. Bird Seed Hearts - I'm seriously considering making these for the chickens because it will solidify my crazy chicken lady title. In all seriousness, I love the idea of making a more natural, yet crafty Valentine's Day gift and these hit all the right marks.

Image Credit: Molly Moo Crafts

5. Melted Crayon Hearts - I LOVE this craft. In fact, I made these one year and plan to make them again soon as the broken crayons are really piling up. I also love the little cards that Molly Moo Crafts included with their crayon hearts.

Image Credit: Molly Moo Crafts

6. Pirate Valentine's - You can't go wrong with Pirates and Valentine's Day Cards. Molly Moo Crafts has some pretty grrrreat cards to check out.

Image Credit: B Lovely Events

7. Treat Toppers - These free printable treat toppers let you package your favorite treats with a real crafty flair.  Stuff some M&Ms into a clear bag and top with your favorite printable for an exquisite touch and low effort.

Image Credit: Sweet C's Designs

8. Tiny Animal Valentines - These tiny animal valentines are great because they make me laugh and yet are also totally easy to craft up. Print these up and pair with a fantastic animal toy for a card that is sure to be a hit!

Image Credit: Dandee Designs

9. Astronaut Valentine - Is your Valentine out of this world? Show them with an astronaut card! I love this design and the toy is a great touch!

Image Credit: The Imagination Tree

10. Blow Painting Heart Art - I love how beautiful these cards come out with a tiny bit of creativity. I think this would be a great activity for the older kids to craft up.

Treating Yourself, Pet Photos and Hikes Are This Week's Links From Around The Web

Treat Yo' Self (without food or spending $$) I love these ideas! Because we all need to treat ourselves but we don't need special food treats or to spend gobs of money.

Relearning the Art of Eating This is hard.

Talking With Young Children About Their Bodies I'm constantly talking to my girls about their bodies and while there have been some embarrassing moments (queue the "I HAVE A VAGINA" yell in the grocery store image here), I am quite proud of teaching my kids that their bodies are their bodies. I really want them to have a good, healthy relationship with their bodies and to know what parts are private and just for them.

Celebrating Your Pet's Life With Photos My brother and his wife had photos taken of their dog shortly before he passed. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the life of a good dog.

10 PNW Hikes To Do With Your Girlfriend's This Summer I love hiking and I can not wait to get out there more. The rains have been lessening and so I can feel the call of the wild. I hope to get in a few hikes with friends this summer and the kids.

Bang Out a Sweater Even though this sweater would look terrible on me and I have so many other knitting projects to finish, I CAN NOT STOP THINKING ABOUT DOING THIS! Anyone want to convince me? or stop me? 

Whole30 Week 4 Update (+barre3 Challenge)

Today is my final day of Whole30 and I'm so excited! I can say that I did this. I will admit right here to having a real latte a day or two ago. It was so good. I was in yet another coffee shop and the idea of having black coffee or an almond milk latte literally turned my stomach. Before I knew it, I had a short latte in my hands and happiness on my lips. So maybe I didn't do it 100% perfectly but I'm counting it as done. 

This was the perfect reset for me. I curbed my sugar cravings. I returned to food prep. I learned that I comfort myself with food way too often. I lost just over 9 pounds and gained so much energy. I'm planning to taper to an 80% Whole30 20% Non-Whole30 plan as I reintroduce foods. I need to lose more weight and I love my energy levels but I can't eat Whole30 100% of the time. It is just too restrictive for me. 

As for the barre3 challenge, it was great! Tomorrow is the last day and while this week has been a bust for workouts, it did help me get myself back on the exercise train. I was sick this week which made getting to 6 a.m. barre3 classes a struggle. My goal this year is to exercise 4 times a week (minimum). Some weeks (like this one), I am not going to do that but I think if I try for it most weeks, I'll do great. I love exercising and I plan to join ClassPass again soon to try out some new options. I'm also hitting up CorePower Yoga, Orange Theory and another studio for their free weeks soon. I want to mix up my workouts to keep them fresh while still continuing on with barre3. 

And with that, two goals have been crossed off my 2016 Goals! 

New Camera, Renewed Passion

I've been lax taking proper photos of my children. The purchase of new camera has renewed that passion though. Today when my little monkeys decided to play dress-up as they do almost every afternoon, I decided to document some of their antics.

One of their favorite things to do is wear their bike helmets in the house. Safety first!

I have a feeling that I'll be taking more photos, more often now that I have a fancy new camera. It feels good to be reconnecting with my passions. 

A Hawaiian Voice, Mom Hacks and Ways to Simplify Are This Week's Links From Around The Web

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: The Voice Of Hawaii This is the song I sing to my girls when they can't sleep. It almost always brings tears to my eyes. 

Mom Hacks for Around the House  I need to do so many of these! 

5 Tips for Taking Better Photos with Your Phone Sometimes the only camera I have with me is my phone and I want to take great photos with it too. 

Common Photography Terms Always a nice refresher

10 Ways to Simplify Your Life I complied a nice, short list of ways to simplify. I think they are pretty great! 

Depression Screening Recommended For All Pregnant Women, New Mothers Being a new Mom and being pregnant are so hard, hormonally and physically so I'm thrilled to hear that depression screening is being recommended. This is vital! 

Whole30 Week 3 Update (+barre3 Challenge)

I'm just 6 days away from completing two of my goals for the year and I am psyched! I am most excited about the end of Whole30. I am loving how I am feeling and I have really re-set myself but I am feeling the pressures of the restrictions. We like to go out to eat on Saturday nights for dinner and now my husband just sighs and says, "where can you eat?" While I anxiously look up menus and say, "not there. Nope. Not that. UGH!" I have discovered some great places to eat. For instance, the Portage Bay Cafe has this really awesome Farmer's Hash made with a variety of fresh vegetables, roasted onions, potatoes and herbs along with eggs and different meats. So good and so Whole30. You can even leave out the meat if you'd like to go for a vegetarian option.

I was telling Scott that I am enjoying a lot of things about Whole30. One is getting back to Prep Day. It really helps our week if I can take a hour or two on Sunday to prep ahead for the week. I pull meat of the freezer, I roast vegetables, I make hardboiled eggs and some salads in jars. I'm definitely going to keep that up. The salads in jars are key. Those salads mean I have a good, veggie filled lunch which I really enjoy.

I've been enjoying barre3 class as usual and it has been awesome having a goal of 4 workouts a week. I've been doing it too even with the challenges of Scott's travel, sick children and other mis-adventures. My biggest lesson is scheduling my workouts and committing to at least 4 workouts a week. I have some ideas on how I'm going to shake up my workouts in February but for now, I'm thrilled with getting my 4 barre3 workouts in a week.

I actually got in 5 workouts this week which was awesome! I attended a SoulCycle Pop-up Event which was sponsored by Target. It was so, so, so hard and I keep thinking about what a fun workout it was. I mean, I thought I was going to die at the 22 minute mark but I made it the full 45 minutes with only one stop to shake out my numb feet. My feet always go numb in spinning class which drives me nuts. I wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

Have you tried SoulCycle? What did you think of it?

Bad Ass Moms, Simplifing and Retreats Are This Week's Links From Around The Web

This woman is an inspiration! Such a bad-ass!

How Journaling Can Change Everything The barre3 challenge is more than just taking a certain number of classes, it is also about bringing more mindfulness to your life and this article is just one way the challenge is reminding me to do so.

The Washington Park Arboretum is one of my favorite Seattle parks. I talk about its magic on Seattle Refined

10 Ways to Simplify Your Life Another article I wrote for Seattle Refined about simplifying. It helped me start to simplify more.

I'm attending the Made to Create Photography Retreat in March and I am so excited. It's going to be so awesome!

Secrets of People Who Don't Have Clutter I keep re-reading this and hoping it will rub off on me.

Weeknight Dinner Reboot: 4 Non-traditional Foods, 12 Delicious Meals Some meal inspiration that I wrote for ParentMap

Whole30 Week 2 Update (+barre3 Challenge)

This was a good and bad week. Good in that I ate pretty well, thanks to my stellar prep session on Sunday. Bad in that getting in enough barre3 classes was a struggle. I skipped class on Sunday due to my 14 hour travel day on Saturday. Monday, I got into the studio for a great class (and Maggie rocked childcare) and Tuesday, I woke up early and did an online workout. Wednesday, I wasn't feeling so hot so I promised that I'd workout on Thursday which lead to me promising to workout on Friday which didn't happen. I did go to a studio class today which was awesome as usual and will be attending another one tomorrow. Luckily for me, the barre3 challenge goes from Monday to Sunday so I'll be eeking in with my 4 workouts.  I'm looking forward to getting 5 in next week since Scott will be in town and won't be messing with my early morning schedule. 

I had some great meals this week.  Alice Currah posted this awesome Thai Curry Soup recipe with veggies instead of noodles on Facebook this week and I literally ran to the store for the ingredients. It was so good! 

I also made some barre3 chocolate truffles to have on hand for snack attacks and they were so helpful on Tuesday night when we arrived home late from swim and I was starving! I popped one of these in my mouth and it kept me going long enough to make a delicious dinner. I'm halfway through this journey and while there have been many times I've wanted to quit, I haven't. I have already learned that most of my issues with eating good food is 1) time and not prepping in advance (salads in jars have been a lifesaver this week!) and 2) eating due to boredom or wanting a treat. I can solve those issues. 

Whole30 Egg Salad

I've been craving and egg salad sandwich for days. Days! I haven't had one in years and the last recipe I used called for delicious sour cream. Since I'm only halfway through my Whole30, I knew sour cream and bread would be no-go's so I decided to whip up my own egg salad recipe. It's not pretty but it is delicious! 

Whole30 Egg Salad

Servings 2-3

3 Hardboiled Eggs, chopped

2 Tablespoons Paleo Mayo

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon harissa

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Mix together in a bowl and enjoy over a bed of lettuce!

A Day in The Life Photo Challenge Coming Sunday, February 14th

Starting in a month when you wake up, take a photo every hour (or more) to document your day until you fall asleep that night. You can join the Flickr group and/or tag your photos #adayinthelifephotochallenge on Instagram.

1. Here are some guidelines (adjust as needed for YOU!)
2. From the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep...
3. Take at least one photo an house (but you can take more!).
4. Post your photos to the "A Day in the Life" Photo Challenge Flickr group when you can. Posting your photos throughout the day as you take them is great (so we can see what everyone is doing in real time), but no worries if you cannot post until later. 
5. Your photos do NOT have to be self-portraits.
6. Include the time of the photo either as the title of the photo or in the description. (i.e. 9:45 am Hilarious Hand Holding! My friend and I had to walk really, really close to each other.)
7. Use your phone or camera - whatever you want to use to capture your day, however ordinary or extraordinary it may be. 
8. Have Fun! 

Since this is my eighth time doing this challenge, I'm going to shoot in color on my iPhone. I'm excited to document Valentine's Day since it will be a fun holiday day. I've set up a new album on my Flickr photostream for February 14th's challenge which you can follow here: A Day in the Life 2.14.16(I currently have a photo of Molly sleeping so you'll know you are in the right place). Can't wait to see your photos and your day next month!  

Girl Scout Cookies, Money-Saving Ideas and Reading are this week's Links From Around The Web

Beer Pairings for Girl Scout Cookies Every year I enter a Girl Scout recipe contest and yet I've never properly thought about what kind of beer to pair with their cookies. 

Crucial Money-Saving Charts You Wish You Knew About Sooner These are eye-opening and helpful! 

29 Parenting Hacks that Are Serious Game Changers I love hacks, especially ones that help me as a parent. 

How to be a More Mindful Parent Great Advice!

This Year's Most Anticipated Books I've already put a ton of these on my reading list. 

100 Books Read in a Year I gotta say, I'm impressed. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't do this. 

January's 10 on 10

This month's 10 on 10 happened on a very chill day at my house. The day before I traveled to Spokane for my Grandfather's funeral and then back home. It was a long 14 hour day but I'm so glad that I was able to go. We started off the day by blissfully sleeping in. My Fitbit said that I got 11 hours of sleep! That has not happened since Molly was born. 

I've been avoiding my chicken chores since it has been frigid outside or raining. Today was a beautiful day and the sun was out early warming the chicken area. I restocked their food, filled up their water and cleaned out their coop. It's going to need a deep clean when Spring comes but for now, the coop is looking much better. 

Molly dragged out a bunch of her toys from the den to the living room and stacked them up on the couch. She then demanded that I watch her performance which consisted of her mainly waving her wand around while yelling things. 

Scott went out to get lunch and returned with amazing salad for me. I'm not sure if it was 100% Whole30 compliant but I decided not to investigate. I can say that was delicious and I really enjoyed it. 

After lunch, Scott and Molly enjoyed some time on the toy filled couch. Scott left for a business trip so Molly was trying to soak in all her Daddy time. 

Then it was time for Scott's chores. Molly helped out by watching Scott wrangle the recycling. We're still trying to catch up on the recycling from Christmas. All of our Amazon boxes have created quite the chore. 

While Scott and Molly were dealing with the recycling and Maggie was napping, I tackled some food prep. I made two salads in a jars, some meatballs, sweet potatoes, hardboiled some eggs and made some barre3 chocolate truffles. I feel ready for the week! 

I went back to my bedroom to put something away and found Mel-B lounging in the sunshine. She has taken over this rocking chair and blanket as her quiet place. 

When Maggie woke up from her nap, we read a few books. She's really into this Danny and the Dinosaur book. 

Molly asked me to take her picture while she pretend slept. She's pretty good at it! One would almost believe she was asleep until she popped up to yell, PRETEND!

The girls ended the night bouncing off the couch and telling each other stories. I love the bond that these two have. They really enjoy each other. 

Be sure to make your way around the blog circle to see what everyone else was up to on Sunday. Next up - Lauren! 

Owen Read Burgess

On December 12, my Grandfather passed away just days past his 93rd birthday. He was a kind, generous and knowledgeable man who always had time for others. He outlived his first wife and his second son (my father). He left behind his wife, three sons and one daughter along with multiple grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

I attended his memorial service this past Saturday in Spokane where the Army gave him funeral honors which included folding the American flag and playing Taps. Almost his entire family gathered at the church to honor him. I read the Gospel of John 14 for him but stumbled when I got a bit choked up and lost my place due to the tears in my eyes. 

The best part of his service for me was hearing the stories from his sons and daughter-in-law. They relived stories that made us laugh and some that made us groan. Some were new to me and others were old tales that had been told, time and time again. 

My grandfather came from a time when money was tight and you had to know how to fix things yourself and he knew how to fix almost anything. It was a skill that he passed along to my Father and one that my Dad passed along to my brother and tried to pass along to me. (I'm much better about just calling someone else to fix it which means my brother now gets those phone calls). 

Last May, I loaded up the girls and we headed to Spokane for a visit. I knew his days were getting shorter and I wanted to make sure that we saw my Grandpa for a happy visit. The last time we had seen him was when my Dad passed. The girls had a fantastic time and while it was an exhausting trip for me, I'm so glad that we visited. I was able to have a good chat with him. 

May God grant you peace, Grandpa. 

Whole30 Week 1 Update

I've almost made it through my first week of Whole30 with angst, hulk-angry and discomfort. Yesterday I was so done with it that I didn't even want to eat anything. I was BORED with food and couldn't even summon the energy to dream of donuts. I posted on a FB group about my angst and was quickly lifted up. They even checked-in with me this morning. It was a big boast!

Tomorrow I'm flying to Spokane for my Paternal Grandfather's funeral (more on that later) and will be flying home later that night which means I need to pack all my food to take along with me. I spent about 30 minutes prepping things today. I made two of the same meals - two hardboiled eggs, some cashews, a big salad with beets, oranges, tomatoes and turkey. I decided to go with guacamole as my dressing since it isn't a liquid and will be easier to transport. For snacks I've packed an apple, trail mix, a That's It bar, some almond butter and dried coconut. I'm going to eat a banana for breakfast along with a larabar. I may have packed more food than I need but I'll be gone from 5:00 a.m. to about 9 p.m. so I want to make sure I'm set up for success.

Next week comes with more challenges. Scott will be gone on business so I'm planning to spend some time on Sunday before he leaves prepping food for the week. A prepared fridge is the key to success! I'm also hoping some of that tiger blood shows up next week because I'm so tired of the hulk anger feelings.