Day 21: Disneyland Photowalk

always get more happy here // flowers // almost grown up

piece of my heart // quack // more flowers

flowers in trees // orange blossoms // my fave photo from the trip

came for the orange blossom smells and flowers. was not disappointed.

Disneyland. march. 2018

Day 20: The Great Outdoors Photowalk

// random photos not yet shared from the past few weeks //

"Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing"
     -Dr. Seuss

Day 19: On This Day...

... 5 years ago, this little girl came into our lives.

And changed us forever.

In the best way.

Happy Birthday to my little tater tot!

Day 17: The Great Outdoors

One thing I've noticed lately is how much I'm enjoying the great outdoors.

Yes, the photo is a parking lot.

The mall parking lot, actually.

But at 6 am it is quiet and you can hear the birds and see the trees and feel the breeze on your face.

I'm loving planning little bits of time outside when I can, rather than on a treadmill at the gym.

Experiencing the little bit of Spring that we get here in the desert.

Some days it's a hike, others it's the uphill climb to Barnes and Noble, down the stairs, up the stairs, and back to the car.

3 times.

In a few weeks it will be hot at 6am, and I will have to wait until September for cooler mornings.

But for now, I'm loving the great outdoors!

"You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine."
     -John C Maxwell

Day 16: Feels Better

Know what feels better than eating everything I want?

Buying new clothes...

2 sizes smaller.

Set some goals. 
Stay quiet about them. 
Smash the hell out of them. 
Clap for your damn self.

Day 15: Hike + Food

Saturday we went on our 2nd family hike.

Well, 3 of 4 of us went.

Katie opted to sleep in.

This time we walked along the Big Butte Loop Trail, near Papago Park.

It was a bit longer, but still on the very easy scale for hikes.

Afterward, Emma picked Nekter for breakfast.

Mark and I split an Acai banana berry bowl.

He wasn't sure that he would like it (he did) and I could only eat half a bowl due to the high WW points (lots of sugar).

Emma had the same bowl, but finished it off by herself.

It was yummy and fresh, but no protein so I was hungry again an hour later.

Either way, I love that we're trying new places for breakfast and spending some time together.

And, the store was super cute.

Just look at this wall.

And it smelled soooo good when we walked in the front door.

All that fresh fruit.

I think we might do the same hike next weekend, but bring Daisy with us.

It was a dog friendly trail, but not too busy.

Which is great, since Daisy is a bit of an ass around other dogs.

I know.  Bummer.  But to be fair, it's one of her few flaws.

Here's to a good week for you.

And remember, it's never too early to start thinking about something fun to do on your next free day!

Day 11: Coffee

I love to hang out at Starbucks.

I trip plan there.  I work on my monthly budget there.  I write blog posts there.  I read there.  I hang out with my +1 there.  Or catch up with a friend. Sometimes, I even craft there.

(but never, ever, do I hang out with my girls there. they get bored)

I find that if I try to stay home to do any of the above, I get distracted with things I "should" be doing.

So, I pack my tan tote bag full of supplies and settle in at a table or comfy chair and get "working".

But, it turns out that my vent iced white chocolate mocha with whip was not a healthy choice.

(I know, I was shocked too!)

In fact, I could not find a healthy option that involved any form of flavor and cream and sweetener.

No. I do not drink black coffee.

Wish I could. But I can't.

After weeks of searching for a low smart points coffee option, I finally found it.

3 shots of espresso on ice. In a venti cup. Then I pull a Premier Protein shake out of my tan tote bag, pour it in the giant cup, and stir.

And stir it a few more times.

Then drink it.

That's it.  So simple.  And inexpensive (around $2.65 for the 3 shots).

I have only tried this with the chocolate shake, but I'm hoping to get the caramel ones on my next Costco run.

All that goodness in a cup for 2 SP.

Remember, it's the little things.

Day 9: Another Warrior Moment

Sometimes, when I get to sleep at night (rather than work), my husband's alarm wakes me up 2 hours before my alarm is set to go off.

Grrrrrr.

Today was one of those days.

I laid in bed playing on my phone for a bit, feeling sorry for myself.

But then, a warrior moment kicked in.

I got up, got dressed, put on my work out shoes, put on my ear buds, and walked out the door.

At 5:45 am.

I chose to head to the gym rather than relax in bed.

(I know, who is this crazy lady?)

Then, I walked to the gym.

(usually the car takes me)

The gym is 0.83 miles away.

I learned that today.

The walk there was a bit on the slow side.

And I wondered if I was overdoing it, since I had to drive my girls to school at 7am.

But it was too late to turn back.

And I made it there.

20 min of weights, then back home.

And the walk home?

It was faster.

I had a bit of bounce in my step.

I was proud of myself.

And I made it home just in time.

And, I've logged in 1.7 miles today.

And it's only 7am.

That, my friends, is called a warrior moment.

Day 8: Trying New Things

Trying new things is good.

Bet you think this will be something healthy living related.

Nope.

I went morning drinking for the first time in my life.

Now, it's not as bad as it sounds.

The fam woke up super early (5 am) to go hiking with me.

Then we went out to breakfast, something we rarely do.

(we are not a family of early risers, plus, I do that work at night thing)

So, we went to Oink Cafe and I really wanted to try the mimosa flight.

You pick 4 flavors to try, and they are probably about 4 oz each.

Left to right flavors:  orange, grapefruit, peach/mango, and strawberry/banana.

I didn't love them. But I couldn't waste them.

That would just be irresponsible.

I also tried Eggs Benedict for the first time.

Eh.

But I'm glad I tried.

Now, the big question.

How does this fit into the healthy living?

I only ate 1/2 my food. And only 1/4 of the hash browns.

( side note: it's crazy how good some things taste when you don't overindulge anymore. crispy shredded potatoes, I'm talking about you)

I still ended up using 16 of my 33 points on that breakfast, but I just ate super low points the rest of the day. I even ended up with 2 leftover points.

Splurges can be done.

That is the pure beauty of this program.

Ok, so here are a few more photos from the morning.

photos taken 4/2018.  Papago Park. Phoenix. Arizona.

Day 7: My Tribe

My tribe.

Trevor, Mark, Alec, Emma, Tater, Katie, and Jada.

These guys mean the world to me.

And I wouldn't change a thing about my choices over my lifetime.

Not a thing.

I think we need those hard days to fully appreciate the truly sweet ones!

"Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything.  Maybe it's about unbecoming everything that isn't really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place."
     -Paul Coelho

Day 6: The Little Things

I try to keep my eyes open for the little things in life.

Little things like these flowers.

Or the way my dog looks at me with love in his eyes.

(actually, it's really the cheese he is waiting for me to feed him that is the source of his love. just kidding. maybe not.)

Or a hug from one of my kids.

(mine are now teens and young adults, and the hugs are few and far between, but they mean so much more when you do score one.)

Or a kind word from a someone.

Or singing out loud, really loud, to a favorite song.

(extra points if this is a George Michael song, and your kids sing along with you, because you have taught them well)

Or crawling into a bed with freshly laundered sheets.

Or getting a pedicure.

Or having only 1 car in line ahead of you when you pull into Dutch Bros.

(this has happened only once, out of many, many visits)

You get the idea.

Now you have to share 1 little thing with me that makes you happy.

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important"
     -Arthur Conan Doyle

photo from 4/2018. parking lot. chandler. arizona.

Day 5: My Reason Why

Everyone says you need a reason why to help you reach a specific goal.

That reason why will help you stay the course when times get tough and you just want to give up.

Your goal might be to pay off debt, or finish college, or be a better parent.

Or your goal might be to embrace a healthy lifestyle.

That's my current focus right now.

Because I want to have many more years, and many more adventures with this guy.

And I want to walk up a boat ramp without being out of breath.

Progress had been made these last 7 weeks.

And I will continue to hold my "why" close to my heart, allowing progress to continue.

"Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see life with a clearer view again."
     -Alex Tan

photo taken 2/2018. right before that momentous walk up a boat ramp. out of breath. and just sick of living this way. canyon lake dinner cruise. apache junction. arizona.

Day 4: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

I'm going to let you in on a secret.

I ate one of these yesterday.

An entire lemon poppy seed muffin.

And it was not ridiculously unhealthy.

And it was gooooood.

But that's not the secret.

The secret is how easy they were to make.

Ready for this?

Open a box of lemon poppy seed muffin mix.

Ignore the directions on the box regarding ingredients to add.

Pour the mix in a bowl.

Add 1 cup of water.

Add 1 container (6 oz) of greek yogurt (fat free,  <100 calories).

Stir.

Now, go back to following the box directions.

This mix said the yield was 12 muffins, so that is how many muffin spots I filled.

Bake according to directions.

Now, once they cool down (yes, let them cool before you burn yourself).

Now wait another minute to make sure they really are cool.

Eat.

You're welcome.

(anyone else hear The Rock singing this song from Moana right now?)

6 SP per muffin.

(I also made lemon muffins. same idea. lemon cake mix. 1 cup of water. 1 container of greek yogurt [fat free/<100 calories].  these were only 3 SP each, but the yield was 24 muffins, so they were slightly smaller.)

Next up?

Chocolate muffins.

I'll let you know if I hear the angels sing when I take my first bite!

Have any yummy low calories recipes?  Do share!

Day 3: Pieces

Eggs.

It's what I eat almost every morning.

Scrambled.  Over Easy.  Hard boiled.

Add salt and pepper.

Maybe cheese if I'm feeling extravagant.

Simple.

Filling.

No thought needed.

One small, but very important, piece of this new healthy lifestyle journey.

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art"
     -Francois de La Rochefoucauld