An Update on 21 Day Fix

It’s now been ten months since I started 21 Day Fix. December and January were pretty much two thumbs down when it came to eating on plan, February was a little better but it’s been hard to cut out the sugar to be completely honest. And now the Cadburry mini eggs have come out… ugh! I do really well during the day, but then at night want to eateateat. It’s a constant work in progress, but as I tell my challengers, if you’re moving in an overall positive direction, that’s still a great achievement. So yes, I have off days, off meals, want to eat all the kettle corn in the world, but thankfully I can balance it out and just try my best when the next meal comes around. That’s been the best thing I’ve learned from 21 day fix. All is not lost after you have an off day. Just pick yourself up and try again.

I’m still working out quite a lot. About five days a week, usually two of those days are High classes. I’m obsessed with High and wish I could go everyday. It’s a killer workout and makes cardio so much fun.

Here are photos from my fitness journey in the last couple months. Lots of workouts, sweaty selfies, protein shakes, food pics… pretty much just skip ahead because it’s for me to reflect on in the future 🙂 !

I’m still leading accountability groups for 21 day fix, so if you need a little help working out and eating healthy, message me.

 

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Everything has a place. Everything in its place.

One of my goals for this year is a mantra to live by: Everything has a place. Everything in its place. Honestly, at times it seems easier said than done, especially with kids. I feel like I’m a pretty clean person. But, when you have kids and life is busy, it’s easy to get behind on stuff or think you don’t have time to put something away.

In Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project, she talks about how if something take a minute or less (or maybe it’s 30 seconds, I don’t remember the specifics… just a short amount of time), then instead of waiting, just do it. Finish your dinner? Rinse the plate and immediately put it in the dishwasher. Change into pajamas? Stick your dirty clothes in the hamper and hang up the clean ones. Little actions that just build up to save you time. Another favorite book of mine about productivity is called The Compound Effect. And that’s what it’s all about. Small actions that build up to really save you big time in the end. If you haven’t read either of those books, stop reading this blog and go read them!

So, I started with cleaning out the majority of my closets in the house. I got rid of a lot, threw away tons, and it felt great. Then I’ve just tried to stay on top of everything each day. I have a Weekly calendar sheet that I just write my daily goals down each day and then cross things off as I go. It’s seriously been a game changer for me this year. A few things I’ve realized by staying on top of organization and cleanliness:

  1. Do a little bit of a laundry each or every other day instead of waiting to do a huge amount once a week. It doesn’t take as long to fold and put away and it doesn’t seem overwhelming anymore.
    • If you are going to start laundry, only do it if you know you will have the time to fold and put it away immediately. No more piles of clothes waiting to be put away!
  2. As soon as you get out of bed, make your bed! I’ve always done this, but have started making sure Eva does hers now. When possible, get (somewhat) ready for the day.
    • I’ve noticed I’m so much more productive in the morning if I’ve at least put in my contacts, fixed my hair (even if it’s just a pony tail), brushed my teeth and gotten out of my pajamas (even if it’s into leggings).
  3. If the dish washer needs to be emptied in the morning, do it ASAP. That way the dishes don’t pile up in the sink and you can just put the dirty ones away throughout the day.
  4. I read this article last month saying it’s good to follow the RULE OF FIVE. Every hour, pick up five things. So, if your kids are playing, pick up as you go. Also, every hour, clean for five minutes. In five minutes, you can sweep, mop, vacuum, clean one vanity, clean a toilet. Just one little chore. It doesn’t seem like much, but by the end of the day, you’ve cleaned for one hour!
  5. Keep your counters clear. Holy cow. Even if my house isn’t clean, it definitely feels so much better if my bathroom and kitchen counters are clear. I don’t feel as stressed through the day seeing the clutter!
  6. Set the mood for a clean house. Open the blinds, let in natural light, open the windows when possible. Turn on your scentsy/light a candle. When the house looks fresh, it makes it feel even better.

It really has affected my mood this month keeping the house picked up and clean. It’s still a work in progress and I definitely have off days from time to time. But it made January not seem so dreary. And here’s why: There is a real link between clutter and depression. Read about it here.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my thoughts on this. Please share any tips or ideas you have, because I’d love to hear about them!

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Kentucky Christmas Photos

I’m so behind in blogging and my intentions were to go through the photos and spruce them up a bit, but it made me never want to get it done. So here are my phone photos from our trip dumped onto one post!

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Tree of Life

Back in December, TJ was pretty busy with work so we didn’t get to go up to the Christmas lights in SLC. So I opted for the Tree of Life in Draper and took the kids there one evening. It was so gorgeous and just nice to get out!

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Christmas in Kentucky

The day after Christmas, the kids and I went to Kentucky for about two weeks. I wanted to see my family and TJ was crazy busy with work and the CES show in Vegas. Now this is why it’s much better to blog as soon as something happens because I don’t remember exactly what we did. Thankfully, I did take lots of video and have compiled those.

Basically, we hung out with my sister’s family and parents, and just enjoyed being together pretending it was Christmas again. Finn wasn’t sleeping well for the first week though, teething and a bad cough, so that made me extra grumpy for the first few days. I’ll tell you what, I’m just the worst when I’m tired. I need sleep to be a good mom. Anyway, Finn finally started sleeping better and so we got into the swing of things and got to do a lot of fun outings. We went to the conservatory, a kid’s place called Otterville, the aquarium, Newport on the Levee, and the Cincinnati Children’s Museum (for free thanks to my Thanksgiving Point pass!). I got to see several movies while I was home too, which was a blast.

We had a great time and can’t believe it’s all over. It’s always sad to leave home because I never know when I’ll get to go back. Thank goodness for FaceTime, right?

Photos to come soon!

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Christmas Day 2016

Christmas fell on a Sunday this year which I really enjoyed. Eva woke up around 8 and then we woke Finny Babe up and headed downstairs. Finn couldn’t stop saying, “Woah!” Which was the cutest thing ever and Eva was excited about all of her toys from Santa. It was such a precious morning together as our little family. We then got ready for church and headed over to TJ’s parents’ home for brunch, which I made a French toast casserole for. Church was a nice Christmas program filled with lots of music, but Finn was pretty noisy so I had to take him out for a lot of it, unfortunately. After church, we relaxed and played in the snow for a bit, then had dinner with TJ’s parents and sister’s family. We got to FaceTime with my family that afternoon and then we headed home around bedtime. Once the kids were in bed, TJ I finished up a few Christmas movies. It was a great day and I can’t believe it’s been more than a month since it all happened.

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Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was pretty chill, which I loved. We woke up and had a little breakfast together, I got my workout in, then we headed to my in-laws for lunch and to open up the cousin presents. The kids were all so cute opening up their gifts, and couldn’t wait to play with everything. We played games and just relaxed that afternoon and then headed over to a Mexican Restaurant with some of TJ’s extended family for dinner. Finn was really tired for not getting a good nap in that day, so he was kind of a pain at dinnertime, but we still really enjoyed having a Mexican Christmas! Afterwards, we finished off the night decorating sugar cookies, singing carols, acting out the Nativity, and having a Christmas PJ fashion show over at TJ’s uncle’s house. It was quite the group and a lot of fun.

When we were back home late that night, we watched the classic It’s a Wonderful Life while TJ worked the night away on a drawing he was making for his parents. There’s something so magical about getting the stockings and presents all ready on Christmas Eve, along with leaving the cookies and reindeer food out for Santa. It’s definitely one of the best parts about being a parent!

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Hiatus

The other night I was puzzling, my new-found hobby, and I realized I hadn’t blogged for a really long time! I still haven’t written about my trip to Kentucky, my dad visiting, anything about January, or even a reflection on 2016! So much journaling to do. I will start working on those posts soon! Just know we are doing well and that the break of posts has just been because we’ve been staying busy! Winter is surprisingly speeding by, we’ve had tons of snow and LOVE it, I’m in the middle of doing 21 day fix extreme again, we got a second car (!), and we are spending lots of time at home as a little family trying to be creative with our time!

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New Year, New 21 Day Fix Group

I didn’t really run a group in December for 21 Day Fix because we didn’t have any newcomers and the holidays were busy, but we are back at it starting the 9th and I couldn’t be more excited for what the next round will bring! Personally, I’ll be doing 21 Day Fix Extreme workouts and sticking to a very strict meal plan, I’ve already started planning out my meals so I can see the greatest results! After all, abs are made in the kitchen. I realized I’ve been doing this for nearly 9 months and it’s exciting to see how far I’ve come, yet realize physical health is an ongoing and ever continuing process. Last year my goal was to lose 25 pounds, I lost about 33 (well 35, but Christmas goodies caught up to me!), and so this year I want to lose 10 pounds but really focus on toning my body. I don’t think I’ve ever considered myself “toned.” So, it’s a new goal for me completely! But I know 21 Day Fix can get me there! Message me for details, it really is more fun to do the accountability group with friends!

Here’s my very first video I made about my 21 Day Fix journey.

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He Was Here

 

Merry Christmas! We didn’t send out many Christmas cards this year because we tried to scale back and simplify a bit, so I wanted to let you all know here how much we love and appreciate you. I also want to express my gratitude for our Savior, who humbly came into this world as a baby in a stable. This season, that simple truth made an impact on me.

Why would a God from Heaven
Come to the world this way?
Why in a lowly stable
Would the Messiah lay?
I shook my head and asked them
To tell the story one more time

Yes I did believe them
Though I’d not seen a thing
I did not go to Bethlehem
Or hear the angels sing
But there was something magic
In the air
That made me feel as if
I had been there

Do you think you’ll join us
Though you’ve not seen a thing?
You were not there in Bethlehem
To hear the angels sing
But if you feel the spirit
In the air
Then just like me you’d know

That He was here
He was here

It’s easy to doubt in our world. It’s easy to not believe. But this story of our Savior, I know it is true. I feel it in my heart. I feel it when my daughter recites her small version of the nativity with me. It is simple but it is oh so true. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and a great 2017!

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