Whole30 Day 30 - I Made It!!

It's Day 30 of my Whole30 experiment and I am happy to say I not only survived it but am feeling fantastic and optimistic about maintaining most of the habits I picked up over the past month.  My energy is great, my stomach feels great, I'm not hungry all the time, and my sweet tooth seems to have lost its hold on me.  I am really hoping that outcome sticks!  30 days of absolutely no sweeteners, real or artificial, and I gotta admit, even though I'm be "allowed" to eat sweets again tomorrow, it's not the first thing I'll be reaching for.  I'm hoping to save those splurges for special occasions worthy of the splurge.  I absolutely recommend the Whole30 challenge to everyone.  Out of all the eating plans I've tried, it seems to be the easiest to sustain and the healthiest way to recharge your system.  Stick out the first couple weeks and you'll be glad you did.

Our day was pretty ordinary yesterday, but wonderful all the same.  It started out with a typical breakfast these days...

(Eggs, avocaado, sauteed onions, and some roasted red peppers.)

Then, the boys were off for some fun with friends at camp...

I'm pretty sure someone did the coloring for Mason on this one :-)

While they were at camp, I did my usual Tuesday thing starting with Story time.  It was pretty weird to run the show without my little sidekicks.  Our featured stories were...

I just had to do one last week with Tony Mitton and Ant Parker :-)  

My next stop was the gym for some upper body work and some time on the treadmill aka dreadmill...

...it's too darn hot to run outside unless I get out there early.

I ran some errands and before I knew it, it was time to get the boys and head home for lunch...

(Chicken and shrimp curry...leftovers.  Actually even better reheated.)

The rest of our day was pretty lazy and we spent most of our night cuddling on the couch, reading books and playing...

Not a bad way at all to spend the evening.  Oh, and dinner was pretty yummy too...

(Blackened halibut, sweet potato with cinnamon, and some kale salad.)

We all went to bed early and slept in a little longer than usual this morning.  Guess we're all tired.  We got to chat with Mickey and eat breakfast...

(Eggs, broccoli, and avocado.)

...before hitting the road for day 3 of camp.  Colton maintained his rebel status, apparently and refused to color and decorate the bricks...

While the boys did their thing, I hit up the elliptical for a bit before heading to the beach again...

Having my toes in the sand never gets old.  It was a gorgeous morning for the beach.  I made some serious progress in my book this morning.  It's a good one!  I'm excited to see how it turns out.  

I left just in time...it started raining on me on my way to get the boys.  I tried out this yummy bar when my growling stomach called to me in the car...

I can't believe this is the first time I've tried this flavor.  It's my favorite larabar by far.  Check out the simple ingredients...

I might have to try making those myself in my vitamix.  YUM!

With the boys in tow, we headed home for lunch...

Last night my plans to go get wings fell through but I still had wings on the brain so I made some for myself this afternoon.  I just hit them with some salt and pepper, baked them for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, and then added hot sauce mixed with coconut oil and baked them for an additional 10 minutes.  Craving satisfied and whole30 approved!  I actually ended up eat double that amount of broccoli and dipping them in guacamole was a nice alternative to blue cheese...not the same but good nonetheless.    

I hope the weather cooperates and we can get in our bedtime stories story time tonight.  I have some good books to share...

...and a new bubble machine too!!

Time to tackle the rest of my to-do list.  Almost everything is crossed off.  Woo-hoo!!!  Happy Wednesday everyone.

 

Happy Summer

Happy First Day of Summer!!!  Living in Florida, I think it's kind of anticlimactic, but it's worth acknowledging nonetheless.  I do love the laid-back ease of summer.  It gives me a little extra time to do the things I love, like read...

...paint my nails crazy colors...

...take the boys to art class...Check out today's jellyfish project...

Colton

Mason

...buy pool noodles at Target and knock things off the shelves while Mommy tries to shop...

...and eat Vidalia onions with almost every meal.  Haha!  I've finally figured out the secret to perfect juicy pork chops every time...seer then bake.  They turn out perfectly every time.  YUM!!!

I just seasoned them with salt and pepper, topped it with caramelized onions and served it alongside some avocado dip and butternut squash.  Delish!!!

Summer's apparently a good time for learning lessons, like maybe that giant green drink yesterday wasn't such a great idea.  Apparently there is such a thing as too much kale.  I certainly won't be juicing the entire bunch ever again.  Yikes!! We got off to a VERY slow start this morning but after some chill time and a cup of coffee, I started to feel like myself again and decided to give breakfast a try...

Day 25 of my whole30 experiment started off with fried eggs with lots of hot sauce (even with a queasy stomach I love things spicy...weird), wilted spinach with garlic, and a little avocado.  Looks like I need to caramelize some more onions...haha.

This morning I also learned there aren't a lot of rumbly-tummy-friendly options when you're on the whole30...no bread, sprite, crackers, etc.   I actually felt better after eating and decided to enjoy a pear as well.  Thank goodness, since I don't do parenting well when I'm not feeling well.

In addition to those crazy pool noodles, we also purchased some travel goodies while we were at Target...

We're planning to bring the dvd player (charged this time...woops!) and some books too.  Any other suggestions???

Of course this was a must on the way out of the store...

Iced Americanos are my new fave... so much better than regular iced coffee.

I had hoped to squeeze in a walk once we got home but it started raining so we decided to have lunch instead...

Can you tell I get lazy when I'm tired??...romaine topped with tuna, leftover roasted carrots, some olives and avocado dressing...it got the job done but was pretty lame.  I need to step it up for dinner tonight.  

Since I missed Spring cleaning, and now it's summer, I guess I'll forgo the major clean-up til next year.  Haha!  I did manage to finally get my weekly cleaning session done right after I put the boys down for their nap.  Since I didn't get a  run in, at least I got the house clean.  

Here's to hoping this weekend is another relaxing, gorgeous one like last weekend. It's my last official weekend on the Whole30.  You better believe there will be a glass or two of wine enjoyed next weekend.  I've actually dreamt about it.  It's the only thing I've really craved/missed through this whole experience, I think more for the forced relaxation that seems to accompany adult beverages than anything else.  I definitely see this way of eating as a new lifestyle for me, with a few splurges here and there, of course...and a little less kale.  :-)

Mommy's Boat

Last night after hitting up the grocery store, we returned home to find this bad boy waiting for us on the front porch...

...deflated of course.  The boys "helped" me blow it up and after dinner, which was yummy by the way...

(butternut squash topped with cashew coconut butter, roast chicken, sauteed onions, and steamed broccoli...I was STUFFED!)

...we took it outside for a spin.  The boys thought nighttime swimming was super cool...

 

Colton braved the "boat" by riding on my lap but Mason wanted nothing to do with it.  Today he got a little more brave and tried it solo.  Colton did too and actually let me snap a photo of him...

That float, or "mommy's boat" as the boys refer to it, is going to make our summer much, much sweeter.  You know where I'll be each day during naptime... :-)

 I convinced the boys to take showers outside so the bedtime routine was quite easy.  We even had time to facetime with Mimsy and Grandpa before turning in for the night.  It was a FUN night.

This morning kicked off bright and early with a 5:00 wake-up call from Colton...Good thing I'm on day 23 of the Whole30 and have tons of energy :-)  We hung out in my bed for a while before giving up and venturing out to the living room with coffee in hand.  Sometimes the one-on-one time is kind of nice.  Colton ended up getting tired again right after Mason woke up and I managed to get him to go back to bed again for about an hour.  I scored one-on-one time with both my babies tonight...it's a rare, but very sweet thing.

Getting up so early made me ravenous and I inhaled this yummy breakfast...

3 eggs over easy, steamed broccoli, 1/2 an avocado, and some sauteed onions...I've been on an onion kick...love them!!!

After we were all awake and ready for the day, we hit the road with the stroller and headed for the gym...the round trip covered 3 miles and I got in a killer lower body workout in the middle of it all.  I have a feeling I'll be sore tomorrow...

I was especially sluggish heading home after that leg workout...3 slow miles is better than no miles.

We spent the rest of the morning out in the pool since it's too hot to do anything else but had to head in for lunch when the storm rolled in...

I was pretty ravenous once again...

Romaine topped with a chopped carrot, leftover roasted chicken, and lots of spicy olives with banana peppers.  I also had 2 of the apricots that are getting super juicy on my windowsill...

I can't believe I've been missing these little nuggets my whole life.  Fresh apricots are SOOOO much better than dried.

After lunch, this lovely mess happened while I tried to chat with my sister for a bit...

Why don't the boys ever spill water???  It's always chocolate milk.  It was a brutal reminder of how I cannot take my eyes of those two.  They're always looking for their next adventure...or mess.  No use crying over spilled milk right??  I had to keep telling myself that...

Nap time couldn't come soon enough after that.  Good thing Aunt Abigail helped pass the time with a FaceTime call.  Once they were down, I got to work in the kitchen...

Whole30 approved chili is simmering the stove, thanks to cheap ground sirloin at the Fresh Market yesterday, to be enjoyed post-Story Time.  I'm planning to serve it over wilted kale and top it with some avocado and call it good.  Don't worry, I have leftover sweet potatoes and chicken for the boys :-)  Easy-peasy...

Looking forward to sharing these bedtime stories with my little friends tonight at story time...

Hope the rain holds off.  Happy Hump Day!!  Time to catch up on some reading...

Things are Looking Up

Here are just a few of the things that happened over the past couple of days that are putting a little pep in my step...

• I got to have a spa day with girlfriends which included a massage, mineral pools and 4 hours poolside.  I'll spare you the photos of me in a robe or a swimsuit :-)  It was glorious!!  
• My boys had a fun-filled day while I was at the spa compliments of more amazing friends.  It's the longest I've ever been away from them and it was great being able to relax and not worry.  They were in GREAT hands...including this amazing dog :-)

• My yard got a complete clean-up compliments of a wonderful friend while I was at the spa--everything is trimmed and a HUGE weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

• We got have some really yummy food and fellowship at a friend's Father's Fay celebration.
• We all got LOTS of sleep.
• We all had LOTS of fun in the sun...the boys are starting to love swimming again, thank goodness!

• Wake-up times and FaceTime chats didn't coordinate well with church times so I watched the church service I missed last week from my church's website while the boys played and I lifted weights.  It's nice to have a back-up plan when getting out the door just doesn't work out on Sunday morning.
• I finished this fun, easy read...it was entertaining.

• I am still going strong on my Whole30 experiment.  I'm on day 21 now and feeling great!!  I've been having lots of eggs, fresh salads, avocados and berries.  Today's salad was a new one...spicy olives mix, tuna, avocado, a fresh tomato, and sundried tomatoes in olive oil all on top of romaine--DELISH!!!!!  I had some lovely apricots today as well.  

• We had a relaxing start to our morning before heading to the gym.  I split my hour between the stepmill, elliptical, and treadmill--all cardio since I had done full-body weights yesterday.  It felt good to sweat and get started on my book club book, And the Mountains Echoed,  which has a very interesting start...

• My biopsies both came back benign so I can rest easy again.  Darn moles!!!
• Oh...and our pool timer is FINALLY fixed compliments of yet another wonderful friend.  I don't have to remember to go out there and flip the switch twice a day...yay!

I seriously feel like I'm myself again and I definitely didn't feel remotely like myself last week.  I am so grateful for all of the amazing people in my life who have been my support system these past months.  What would I do without you???  It takes a village and I think I've got the best village in the world.  Hopefully I don't slide down that slippery slope I got caught on last week ever again, but if I do, it sure feels good to know I have friends I can count on if I do.  God is good!!!!!!!

Perfect Timing

Take a look at today's Bible study from my Bible app today...

God Isn't Glorified Through Our Suffering

Many Christians live under the false idea that God wants them to suffer. This creates a nonstop victim mentality.
Suffering is inevitable, but God is not glorified through our suffering. He is glorified when we have a good attitude during our suffering - and He wants us to be victorious!
So why would we choose to remain bitter, angry and wounded or depressed?
There's one surefire way to overcome suffering with the right attitude: Set your mind, and keep it set, on things above, not on things of the earth. You must be armed with right thinking, or you will give up during hard times.
Set your mind and be fully aware that moving from being a victim to being a victor will not be a quick process. It will take time, but your experience will make you stronger and enable you to help others who are facing similar battles.
Get excited about your future and realize that going through something with God means that you will come out on the other side with a victory that cannot be taken away from you.

Prayer Starter: God, I need Your help to overcome a victim mentality. I choose to set my mind on things above so that I can have the right attitude. With Your thoughts and truth inside me, I know I can overcome.

...talk about perfect timing after the last couple of days I've had.  Since I'm doing my other Bible study, I haven't really been checking the app that much but today I decided to see what it had to say.  I'd say it's impossible not to believe in God when things like that happen.  Bring on my better attitude!!!!

An invite to spend the evening with some of our favorite people couldn't have come at a more perfect time either.  We had a fantastic time last night!  I got to feast on delicious Sea Bass and the boys got to go on their first golf cart ride (we're ready to check out Oma's now :-) )...

...we also enjoyed a much-needed relaxing evening amongst friends that might as well be family.  I returned home feeling incredibly blessed and sporting a much better attitude.  God is good!  

This morning I could have slept til noon.  It's the first time in a while that the boys woke me up.  Yesterday did me in!  Thank goodness for coffee and a yummy breakfast to jumpstart my day...

To kick off day 16 of my Whole30 experiment, I enjoyed fried eggs, sauteed kale, and a small avocado with a healthy dose of hot sauce.

We finally got ourselves out the door in time to make it to story time at the library at 10:30.  I gotta say it was a little crazy there today.  The monday class is more our speed but the boys had a good time regardless of what I thought.  

Their favorite part about the library...

...the steps!!!  I'm sure they'll be running down 'em in no time.  They carefully carried the snails they made at story time all the way down the steps...

...only one made it all the way home.  The other one lost his head on the way home.  Woops!!  Monsters Inc, the movie, also made it home with us.  The boys have been asking to watch it after they learned about their monsters last weekend at Lowe's Build and Grow.  We're SO ready for movie night tonight.  

We had time for a quick stop by the gym after we were done at the library.  I spent longer than usual on the elliptical cause I got caught up in the book I'm reading...

It's totally cheesy and mindless but entertaining me in my current frazzled state and I'm ok with that.  Gotta get it done so I can get into my book club book...

After about 45 minutes on the elliptical, I hopped off for a quick legs workout...I really wasn't feeling it with the weights today so I just did 50 reps of each of the following exercises and called it a day...

• squats
• deadlifts
• side-to-side lunges
• lunges
• hip thrusters on stability ball
• reverse planks

We came home ready to dig into lunch...

Mixed greens topped with sprouts, tomato, half an avocado, some salad shrimp, olives and a mustard vinaigrette.  I was still hungry once I finished it so I ate a small peach AND a small mango too and my hunger was finally satisfied.  I'm an eating machine these days.

The boys are finally napping and it's time for me to tackle some to-do list items and hopefully still have time to do a little reading before the boys wake up.  

Tonight we're trying out a little bedtime stories story time.  I'm anxious to see how it goes...thankfully I feel like I've gotten pretty good at bumping and rolling in the story time department.