Feeling a little FRUITY....

So the last time I was here sharing my "wonderful" words with each of you... I had decided it was time to take back my bad habits and turn them into something new.  Well... I thought it was past time for an update. 

Soda - I no longer drink it.  At all.  Seriously.  Went from drinking 64 ounces of the DEW to drinking 0 ounces of the DEW.  It was rough... understatement of the century.  I do occasionally still drink a coke slushie... but it's a treat.  NOTHING like it was before.  The caffeine headaches were ATROCIOUS!!  But I know that my body is so much better without all of it.

Meat - I no longer eat it.  Okay... so maybe an occasional hot dog... but they aren't really meat, right?  I watched the movie "Forks over Knives" and was inspired to try the whole plant based nutrition deal.  I'm a HUGE steak and potatoes girl... cheeseburgers are my weakness. BUT... I haven't had one since April.  Crazy stuff!  I don't miss meat... not even one teensie, tiny little bit.  Figuring out what to eat has been the hardest... I know now that I HATE tofu.  NASTY, NASTY stuff.  

Fitness - well... I'm HUGELY lacking in this area.  I was doing SO GOOD.... then I got sick, the kids got sick, and VOILA... there goes all the progress I made.  I might start walking again this week... I have a handy, dandy new pedometer (a FITBIT... so fun!) that has been helpful.  It's fun to see how many steps I've walked in a day... and how many flights of stairs I've gone up (and down).  I really need to find some inspiration or a work out buddy... apparently both are helpful :).  

So that's my update.  I might start blogging again... it's kind of fun (I'm such a dork... can't believe I just wrote that).  Maybe I'll post the successful meat-free meals we have here in Schwadville.  Let me tell you... we've had the good, the bad, and the REALLY ugly!  

Peace out for now my little blogging peeps!!!!

A little "self-discovery" never hurt a soul......

I've realized that I crave sugar mostly in the afternoons. Around 1pm I start to feel sluggish... the first thing I run to... MOUNTAIN DEW! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE! Have you read what they put in Mountain Dew? Brominated vegetable oil, high-fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate... doesn't sound very refreshing, right?!

In trying to eat more natural and fresh it amazes me how willingly I put this CRAP into my body!

I bought cookies at the grocery store (they were BOGO... how could I say no?!?!)... looked at the ingredients and about FELL OVER! Half the stuff I couldn't pronounce. Lame. What happened to the simple recipe of flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, butter, baking soda, and eggs? When things have 16 letters in them... I start to worry!

My plan is to start working out in the afternoons rather than in the mornings. This week is screwed up a bit due to an electrician coming to "play" tomorrow and I'm helping a friend with some housework/kid-care on Thursday. Friday is my day... I'm going to test it out!

We'll see.....

Time for change... I HATE CHANGE!

Seems silly to pursue change when I do NOT handle change well. These are changes that have been a LONG time coming though... a VERY long time.

With all my health yuckiness last year - cancer, broken tailbone, parvo virus (PURE misery)... I've decided to switch things up a bit this year. I've gained weight (due to meds and general illness) and my habits for exercise and nutrition have become even more horrible than they were in the past.

So... I'm here to admit that I am FULLY ADDICTED TO SUGAR! Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, chocolate, gummy bears, etc... LOVE THEM. Soda, juice, soda, more soda... totally addicted.

Over the last few months my tastes have started to change (again... I HATE change!). I love all things fresh... not processed. I've been cooking more from scratch... and I LOVE it! I've always enjoyed cooking and baking... so this is something WONDERFUL for me! :)

But... the sugar thing is really bad. I can't seem to get a grip on it...

SO.....

I'm changing this blog to be more of a "thing" about me and my journey to health. Taking it away from the kids/family.... focusing on this journey I'm starting on. Hoping it will keep me accountable.... hopefully it will bring some new friends into my life to offer encouragement and the possibility of learning from them.

I'll post weight once a week (EEK!!!!), daily food choices, and exercise. Should be interesting....

So.... YEAH!! I'm back to blogging...

Destin Sweet Destin....

So can you tell I'm at my "happy place"... the BEACH! Don't mind the dark clouds in the distance... we decided the thunder wasn't going to stop us! We take a trip to Destin almost every year at the same time - the first week of August. It's the cheapest week to rent the condo we love... and probably the HOTTEST week of summer! Crazy... what we don't do to save a buck.

See my lovely orange chair... not only is it a backpack chair... it has a COOLER and a SNACK BAG attached! Seriously... it freed up two hands! Of course, after the kids buckets, shovels, towels, and body board thingies... I decided next year I need one of those cheesy carts people use to drag all their junk down to the shore. It's quite ridiculous!

This year we spent almost all of our time at the beach and pool rather than other random touristy things. We did go on a dolphin watch boat ride... holy hurt the broken tailbone. Kind of ruined it for me. We did see a pod of dolphins with a BABY! WOOT WOOT... very cool.

I thought this picture (not staged at all... ha...) captured the perfectness of my children and the love they share for each other...

sweet, eh? Fakers. :) They love the beach as much as we do... PERFECT! They could dig for HOURS!

This last one is in honor of my dear, sweet husband. He LOVES the concept of surfing and paddle boarding. Being that we live in OH... not near a lake, he takes full advantage of anything "surfing" related when he has the opportunity. So... while we were in Destin, he whipped out his "mini-surfboard" (seriously... that's what it is) and "rode the waves". Fun stuff... keeps him occupied and makes him feel like a stud!

Good times! Next year we might try the Atlantic shore... NC or SC. Not sure yet... any suggestions???

has it really been since MARCH!?!?!

HOLY SMACKERS... they say time flies when you're having fun, but seriously... it's been since MARCH!?! YoWzA! Life sure does come at ya fast, eh?

Things have been crazy around here the last few months. Obviously the kids finished school for the 10-11 year (and they happened to start the new school year TODAY!!), we took a couple vacations, I had parvo (don't ask... pure misery) and broke my tailbone (even more misery... again, don't ask). The last two really put a damper on our summer plans.

We spent a few days in MI and a week in Destin, Fl. LOVE LOVE LOVE the beach! Wish at time we didn't live in central (no lake shore near by) Ohio. Kind of depresses me at times... something about hearing the waves is beyond refreshing and soothing to my soul.

I read some great books... "the Help" being my favorite fiction and "Give them Grace" being my favorite not fiction. I'm still reading that one though... trying to absorb as I read.

Now that all three Schwadlings are in school full-time (I feel like I'm in the first phase of being an empty nester) I'll be able to blog about nothing (HA!) more often! :) Lucky you!!!

One last thing... can I just say... how did I ever live without DVR? WOW... great stuff!

That's all for now folks....

Come live with me and be my love....

this week we celebrate 11... yes 11... years of marriage! YOWZA! God has brought us SO far in those 11 years. It never ceases to amaze me at how blessed my life is because of Andy.

I have come to appreciate him and his love SO MUCH MORE over the last few months. He was so supportive through the whole cancer "thing"... I know that if it hadn't been for his encouragement some days that I might have just simply given up.

I have come to love his thirst for knowledge. It HAS to be his spiritual gift. He remembers things SO well... always has odd tidbits of information about the most random things. He has an amazing memory for biblical history... puts me to shame! He is constantly reading (literally... getting him to come down for dinner at times is IMPOSSIBLE) trying to learn more and grow deeper in his knowledge of God, the Bible, and just about every other random thing.

I have come to understand that sometimes... I just have to let him do things his way. It's okay for things not to be done the way I want them to be done. Example... emptying the dishwasher (random... but I KNOW all you wives out there know exactly what I mean here...). I always put things back in the exact same place. He does not. I find things in the most random places... not really sure why the were put where they were. Makes me crazy... but also makes me appreciate the fact that he does help out... sometimes :).

I look forward to our future together... no matter how long it may be. Where God is taking us... watching our kids grow... spending much needed quality time together.

It's been an amazing journey so far... and I can't wait to see what else is to come!!

SO EXCITED!!

Last week, the company that belongs to the lovely "logo" above - Green B.E.A.N. Delivery - had a fantabulous groupon available for purchase. It was $15 for a $35 delivery! This is a new to our area service that I think sounds fantastic! They offer several options along with organic/natural groceries. The best part - it's all delivered to YOUR FRONT DOOR!!!

So tomorrow is our first delivery. They sent out a list of what's to be included in my medium produce (fruits and veggies) box... including... bok choy, broccoli, apples, oranges, mandarines (yes... a fancy word for orange), potatoes, onions, etc. SO EXCITED!!!! With my pre-radiation diet, I'm VERY limited to what I can eat. This bunch of fresh goodies couldn't be timed ANY better!

I'll plan to take pics of what we get... hopefully it's going to live up to the hype! :)