Whole30: Day's 10 & 11

According to the timeline, day's 10 & 11 are supposed to be the hardest days…

Fortunately for Kyle and I, they were actually some of the easiest!

Now, our pants were a little bit tighter as it says they might be, but I didn't want to quit at all!

For dinner we just had chicken and spaghetti squash.

My first time eating and cooking spaghetti squash and it was good!

Honestly the hardest thing about day 10 was that it was Saturday and we wanted to go out for a date night treat! I think that's what makes the weekend hard for me is that we don't get to do that.

BUT we are a third of the way done!!!!!!!

Mother's Day wasn't even as hard as you might think it would have been.

Kyle was so sweet and adventurous!

He found a recipe for cinnamon banana sweet potato pancakes.

Now technically this is not allowed on the Whole30.

But a real man, let's his wife 'cheat' for Mother's Day.

It's not really cheating because every ingredient is allowed.

Coconut whip cream, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries!

It was WONDERFUL!!! It is shocking that sweet potatoes and bananas (and a few other ingredients) can come together to make something so good!

Will I be eating like this next mother's day? Absolutely not.

Am I very proud of myself for eating this way this mother's day? YES!

(I didn't even eat the chocolate they passed out at church)

 For dinner we made beef taco lettuce wraps.

I made a ton of cauliflower rice, I might be obsessed with that!

It even folded up very nicely into a 'burrito'

Just some ground beef with taco spices, cauliflower with cilantro, guacamole, and some homemade salsa that I threw together at the last minute!

I am so impressed with myself for deciding to take control of my eating habits and my health. I thought I would be saying it is one of the hardest things I've ever done but honestly, it just seems natural!

Ok, ok. I am not always this positive about it. But overall Kyle and I are both feeling great. We have noticed a huge decrease in sugar cravings and even snacking has gone down a bit. That's mostly because I can't snack on Milk Duds and Nature Valley peanut bars, but I also don't always want to snack.

Tomorrow is supposed to be boundless energy… We will see about that.

I'm thinking it will come on Tuesday. We have noticed that everything seems to come a day or two later than the timeline says it will!

Here's to hoping it comes soon and my pants begin to fit again!

My Mom is a Miracle!

This mother's day is different.

And it isn't because I am a mother now. (well maybe a little bit because of that)

I don't think I believe in 'Luck' anymore.

I believe in miracles.

I believe in a God who loves so deeply, he doesn't allow us to just 'be lucky'

Year after year, me and my siblings have tried to get a group gift to give our parents for special occasions.

When we were younger it was dollar store figurines, and handmade cards. Or plastic glasses with a nose and mustache attached.

As we got a little older we tried to do things that were more sentimental, a photo book, gift cards for a date night, poems that we had written, you know, mushy stuff like that.

Now that I don't live in AZ though, I realize the best gift is time. If we can be together, than the 'stuff' and 'things' don't really matter. In fact, they don't matter at all!

God has given our family miracle, after miracle, after miracle, after miracle… need I go on?

Ok, I will.

After miracle, after miracle, after miracle…

I think you get it now.

When we look at our trials as unfair, and we have a lot of trials, then our life, overall, seems unfair.

And if we call 'miracles,' 'luck' than we might say "I might have a lot of bad things happen to me but I sure am lucky."

When really we should be saying "I might have a rough life, but God must love me a lot because look at all these miracles He has performed in my life!"

I'd rather have God on my side than luck.

God always comes through - In His own way - but this so called 'luck,' it's not always there.

Some might say "man, you've been through enough, haven't you?" 

And believe me, we are saying that too.

But we are also noticing the miracles, that have kept us together as a family.

Some might not believe in a God. But when I look back on all the inconvenient, crazy, or scary stuff that has happened in my families lives, I can't give 'luck' the credit.

And this Mother's Day, I want nothing more than to be with my Mother.

Because every minute, every second I get to spend with her is a blessing.

And I could really use that blessing in my life today!

My mom has always been amazing but (as most first time mom's agree) you really don't really appreciate them until you've become a mother of your own. And living away from my mom on Mother's Day makes me long to be with her.

She really is the best.

I'm not lucky that she is my mom. I am honored that my Heavenly Father wanted us to be a family. And I know that He planned it.

It was never a matter of luck, and always a matter of love.

I LOVE YOU MOMMY!!!!!!

Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Changing bodies or protecting temples are miracles, but an even greater miracle is a mighty change of heart by a son or daughter of God. A change of heart, including new attitudes, priorities, and desires, is greater and more important than any miracle involving the body. I repeat, the body will be resurrected in any event, but a change affecting what the scripture calls the "heart" of a spirit son or daughter of God is a change whose effect is eternal. If of the right kind, this change opens the door to the process of repentance that cleanses us to dwell in the presence of God. It introduces the perspective and priorities that lead us to make the choices that qualify us for eternal life, "the greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C 14:7).

Whole30: Day's 8 & 9

Honestly, Day 8 was kind of a drag. I went to bed on the 7th feeling really good, super excited and determined. I don't want to complain, and I definitely don't want to quit, it was just a long day.

I also wanted to take a nap…

Even more so than I did day 7. And that was supposedly 'take a nap' day!

Day 9 was even worse in the nap department. Kyle and I both woke up feeling incredibly exhausted. We got over it after eating but man, getting up to make breakfast was sloooow…

Day 8 dinner - AMAZING!

We grilled burgers and pineapples. Put our homemade BBQ sauce on them and wrapped it in lettuce.

I absolutely recommend trying this.

(For you Disney fans, a hidden Mickey!)

It was so simple but very rich in flavor.

I might be speaking too soon, but I think I'm starting to feel more energized!

Neither of us are sick of eggs for breakfast yet.

Our lunches of leftovers are great!

I definitely don't want to quit, but I have been wanting my old snacks back. Especially peanut butter.

Dinner tonight was good. I cooked my first spaghetti squash!

The chicken was just seasoned with oregano, garlic salt paprika and pepper.

I'm tired now so I can't really think.

9 days down!

New Camera!

I got a new camera!

My old camera was a christmas present from 2006. It still works really well, but the battery is expanding, and I can't seem to find another one the right size.

Plus, every time I charge the battery (if I manage to pry it out), when I put it back in I have to reset the date. So I have to scroll from 2006 to 2014! That's not really that difficult (at all) but it just adds to the issues.

The biggest thing is just the battery. It has gotten to the point where I am using tweezers to pull it out of the camera!

Anyway, my cousin was selling her really nice camera for cheap and so I bought it!

I took a bunch of pictures!

Kacie helping Kyle with his homework.

Cutest baby ever!!!!

You love camera's so it's easy to get you to smile for pictures.

The problem is that you want the camera so all the pictures are blurry, or you are trying to grab it from me, so it's not a great picture!

Except you're in it so it's a perfect picture!

I decided to make myself a place to hang my jewelry. I have a really nice jewelry box that I got for Christmas from a work party several years ago. I really love it but I hate not being able to see all my stuff!

So using cork board, dowel rod (bracelets), roof gutter covers (earrings), drawer knobs (necklaces), hooks (necklaces), condiment cups (rings, stud earrings, miscellaneous), sauntering wire (holding condiment cups), and ribbon, I created this!

And here it is completed and hung up:

I love it and I love the easy access to all my jewelry. I also cleaned out a ton of things that I no longer wear so that was refreshing!

Daddy and His Little Girl!

Dear Kacie,

I get to spend a lot of time with you because your father is at work or school. But it just makes you like him even more!

This post is all about you two.

We went to visit him at work one day and you two shared an apple, right out of daddy's mouth!

When daddy get's you dressed, he always puts you in Cardinals gear… well not always, but most of the time!

We were out grilling dinner one evening and you all the sudden started climbing the stairs! You were wandering all over the place, because you can walk now and you think you're a big kid!

This is you bringing some veggies to dad.

And then whenever dad goes out to grill, you go to the front door and watch him.

One night we went on a walk to Macey's. We thought, this will be great, we will wear you down!

And only a few minutes into the walk, you fell asleep. At the store, everyone kept saying how cute you are. 

Sometimes we just strip you down to your diaper and give you messy food. And then you kick up your feet and chill in your high chair.

If you and I are home alone, you eat alright. But if dad is home and in the same room as us, you just follow him wherever he walks. It's really difficult to feed you when he's around, so I just let him do it.

Oh, this isn't really about dad. Well, it's about my dad! And mom and sister. We love to Skype them so that they can see you growing! It was so cute this time because you would walk up to the iPad and just yell into it, 'talking' to grandma and grandpa and Auntie Aub. They just smiled and said "Oh, really? Is that right?" and you just kept going!

But the picture below is full of attitude. They were 'arguing' and all talking at once. Grandpa is waving his finger at Auntie Aub like "Oh no you didn't!" And Grandma is saying something like "I gave you life!" And Auntie Aub is waving her hand around saying "Oh yes I did!"

Hilarious.

Anyway, back to your dad.

He had to go to the doctors one day and we went with. You kept trying to break into the cabinets.

I gave you a new hairstyle. I think it's my favorite one so far. Everyone loves it. No really, everyone.

Then dad picked you up and you played with him!

He puts his hand into a fist and then you poke your finger into the hole and push it down as hard as you can. It's really kind of random. You just started doing that to him one day!

He was trying to keep you entertained so you wouldn't get into trouble with the cords and plugs.

But these days, you are just too independent and would rather be walking around on your own.

Slow down kid.

You're only 10 months old.

We love you so much!

Love,

Dad and Mom

Play Date with Gus!

Dear Kacie,

We had a play date with your cousin Gus! You too were so cute hanging out in the car. You even shared your pretzels with him. And he devoured them!

We went to Thanksgiving Point and walked around in the gardens. It was during the Tulip festival, so of course I didn't take any pictures of them… It was beautiful though!

We had a picnic by the waterfall. You and Gus crawled around and got crumbs all over our pants.

Then we went and walked around. We went and saw some fish. They just wanted food so they only swam to the people feeding them… and we didn't have any quarters to get food. But I think you still enjoyed looking over the edge!

You two were just so cute in your little strollers! You were both awake and looking around and then just like 4 minutes later...

You had both passed out in your seats. Oh my, it was absolutely adorable!

We wore you down!

We had so much fun, and you and Gus both loved having someone your own size to play with! Well, Gus is bigger than you, but that's ok, you're a lady so you'll probably always be smaller.

Later that night you were in such a good mood!

Your hair just gets out of control sometimes, even when it's under control in a ponytail!

Love you lots little girl!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Whole30: Day's 6 & 7

Can I just say that I am loving this timeline.

It has been a wonderful tool to help Kyle and I prepare for the days ahead. It gives us clarity on feelings we might have, and hope for the rough days to come, because it outlines when the results will start to show, mainly the energy!

Oh energy, please don't hesitate to come as soon as possible! It has been long enough!

Day's 6&7 are "I want a nap"

And let me tell you, we wanted to nap.

But we didn't.

My sugar cravings are going away. I still think of Milk Duds… I ate those a lot before I started the Whole30.

Blast.

But we keep trucking forward!

They talk a lot about people getting sick of eggs for breakfast. So far, we haven't had this problem. I love eggs and we have had them scrambled, fried, 'mcmuffin,' and with sausage. We have plans to make an egg tortilla for breakfast burritos, steak breakfast burritos!

Lunches have mainly been leftovers, but we have also had tuna lettuce wraps, apples, monkey salads and more leftovers. Seriously, leftovers are awesome. Because you eat dinner the night before and you love it, then instead of stuffing your face, you just say "It's all right. I'm having it for lunch too!"

Dinner's have been amazing every night. Day 6 we grilled beef kabobs. Mmmm! Delicious!

Day 7 was interesting because I didn't really have a plan. I did, but then I didn't… So I've been wanting to bake the squash and zucchini we had bought. I layer it out so pretty in the pan. It's just sprinkled with a tiny bit of olive oil and spices are just salt and pepper. Then I sprinkled some green onions on top as well. I threw in some left over bell peppers from our Stushi to fill up the pan. 

Then I just cooked chicken in the frying pan. I think I just put coriander, cumin, garlic salt and pepper on. I honestly don't really remember for sure though! And we made cauliflower rice again too.

That stuff is amazing. I will definitely be making cauliflower rice often, even after the Whole30!

I got a lot of things accomplished today. I think it is a combination of me feeling more confident because of the willpower and self control I have had, so I am in a better mood so I am more patient with Kacie so she's been taking better naps (2 today!) and so I actually got things done instead of watched TV while she was asleep. But whatever it is, I'm already seeing little specks of results and it's only the 7th day!!!!!!

And today, I pulled out my yoga mat and DVD. I have been missing it!

The biggest reason I started the Whole30 is because you are supposed to get more energy. And I need more energy so that I will exercise!

As you can see from the indentations on my mat, it has been a while…

I like to keep my mat indentation free!

Honestly, I am doing great overall. I knew I had a sugar addiction. I had been trying to stop it for months. The Whole30 is really hard for me. I am completely exhausted. I am going to miss out on the chocolate fountain for Relief Society activity next week. And Kacie smelled like Skittles tonight.

But I am beyond proud of myself for deciding to do this, sticking to it, and having a good attitude about it. (well, most of the time…)

I am so proud of myself for taking a step to a healthier me. Not just physically, but in my duties as a mother as well. I don't want Kacie to grow up with an unhealthy relationship to food. I want her to learn from the start that food is for health, not comfort.

Kyle feels tired as well. He's ready for it to be over, but he won't quit - wouldn't be manly to give up. Also, he's just awesome like that. He's been going to the gym. Just waiting on that promised energy too!

I believe that there are different stages in our lives, and that some time in the future I might need some comfort food. But I've spent the last year being very unhealthy and I let it control a lot of parts of my life. It's time to stop letting food comfort me, and let me comfort me! Or my husband, cause he's pretty awesome at comfort!

I keep thinking back to the first day (was it really only 6 days ago?) when I got yelled at by a tenant. And how I kept thinking 'Of course that would happen my first day!'

But guys, bad days are going to happen.

They just will.

And it's always a great time to try and be a little better!

I embarrass myself on here a lot these days, and I'm about to do it again!

But I was reading another blog. This lady is also doing the Whole30. She posted about how one day she bought heart shaped Reese's for her boys - not the bite sized ones. The 4 or 5 bite sized ones. Then ended up opening one on the ride home. And another when she got home. And a few hours later ate two more. And before she knew it, she had eaten all 6.

I was so glad that she was willing to share this, because I have done the exact same thing.

Well it was Snickers Eggs (seriously, they should just sell those year round!)

She said how embarrassed she was to be sharing it but how good it felt to put it behind her and make better choices. As I read that I knew exactly what she was saying! I had felt all of those before.

It's ok to make mistakes. It's fine to have weaknesses. In fact, it's human!

But it's even better to take control of your weaknesses!

Look them in their creamy, chocolatey, gooey faces and say "I'm done with you. You have no power over me anymore!"

Anyway, I've ranted on for long enough. I am just feeling really great about taking a stand in my life. It's awesome to be in control my body.

Day's 8 & 9 Your pants might be tight.

We'll just be staying home for that ^^ terrifying picture