Just rambling...

I wasn't really looking forward to starting another week :) I felt like I worked all weekend too without much break and rest, so I wasn't all that thrilled with starting again. But, blessedly, after the hurricane we now have some nice cool weather- like, you need a sweater. Wow!

I opened the windows in every room to let the fresh air in, and I'm about to head outside to hang out some laundry. I allowed myself to just chill with my girls this morning before jumping in on the work to be done, and that helped get me in a better mood. The Lord has been dealing with me lately about busy-ness. Is it really necessary to be soooo busy at home all the time?? It's not when my girls haven't gotten a hug that day or any of my time.

Why do I have to be on the go constantly? Well, I am going to change some things. For one, I am going to start getting up even earlier- WHAT!!!??? Yes, earlier. I have promised my husband that I am going to work hard on my body and I prefer to exercise completely alone. So the only solution is to do it early. I also have been missing my early meetings with Jesus, so I need to work that in before everyone gets up too.

Another thing is I just need to settle on what is good enough-not perfection. Not getting every piece of laundry folded and put away isn't going to make a huge difference. Not getting the kitchen perfectly clean and shiny isn't going to hurt anyone. Letting the girls make a large mess with toys isn't the end of everything- they get to clean it up :)

Now, how am I going to have the energy to make it through the day if I get up at 4:30am? Hopefully the exercise will energize me, and, I am making diet changes. We do eat healthy, but lately I've been baking a lot and using regular sugar. We drink lots of sweetened iced tea. We eat carbohydrates more because of the low cost. They are good carbs, but still, I am probably taking in too many calories to lose anything.

If I could lose 50lbs I would be a lot more energetic! Yes that's right, I weigh somewhere between 230-240lbs. I do carry it well and don't feel that bulky, but I am way heavier than I want to be. Generally for my size I'm in good shape- I can do physical labor ok without getting too out of breath. But still, I miss being in great shape. This is my food plan:

Daily I need to eat:
2-3T coconut oil
4-6oz of kefir
my supplements
1 serving of carbohydrates such as soaked oatmeal, potatoes, whole grain bread etc.
Boo-koos of veggies- mostly green- raw and steamed and buttered
1 piece of fruit
some protein
lots of water


So, the idea is that if I get hungry, then I fill up on vegetables, either raw with some kind of dip (protein) or steamed with butter/coconut oil. The fat makes the vegetables' nutrients more absorbable. (is that a word?) I plan to blend the kefir with fruit and drink it in the morning with breakfast, which will either be the cereal or eggs. I am trying to keep the carbs and proteins separate for easier digestion.

Lunch will either be salad and veggies with protein (eggs, cheese, meat) or a baked potato with veggies and soup. What will I do when I start craving sweets?? Drink water, pray, drink hot tea, pray some more, if all else fails, eat a spoon of raw honey. Dinner will be what the family is having with extra veggies. I have been overeating lately too- so I'm going to try to re-teach my body when to stop eating.

My goal is to exercise 2-3 times a week, either walking or doing my workout tapes. I have two Firm tapes but no step to use, so I haven't been using them.

If I weigh myself I might put a weight tracker on the blog, but I have no scale right now...

Anyways, so this means baking day has been shortened to bread and one treat to put in lunch boxes :) I will eat what I make, so I just have to stop making it :)

So how does this relate to not being so busy? I guess I'm going to focus more on my health instead of my home for awhile and be more tuned in with what my children are needing from me. I'm still nervous about trying to get up so early- will I crash out mid-morning?? Will I have to go to bed at 8pm?? My husband won't like that :) I'll just have to experiment :)

This post is getting very long...one more thing. I am trying a new soup recipe that looks very interesting. Here it is:
Mexican Pumpkin Soup

1. saute chopped onion and garlic until soft

2. add dried spices to the oil in pan, and warm the spices until fragrant:
cumin, cilantro, dash of nutmeg, chili powder, salt, pepper, basil

3. add 4 cups? vegetable broth, or leftover bean broth to pan

4. add 1 regular can of pumpkin, or 3-4 cups small chunks of raw pumpkin or butternut squash

5. add 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

6. Simmer all, until potato and pumpkin (if using raw pumpkin) are soft, 15-20 min

7. add chopped green chiles, to taste, leave out if too spicy

- add one can diced tomatoes, or 2 cups salsa, add pinch of sugar
- add leftover pinto beans, frozen corn, and one 13 oz can light coconut milk

8. Simmer, and warm everything, taste for seasoning

I got it from Lentils and Rice- over there on the left hand sidebar. I will be changing the ingredients somewhat- I don't have green chiles or a sweet potato and I'm using canned pumpkin and full fat coconut milk and chicken stock. I've got the beans simmering on the stove right now. I've deemed Monday as soup day since it can cook all day without a lot of attention while I get the week started out good :)

Alrighty, I'm done rambling. Have a nice day everyone!