2013 resolutions: year in review.

Read the post about my 2013 resolutions here.

In a nutshell I said I wanted to do these things below and here is an update on each item.

1. Lose weight, eat healthier, and exercise more.  Done.
2. Be cuter - get some new clothes and fix my hair and wear makeup.  Ehhh.  I did have to get some new clothes because I lost weight. I did wear make-up some, but not a lot.  I am okay with that.  I pull my hair up in a ponytail 90% of the time.
3. Self-care like flossing and taking my contacts out every night? FAIL.
4. Blogging more regularly - probably about the same or a little better than 2012. Done.
5. Organizing the house - I cleaned out a few closets and cabinets and routinely make piles of stuff for goodwill.  Kinda sorta halfway done but more to do.
6.  Styling our home - I hung a few pictures and painted a couple of cabinets in the past year but this house is nowhere near where it needs to be. FAIL.
7. Photography - took exactly zero classes and slacked off on taking every day random photos of my kids. FAIL. Did not even attempt Project 365 but did successfully complete one month of Photo A Day on Instagram. I don't think that counts...just saying.
8. Me time - I have done better with this in 2013!  I have a monthly date night with a girlfriend and spent time alone at the gym and running.  WIN!
9. Relationships - spending more time with friends. This one kind of goes with #8.  I haven't done any better at calling friends on the phone.  I only see a couple of friends.  I could do better and reconnecting/maintaining connections with friends that I don't see out of convenience or coincidence.
10. Relationships - spending more quality time with my husband.  Aside from the occasional night or weekend that the boys stay with Nana and Pop Pop, Ryan and I don't get a whole lot of time alone. We are too tight (financially) to pay someone to watch the boys.
11. Finally, groceries/cooking - NO.  I intended to plan meals for the week before going to the grocery store. I don't have/make time to do this and I can't see that changing.  FAIL.

Well, I definitely see some progress in areas but there is work to do.  This is giving me food for thought for my next post, my 2014 resolutions.

Happy New Year!!!

~C~

2 Christmases (so far)

So far, we've had two Christmases. One on Wednesday morning at home with Santa and Nana and Pop Pop.  Then, again on Friday night as we celebrated with all of my in-laws. Soon we will travel to Tennessee to visit my mom and sister and wrap up the 2013 holiday season.  Now that we are to this point in the season, I'm happy and feel relaxed.  But I found the holiday season particularly overwhelming and stressful this year.  I was overcome with my emotions from missing my dad for a few days and the slightest thing would send me into a mess of tears and snot.  I think this was just the proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel's back this year, as it peaked around his birthday on December 19th.  It just seemed that there was not enough time or energy to get everything done.  I felt like there was a weight or cloud over me that I just couldn't shake.  But we got everything done that needed to be done and in the end, it was worth it and I started feeling more like myself again. Sometimes you just have to realize that things you once prioritized are no longer important. This year I did good just to get the presents wrapped before Christmas;  they sure didn't have pretty ribbon bows like they have in years past.  Oh. Well.  I don't think the recipients appreciated them any less, right?

Here are a few pictures from our first two Christmases.

Wrapped and ready to go!

Christmas card tree complete.  :)  Thank you if you sent us one!

 

The boys were mesmerized by the fire - why don't we ever use our fireplace again?

Sitting his name puzzle out so Santa would know right where to put his toys. 

 

Playing Counting Cookies with Daddy and Pop Pop.

Stack of Christmas Eve bedtime stories.

Snuggled in for our annual tradition of reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas before Santa comes.

Santa came and left his gifts wrapped in special paper (no bows - haha!).  He even left Dexter that blue candy cane he asked for. How does Santa remember everything!?

He even left Theo that TMNT lego set he asked for...

and the key chain, too. 

Santa must have enjoyed his cookies. 

Santa left this cardboard train as a big surprise!

And in the morning, the boys couldn't get out to the living room fast enough to see what had been left by their puzzles!  (Luckily they did sleep in until about 8:15 - a gift for mom and dad, indeed).

Once they saw their Santa gifts, they were content playing for a couple of hours while I baked our breakfast casserole, Ryan assembled a few million legos, and we ate breakfast.

Dexter's big gift from Santa was Jake's pirate ship, Bucky.

Finally, they wanted to see what ol' mom and dad threw under the tree for them.

Playing with Nana.

After opening all the presents, we were hungry and this crock pot turkey was just about the best thing ever.  I can't wait to make this again.  And again. 

This was also my first attempt ever at homemade mac n' cheese.  I was really happy with how this meal turned out, it was probably my favorite all week and was definitely not the biggest or fanciest.

Fast forward to Friday night.  There were many fruitless attempts to get a picture of both boys smiling in front of the tree. 

Not much better with three boys.

Cute of Dexter and Spencer, anyway.  I gave up!

We played lots of cards this weekend. I lost lots of money this weekend. 

The boys' favorite thing to do is chase each other - so fantastic that we have this circular floor plan...just kidding.

Sometimes you don't have a sword so you just use a screwdriver.  

Stay tuned for more of our holiday madness fun!

xo,

~C~

weigh to stay: 12 months in!!

To see the previous updates, click HERE.  Progress photos in previous posts.

Technically, my December post should be "11 months in" but since it's the end of the month and almost a year since my original post, I'm skipping a month.  It has been one year since I decided enough was enough and that I was tired of feeling gross and eating gross.  My goal for the year was to lose 20-24 pounds and stay in that range. I started off using My Fitness Pal on both my phone and on the computer to log EVERY single thing I ate.  I don't think I skipped a single thing I put in my mouth until about May of this year.  I was hardcore!  This was the catalyst for my success going forward.  Mid to late January I joined the gym and started doing cardio and weights a few times a week.  In March, I decided to try Couch 2 5k.  In May I surpassed my goal of a 20-24 pound weight loss. I completed the program in June but didn't do the race I had signed up for.  (C25k is a 9 week training program in which you run 3x per week in increasing intervals until you can run for 30 solid minutes).

I continued running in the summer but it was much more intermittent just because it was so hot out and I was busier with playing with the boys outside.  I continued managing my diet well and hit my highest weight loss in 2013 at about 28 pounds lost.  I picked up running again before our vacation in October and was really on a good roll.  Even after Thanksgiving, my weight loss to date was about 25 pounds.  In December, well....

In December, I've weighed myself sparingly.  And watched my consumption of junk very sparingly.  I've put a few pounds back on but I think for today, it's safe to say my weight loss is around 22 pounds for the year.  Still within my goal range but I'm definitely not feeling the best that I have felt all year.  I was in the best shape when I was running three times a week. I feel squishy and out of shape right now and my pants are tighter than they were a month ago.  With that being said, I can't believe I was 20+ pounds heavier this time last year.  I'd call my new year's resolution a success, but I still have work to do. I will do a separate post with resolutions for 2014, which will include continued health/fitness goals.

At the end of 2013, this is me:

And I'm okay with that.

Still a work in progress,

~C~

holiday decorations

The living room in our house is 20x30 and has cathedral ceilings with these massive, substantial-looking dark wooden beams.  Our living room is also super ugly because we haven't had the time, money, or inspiration to do much with it since we moved in just over a year ago. One thing I couldn't stand about our house last Christmas was how tiny our skinny, 7' tree looked in our giant room.  We were determined to get a 9 footer this year.  I also wanted to get all new decorations. We say this every year, with plans to raid Target the day after Christmas for markdowns but at that point I really don't want to spend another dime, regardless how spectacular the deal.  The problem with choosing a theme for our tree is that I have to choose a theme for our tree.  I kind of decided against it.  I just want to buy ornaments that I like. That we like.  So I picked out some multi-color glittery unbreakable balls.  Theo picked out a Darth Vader.  Dexter picked out a Captain Hook.

Our theme is us.  Whatever we like.  Done.  Maybe we will be more sophisticated one day but it's not looking good.  We have multi-colored lights, after all, and we like them.  So there.

Christmas card tree on the wall.  Since we have no other decorations there.  :) Why not go all out tacky this year?

Vintage Disney ornaments.

My pinterest-inspired (pinterest fail) hand Santas.

Our beast of a tree.  I'm desperately hoping I have a mantle to decorate before next Fall. And something besides a brass fireplace screen. And some better window treatments. And painted walls. Oh, I could go on for years.

Obligatory bokeh.

Vintage 12 days of Christmas bell decorations - painted by Ryan's grandmother.

Looking in from the foyer.  Don't mind the mess.  That's just life happening.

Ceramic Santa & Reindeer, also painted by Ryan's grandmother.

Vintage Felt Advent Calendar, made by Ryan's mom. The boys LOVE choosing an ornament for the tree each day.  It's become one of their favorite things about the holiday.

A few of my baby ornaments on the old tree (currently in our bedroom).

The tree in our room - just disregard that unfinished paint job.

A few decorations in the boys' bathroom.

When we chose the color scheme for the boys' bathroom with a sky blue paint on the walls to compliment the hot air balloon theme, I pictured this exact thing - a sweet snowman shower curtain we could use throughout the winter just for a change of scenery.

Light blue lights on a mini-tree.  I need to find some tiny snowman or snowflake ornaments for it.

Oh, and Dexter talking to Buzz.

xo,

~C~