Roller Coaster Ride

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I love people. I’m sure that shocks you.

I love hanging out with people and talking to them and going out into public places and seeing people…I am a people person.

I’ve discovered that it’s hard work to get two kids and a fiance going and the dog out of the way and make sure that the indoor-only cat doesn’t escape and everyone into the car and make sure that I remembered Chuck’s stuffed bunny and sunscreen and a sippy cup and something to entertain Boy Wonder if we have to go somewhere that is SO BORING and it’s rough, yo.

I’m sure my SAHM posse feels my pain on this one.

It’s not easy leaving the house. And it’s so much easier some days to just hunker down in the house with a book or a board game or something not-with-a-screen to entertain the kids instead of worrying that I didn’t bring bug spray or enough snacks or whatever.

It’s a fight with myself whether or not to accept invitations to go somewhere. I would rather stay at home and play in our pool in the backyard or run through the sprinkler and not have to put on makeup or public pants.

Kind of like working out and eating right.

It’s so much easier to buy junk food. Or fast food. It’s the easy way out and I took it for years.

The easy way is usually not the gratifying and healthy way.

But, if you work hard enough at it (and I am), the healthy way BECOMES the easy way. Because it’s easier to teach your kids healthy habits now. And to give them good food so they’re fueled for some good wearing-each-other-out playing.

Being a good example is always the good way to teach your kids!

So for the Mamavation post thingy…the question of the week is What are your current technology tactics in your healthy living journey?

I’m a techno-geek. I have a tendency to go a bit overboard sometimes when it comes to gadgets and such….but so far, the best gadgets I’ve got in my weight loss journey is my pedometer and my iPhone. I use RunKeeper for my walks, a Couch-to-5K app for my Couch to 5K stuff, and MyFitnessPal for meal tracking.

I find it’s easier to do this with less stuff

HEY LORI! I lost ONE POUND THIS WEEK!

This post is sponsored by Omron Fitness and I’m writing this to be entered into an Omron Fitness pedometer giveaway hosted by Mamavation

A “Homeschool” Summer Moment

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Boy Wonder will be starting the 6th grade in a little less than a month.

I can’t believe it.

We don’t homeschool (yet), but we do believe that learning does not end when a kid leaves school. So this summer, we’ve been working on subversive learning techniques. Teaching him stuff to get him ready for middle school without him knowing we’re teaching him.

To be honest, I’m pretty sure we are not very sneaky.

BUT! My MIL (who somebody needs to come up with a better internet name for, since the other one we use to use is no longer applicable) came up with a great idea, back from the days when she used to homeschool Chef, and it’s become pretty fun at our house.

It’s called the “Anywhere and Everywhere Book”. I’ve seen it called a few different things around the internet, but that’s what we call it.

It’s a plain notebook. The first page has a list of the “authors”. And the second page starts with a sentence. Just a sentence.

Everyone in our house is required to write at least a sentence every day. You can write more, but never any less.

And you can take the story wherever you want it to go when you write.

Ours has gotten pretty funny….and we get people who come visit our house to write too!

What fun learning experiences are you doing for yourself or are you providing for your kids this summer?

Quick snack

I don’t like to waste things.

Especially food.

So I came up with this idea so Chuck and Boy Wonder don’t go hungry when we are out for longer than anticipated and I can not waste food….

Trail mix. Genius, right?

But seriously, what I do is I take the last pieces of crackers or raisins or whatever non-refrigerated thing comes down the pike, and I add it to this cool container.

Then I shake it up.

My kids think it’s pretty awesome, and I’m wasting not and wanting not.

I keep it in my enormous purse and stuff cycles out (mostly) before it goes stale.

And if it goes stale? We go feed it to the ducks.

Go forth and snackify.

That’s more like it.

So with all of the drama happening behind the scenes here at Bruises in the Frosting, things are rather exciting.

It takes so much more time to do anything because we overanalyze everything and I’m not sleeping well because my brain never really shuts off.

But last week, we went in the pool a lot. And we played a lot. And I got up off the couch and moved a lot.

And it shows. Not only am I down 2.8 pounds, but I also now fit in a pair of size 16 jeans! Jeans I wore prepregnancy! And! I can breathe in them!

So all in all, a good week. I’m going to keep on fighting the good fight, hanging out lots with the kiddos and hopefully this week I can stick with the GruntStyle Challenge…..

As for the Mamavation question of the week:

 

What are the next big goals you want to tackle?

 

I want to run my 5k. I also want to get through the dang 2 week GruntStyle challenge that I keep starting and can never finish…..

This week starts anew. And I’m ready to kill it.

 

This post is sponsored by Flatout Bread and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Um, thanks.

Due to some rather sucky things going on in my life right now, I may be taking this blog private for a while.

I’ll be posting the password certain places for those of you who would like to still read, but for now, I’m shutting ‘er down.

CHANGE IN PLANS: I’ve made this site so it’s invisible to search engines, where I see most of my detrimental traffic is coming from. And I promise that one day, when all of this garbage is over, I’ll blog it for you guys, but now is not the time.

Hope you are all having a great Monday

No good, very bad week.

This week sucked. Not going to lie.

Despite having all of you tweet me or text me or call me to encourage me to get up off the couch and drink more water, it got away from me.

And before I realized it, it’s Sunday and I’m weighing in and seeing I gained. Three freaking pounds.

My luck has run out, as far as weight loss goes. I can’t shimmy along and not put any work in and expect results.

So I’m picking myself up, dusting myself off and starting all over again. I’m cleaning all the junk out of or cabinets. I’m getting everyone in my house to quit smoking. I’m banning soda altogether because it’s just too easy when some people in my house are drinking a liter a day. (not me)

And I’m moving my butt. The couch is not my friend.

Steady now….

It’s been one of those weeks. The one where everything starts going so fast and it’s all we can do to keep up with the pace….

I wanted to post a loss this week. But I didn’t work for it. I haven’t worked out, therefore I don’t get to see results.

Yes, I’ve been holding steady….but I’m lucky. I can’t reach my goals sitting around on my butt and wishing and hoping and thinking and praying. It doesn’t work that way.

So this next week, if y’all could help me out and give me a little push when you see me….ask me how much water I’ve had. Ask me how I moved today.

I can do it with a little help from my friends

No loss this week…but no gain either!

Blogging Carnival Question!

 

What has been your favorite Grunt Style workout? 

 

I have to say my favorite @gruntstyle workout is the Puke Me Please! It’s actually the only one I’ve done so far….I need to work a little harder this week on getting into the two week challenge!

 

This post is sponsored by Grunt Style and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation and sponsored by Grunt Style.

 

 

 

 

 

Not such a big loss….

It’s been a weird week. Summer is in full swing and we are trying to keep up with the onslaught of playdates and events and local stuff going on.

Sometimes it’s hard to squeeze in good exercise and nutrition when things are coming at you rapid-fire like balls in a batting cage….but with our CSA running full swing for the summer, we at least are getting our veggies!!

There was a TINY loss this week after a pretty big gain last week, but a loss nonetheless. 0.8 pound loss!

Hope you are all having a great week!

Mia Ingalls-Wilder-Cupcake

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I know this may come as a shock to a lot of you who “know” me (and those of you who know me IRL)…..but I’ve always wanted to be a farm girl.

My parents looked into moving several times when I was growing up. All of the houses I recall had acreage, and my mother always talked about where she would put her kitchen garden, and where I could have horses.

I love horses. Wanted to be one of those 4H girls who showed horses….ANYWAY.

But my favorite part of pretending we would actually move into one of these houses was the promise of chickens.

I have no idea why. Maybe because I love eggs, and I love to bake and would totally use those eggs in my baking. Nothing tastes quite as lovely as a farm-fresh egg. Maybe now, it’s the idea of having a creature who doesn’t scream at me when I won’t let them watch Curious George 2 for the 800th time, yet relies on me to care for it.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my adolescent daydreams of chickens. I’ve been watching YouTube videos on the Derveas family, and reading books about homesteading. I’ve been plotting out new garden beds for our backyard for next season, before the plants from this season have even taken root.

I am, at heart, a girl who needs to have her hands in the dirt. Who needs to feed her family with her own two hands and not with a paper bag from a fast food joint. I feel better when I open my pantry and see it’s mostly full of canned goods I made, not peaches in heavy sugar syrup in a tin can.

I’m the girl who will put on the fake lashes and heels and go out, and then come home and feed the chickens. I can do this.

Now to convince The Overlord we should have chickens.

 

My House Smells Like Berries.

My mom used to tell me a story about her friend Katie. Mommy Dearest loved to go over to Katie’s house because there was always something going on. Her dad was a member of a Pipe & Drum Corps (a marching bagpipe band) and would practice his big bass drum, twirling his mallets as they do in parades (and causing large lumps on his head as a result).

MD’s favorite part though, was the culinary aspect of it all. They always had something brewing in the basement, and some pot bubbling on the stove. She told me Katie’s family made their own dandelion wine, mead and something I assume was kombucha. There was always a pantry full of canned goodies and I believe Katie’s mom taught MD to put stuff in jars.

Jars ready for the canning pot

Another childhood memory of mine is “helping” my grandmother make applesauce in her tiny carpeted kitchen. I remember the paisley pattern of the well-loved carpet in that kitchen, and the paisley pattern of my grandma’s apron. I remember the “pock” sound the lids made when the seal engaged on the jars. I remember a well-worn spoon and a big flecked tin canning pot and waiting anxiously to use some rubber-banded tongs to help lift the jars from the pot.

I miss my grandma a lot.

So, I’ve been fighting some personal demons that have kept me away from my blog AND Twitter….(My Klout score dropped 6 points in 2 weeks. Ouch.) Lately, I’ve also been putting a lot of stuff in jars. I hosted a food swap at my house, and Kate Payne came.

I’m happiest when I’m feeding people. Or when I’m storing things for feeding people later. Or reading books about food. I’m good at it. I enjoy it immensely.

So that’s what I’ve been doing. Planting a garden with things we enjoy eating. Putting stuff in jars to feed people later. Learning how to make my own butter. Creating a compost system for our house. Being “Suzy Homemaker”.

9 pounds of fresh sun-ripened, hand-picked-by-me WA berries. Nom.

I’ve been amassing books and blog posts and any resources I can find about preserving and pickling and homesteading. We’ve researched chickens, and whether or not Devil Dog will try to eat them. We’re planning on building a vermicompost system. We picked 9 pounds of berries yesterday to make jams and pies.

Feeding my family is necessary for my survival, both as a mother and as a human being. It feeds my soul and therefore makes me a better mom to my kids. Making our own food teaches my kids how things go from dirt to mouth (and sometimes dirt goes in the mouth….thanks Chuck) and gardening is teaching them how to be responsible, how to take care of something other than themselves, and teaching them to be patient as we wait for the fennel to get big enough to harvest, and how sometimes the deer eat all of our gorgeous rainbow chard and we have to problem-solve a way to keep them out of our garden from now on. (The 8′ fence we have isn’t helping.)

So expect some of the regular snarky posts interspersed with posts about what we’re doing this summer, and how our garden is growing.

And maybe even some recipes, like I’ve been promising forever

And for those of you who have been asking, we are all doing great, and we’re almost back to normal. Or as normal as we choose to be!