Updated Grocery List

Popping in today to share my updated Grocery List! I'm working on a post that gathers up the resources in which I meal plan from as well so, be on the look out for that.

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

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Work-at-Home Moms

Taking a little break from recipes and food stuff to share some ideas for the work-at-home-moms. Came across a post from Stewardship.com and God knew I needed it. I've been having a tough time lately serving with love. I LOVE staying at home and everything that comes with it and and I love that I've been able to continue to do so AND contribute significantly with the financial (and countless others) blessing of Advocare, but there are days where it is still really tough to stay home and work part-time with two (soon to be three) young ones. 

I felt so overwhelmed with the little ones, being pregnant, being a wife, cooking healthy meals for my family and everything else it takes to run a household. I felt like I was spinning my wheels. I was mentally exhausted and never sat down, but never felt like I got anything done. I called my sweet husband bawling because it was three hours past the kids' naptime and they were still fighting it. "What am I doing wrong here?!" It was a string of a few bad days and I know that it was me, not them, not anything else...me. 

I knew I just had my priorities all out of whack. I was so focused on trying to get our house ready to sell, the demands of life that every person experiences and distracting myself from doing household chores (and telling Breaker 'no' for the 15,987th time that day), that I let my relationship with God fall down to the bottom of the list and it was very apparent in my thoughts and actions. 

I knew I had my priorities in the wrong order and a few weeks later, a friend sent me this post. It was just what my heart and mind needed. 

Recalibration and a guideline for how to get some intention back into my days. Please head over there and read the entire thing for yourself, but here are the CliffsNotes.

1. Create a Schedule
2. Establish Boundaries to Eliminate Distractions (this one is really hard for me!)
3. Find Reliable Childcare
4. Let Go of Something (for me, it's been TV but, it should be Facebook...)
5. Don't Compromise Sleep
6. Hold a Weekly Planning Meeting
7. Get Out of the House (Network, Nurture Friendships, Etc. Advocare has been HUGE for me in this area. Have such a great group of girlfriends because of it.)

Creating a schedule has allowed me to put my relationship with God back at the top, which has given me the strength, energy and grace I need to get through this season of life. It's an incredible one, but whew, it definitely tests you. This blog gives me a lot of strength and I turn to it often when I'm feeling a little mentally or spiritually worn down. It's really things like THIS and THIS that remind me what life is really all about. 

I think we're all (hopefully) on a path of continual improvement. Having a family and being a part of such an amazing Advo-family has challenged me personally in ways I couldn't have imagined five years ago. I hope that you find these resources as moving and helpful as I have.

What are you guys reading/doing to fill up your tanks and accomplish all of your goals? 

Love to hear it! 

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What I Ate Wednesday #3

Hi Everyone! Linking up with Jenn this week for another WIAW. Here we go, yo!

I try not to ever be Debbie Downer, but yesterday was just a sucky day. Just a woke up on the wrong side of the bed kind of days. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but didn't go workout and that multiplied the sucky-ness of the day by about oh, a thousand. Then, I saw a blind man walking through the grocery store parking lot, immediately started bawling and then nearly punched myself for feeling sorry for myself. Funny how God works...

Read More >>

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Motivation Monday: Workouts & Mindsets

Hi Everyone! Hope you guys had a great weekend. Mine was more productive than normal, so I'm trying to hone in on why so that I can duplicate it and share it with you.

I just started an intense 6-week training course with Advocare, called Ruby Boot Camp. It's meant to challenge, stretch and drive you. Here are 10 things I learned and have committed to (worth the read, I promise):

1. Today, I choose to quit allowing other people to control my thoughts. I refuse to be affected by negative people. Therefore, I will choose to spend my free time with positive people.
2. Today, I choose to stop blaming others for my problems. I will never use other people as an excuse as to why I cannot be successful. I will stop giving my problems to other people to solve.
3. Today, I choose to quit being victimized by the media and other propaganda. It only matters what I know and in whom I already trust.
4. Today, I choose to control my own destiny. Nobody else pays my bills or has the responsibility to care for myself or my family. Therefore, I take responsibility for my own future.
5. Today, I choose to cast away fear completely. Fear is unbelief. I BELIEVE. Therefore, there is no room for fear in my live.
6. Today, I choose to stop complaining. I even choose to stop complaining about those who complain. If I complain, I remain. Therefore, I choose to be grateful in my conversations, but most importantly, in my thoughts.
7. Today, I choose to take the words 'frustrated' and 'can't' out of my vocabulary. Both of those words reveal a false perception that I'm powerless. I choose to shift my energy away from those things I cannot change and toward people and situations that I can change.
8. Today, I choose to be patient with people and treat them with honor and love. I choose this for all people around me, including myself, regardless of their past or my past or even how they treat me. I choose to see the good and success in myself and in others without evidence or deserving it.
9. Today, I choose to forgive all those who have hurt me in the past and all those who will disappoint me in the future. I even forgive those who deny hurting me or do not know they've hurt me. I understand that offense is an enemy to my destiny and will steal my success and peace. I have a forgiving and humble heart. I refuse to gossip or 'vent' to other people.
10. Today, I choose to be decisive about my future and act upon that decision daily. I have made up my mind about what I want for my life, and I refuse to be passive about my future. I am a person of action. The centerpiece of my action is serving others. My highest call as a leader is to serve others.

This started at 6pm, which meant that I had to have EVERYTHING done by then. Dinner on the table, kids bathed, food prep, etc. I busted my butt to get everything done before then and much to my surprise, I actually did. I set a goal (deadline) and that was the key. I have really been working on my goal-setting skills and have a post planned for that this week. Hopefully, if that's an area you're looking to improve, it will help.

I'm so incredibly grateful to be part of Advocare. It's changed me and my life in too many ways to list here. I was and to some extent, still am, the most cynical, introverted person on the planet. Advocare has coached me out of my comfort zone and I truly love the person it's helping me become. I know, I sound #craycray, but if you know me personally, I hope that you see the change too.

Now, what's been keeping me motivated in the gym - new workout clothes. I know. I'm semi-ashamed too, but seriously, it works. I still have yet to pull the trigger on any lulu stuff. Probably because I know how much mark-up is in workout clothes and it's #redic, but I see some of these in my future. I did however just snag these and I am pumped.

You don't have to spend a ton on workout clothes. I mean, you can, but then you'd have to tell me about it so I can live vicariously though you.

I get the majority of my stuff at TJ Maxx, Nike and UA outlets, Ellie (hands down best quality and value), and any other places I can find deals. I will say that I have some stuff that I wish I would've just sprung for Lulu or  something else. I have three pairs of capris that I can think of, that I hate and don't wear because the don't stay up. Take that for what it's worth, but if you're having trouble getting in the gym, go buy yourself a new, cute item. I bet that'll do it!

So, get your butt in the gym or on the road and contact me if you're interested in being personally challenged to be the absolute best version of you. The payoff is 100% worth the effort and I'd love to have you on my Advocare team.

What motivates you?

PS

I'll be posting goal-setting exercises, meal-prep and clean recipes later this week :)

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Lessons Learned

Everyday is a learning experience. In some way or another, I learn something about myself. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I learned a good lesson this past weekend.

I ate horribly. I mean, horribly this past weekend. I had a cheeseburger (which was amazing) and my husband is a sucker for a DQ Blizzard and he always cons me into one. I figured,

"Oh, I'll just work it off at CrossFit tomorrow." 

Well, that my friends, is the kind of thinking that needs to be stopped. Immediately.

Why? Well, because you put yourself (myself) at the top of a very slippery slope. Tomorrow becomes the next day, which becomes the next, and the next and well, you get the idea.

So, I got to Crossfit the next day and got through the warm up and ready for a butt-kicking workout, as is par for the course. Unfortunately, my youngest had other plans which included, but were not limited to, screaming like Steven Tyler for 30 minutes straight.

I didn't get to work out and I was totally bummed. More so because I was working out for all the wrong reasons that day. I was basically trying to account for my lack of clean eating the days before. Hint: that shouldn't be your purpose for working out. It will keep you going for a little while, but it's not a strong enough purpose to keep you going when the going gets tough...and it will.

I definitely eat clean 90% of the time, but there are times when I have my wine cake and eat it too. But I own it. I live life when I'm out with the girls. I'm not that weirdo that orders water and a house salad because I'm on a 'diet'. I'll drink wine and have some Bang Bang Shrimp, but you know what, I'm in control. I don't let it control me. And I think that's really the key.

You being in control of you and what you put into your body. 

I don't typically 'fall off the wagon' unless I fully intend to jump off of the wagon - and usually it's into a bottle of fantastically delicious wine, but that's neither here, nor there. When I do, I don't beat myself up, but I do recognize it and get back on track. Jen does a great job of teaching you how to get back on track. A method I'm using right now, as a matter of fact.

The Lord has blessed us all with only one life. You get to choose how you live it. I don't want to live with any regrets (I wish I would've started eating clean and working out a year ago, etc.). I don't want to ever have that guilt feeling that I felt when I couldn't work out. If life happens and I can't work out that day, I don't want it to stress me out. 

I want to be able to say, "well, at least I've been eating clean and taking my supplements." 

Because life does happen. Kids get sick (or scream for 30 minutes) or you're traveling for work and you won't be able to get a workout in. But,

You're always in control of what you eat or don't eat.

A clean, healthy lifestyle is sometimes a challenge, yes, and if it were easy, everyone would do it. But if something doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. It shouldn't stress you out to the point where you're losing your s&!* everyday, that's not what this is about. This is about living the absolute best life you possibly can while you can - because you only get one. How do you want to live it? The choice is yours.

No excuses. Is there something that you've wanted to do but have been letting excuses (or fear) hold you back? What do you want out of life? Whatever it is, grab life by the cojones and go get it. You only get one. Live it with no regrets.

What are your goals or something that you've been wanting to do, but just haven't done yet? 

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