October Unprocessed

Happy October-it's officially my favorite time of year!

I've been trying to eat cleaner. I was doing really well. Then the wagon hit a bump. I fell off. Hard. I think I may have hit my head. Because I know better. I feel slower, sluggish, cranky and just plain guilty. My workouts suffered. And so did my mood.

So when I saw this challenge I knew it was a great way to jump back on and a great way to keep myself motivated and accountable to talk about my experiences here. Check out the Eating Rules page for the full deets, its full of great info in general, but basically you vow to go 'unprocessed' for the month of October.

Of course that sounds like a simple concept until you go through your normal diet for a day. And my list generally sounds 'healthy': whole wheat waffles with natural p.b. and banana for breakfast, snacks of yogurt, wheat thins and protein bars, huge lunch salads and meat and veggies for dinner. But you start reading ingredients and realize the waffles are out, as are the yogurt, wheat thins, salad dressing and probably even the cheese. If the veggies are the frozen bagged kind that I'm often guilty of using they're out too since they generally have some sort of sauce on them.

To go all out for this Challenge would be tough, but it is encouraged to make your own rules, things you can stick to. The point is to make an effort and to realize just how much of our every day (even 'healthy') food isn't really food at all. It's a lesson in awareness. I know, sometimes ignorance is bliss, but in this case, it's actually killing you/me/us. Literally.

The main guideline in the challenge is to ask yourself-"Can this be made in the kitchen?" Not that you would, or that you have to, just can it be done. If the answer is yes, eat it, or something made with it. If not, you'll need to make some decisions. The eating rules site has lots of straight forward answers to some of the most common things you might be questioning so save yourself some research time and visit there first.

So here are some of MY rules:

1-Protein powder is ok: I use this to make my own snack/protein bars to stay away from those oh so convenient, long ingredient list, packaged ones. This is a good trade IMO.

2-Artificial sweetener is 'sort of' ok: This one is tough for me, but I'm working on it. I'm going to use the Challenge to try to kick it for good, but not going to beat myself up over a packet or two.

3-If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it: There are a million ingredients out there and I have no idea what most really are, but if it sounds like it was made in a lab (it has numbers in front of it!) it probably was.

4-5-ish ingredient rule: This goes along with that, when checking food labels if it has more than 5 ingredients it may be tough to reproduce at home. I may let a few things slide by if it is one of only a few ingredients.

5-Game day doesn't count: Ok, I'm hoping for the few hours surrounding the game and not the entire day, but tailgating makes the crowds and some of the other hassles worth it. I'm not toting around my own food too. When at home I'll make the effort to create something fun (and clean!) for the family.

Ok-Maybe this is what makes Game Day worth it :)

6-G's b-day also does not count: I am going to make clean cupcakes/frosting since I don't really want her diving in to a full sugar cake anyway so maybe this one won't be so hard.

The "practice" cake shoved me off the clean eating wagon!!

7-Perfection is not the point: Just a famous Note To Self. So I don't crash and burn after a few days and give the whole thing up!

I hope to write more about each of these as the month goes on and chronicle (aren't I self-important!) my thoughts and how I'm feeling over the course of the challenge. Maybe I'll even find some new great recipes and share what I've been surviving on. Half marathon training is amping up so this girl's gotta eat, and eat well. Let's ring-in 'eating season' with a healthy bang, are ya with me?!

Mom Without Baby-A Day in Pics

I am lucky enough that my MIL and SIL live nearby and are usually fighting each other to take G whenever the need arises. In fact, G gets to play hookie from school most Fridays to stay home with her Aunt and she has even spent a few nights away too.

Grammi and G at her first WV Mountaineer game!

But this weekend she left early Sunday morning and didn't return until Monday evening. So-what's a mom to do without a wanna-be-walking, I prefer attention at all times, almost toddler, scrambling up her leg or climbing anything else in sight? Well, here is what I did-in pictures (and captions!) pretty much in order of my crazy (somehow busier than when G's here!) day.

Baked bread!

Make 3 kinds of protein/snack bars!

Made a mess, and then cleaned it up!

4 mile run...

Went shopping for myself, came home with G's birthday dress instead!

Took these goofballs for extra walks-beautiful day!

Hard wood=Hard work!! This literally takes hours!

Rolled coins for G's bank account...while eating ice cream and watching Project Runway! :)

There were a few other things, like grocery getting (ugh!), laundry and general tidying up, but for this Type A chic a very productive and anxiety reducing day!! It was great to knock out some chores but I miss my baby girl. So do the puppies, they are pacing around wondering why G has been missing for so long, it's very cute. She'll be back soon and then the fun can begin again!

Happy G in the stands at the game!

Gwyn's World: 11 Month Update

Oh my, here we go again. I get to lament for a few paragraphs on how big G is getting and how time is just speeding along. :-( All babies change quickly, it's their job, but G seems to have made some big moves this month. Along with perfecting her crawling technique, pulling up to anything standing still (and some not!), practically running with assistance and eating anything put in front of here, she's now a mimicking master, conversation babbler, and all around goofball/show-off.

They've moved her to sleeping on a cot at school (apparently this is a big deal?!) and she is now one of the oldest/biggest in her room. In fact we showed up one day last week to be told that she got caught on her way to biting a boy who tried to steal her snack. Honestly, I get a little territorial about my food too, so I can't blame her for that one!

If you want to catch up, here are G's other monthly updates:

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

There is not a day that goes by where she doesn't make me laugh. And not just a giggle but a full-on belly laugh. How good is laughing for you, by the way? Something like that can turn an entire day around and seeing this little person who is so happy 99% of the time makes me realize how good life really is. Stopping to smell the roses is always worth the time, ya know?

We have two more teeth on the bottom, only a guess on weight, and no idea on length (is it height now that she stands up a lot?) We don't see the doc for real stats until after her 1st b-day. Don't even get me started on that! Only a few people will be coming over, but I'm guessing about a thousand pictures will be taken, so of course the Type A in me wants everything to be perfect. I may have some interesting  pics to share after this weekend's cake decorating practice disaster is over.

Like most babies (I think!) she loves, loves, loves music. Of any kind. She dances to the elevator music the HD channel we watch baseball on plays when there's no game. That darn Fresh Beat Band could be on halfway across the house and she'll be bopping along! Even the goofy music her car seat toys make never fail to get a smile.

She can now express things that she wants by pointing, reaching or saying her 'words' for them. The best so far is Dak, which is obviously Jack, although to her I think it's puppy because she also uses it for Nallah! Of course she also expresses what she doesn't want by throwing, pushing or otherwise getting it out of her way. Whether it's a toy in her crawling path or mommy's hand or face somewhere she doesn't want it she will make sure it is out of her way quickly and with authority!

I've been trying to get her outside as much as possible now that it is reasonable in the evenings. She really enjoys our bumpy little wagon rides down the driveway. We get out and touch trees and leaves and walk in the grass and even watch bugs crawling. I want her to have an appreciation and respect for nature but also curiosity. So what if she came inside with dirty feet, those can be washed, the look on her face when she felt that cool soft grass under them was priceless!

Our world revolves around Gwyn's World, which is as it should be. I knew that going in. I just didn't know my heart would revolve around hers as well. It certainly know it belongs to her.

11 Month Update:

• Weight: ?? Still 20+ pounds for sure!
• 12 month clothes
• Cruising, walking/running with hands to hold
• Losing interest in binkies and bottles (except when sleepy)
• Points at objects and waits for you to say the word
• LOVES: chasing the dogs, pancakes, wagon rides and Wow Wow Wubzy

Compliments.

Lately I've been making a lot of posts that are reminders to myself, but I hope can also serve as reminders to anyone out there in reader land. I feel like this one is pretty important: learning to take a compliment. And learning to give them as well.

Most of us (I'm talking to you, ladies!) are hard on ourselves. We're surrounded by visions of perfection. For example, a few promises of magazine covers just sitting around my house:

Look 7 Years Younger

Drop a Jeans Size

20-Minute Dinners

And what about the typical 'Get Great Abs', 'Organize Your Whole House', 'Make This Thanksgiving the Best Ever', blah, blah-you know you read them. Or at least scan them in line at the grocery store and think "Why don't I try to make this the best Thanksgiving ever? My family deserves that." Of course they do, but that's a lot of pressure, especially when most would be happy with pizza!

I was actually reminded of this thanks to the hubs. He's not a man of words (he is from Mars after all!) but somehow mentioned he thinks he has become a 'leg man'. I frowned when I heard this and replied Too bad-that's my worst feature. And I have honestly always thought that. I have thick thighs that keep me from finding pants that fit in any decent way and calves that make me buy boots with the stretch panels so I can zip them. But then he surprised me by saying "I actually think they're your best."

Huh. I had no idea. Normally this is where we say-you're crazy, and walk away. But instead I kissed him, said Thank You and spent a few minutes trying to see what he sees. And you know what, they're not half bad. They carried me through pregnancy, plenty of running lately, and man BBB sure is working them!

My legs aren't even in this pic, but you get the point!!

He probably has no idea how profound that moment was for me. That is part of the beauty of it.

Of course you should be paying yourself a compliment every now and again, but doesn't it always mean more coming from someone else? Try paying one to a random person each day too. That girl with the cute shoes-tell her she has great taste. The one at the gym with the killer biceps-tell her you hope to have guns like that. And don't forget the ones around you...just mention every now again that your husband/bf has a cute butt or maybe it'll make more of an impact to say that he knows more about college football than anyone you know!

You just may brighten someone's day...or make them take a second look at something they've been doubting. Oh-and the next time someone pays you a compliment, smile and say thank you. And then believe it.

What's the best compliment you've been paid lately?