Small Changes, Update #1

As I look at the calendar, I am surprised that it is already mid-March. 2013 is moving at a fast clip for me! I have been working really hard at my Small Changes. Some areas where I wanted to focus, I have completely abandoned! Other areas, I have been much more successful. I am sticking to small changes though and I am seeing some progress. I like that word, progress!

Healthy Eating

I have gone back to tracking my calories on livestrong.com and have been making very good healthy choices for meals and snacks. I have lost about 6 or 7 pounds with modifying my eating, tracking my calories and working out. Tracking calories can be difficult, but I love knowing that I am making better choices daily and that by doing so, I am also seeing a difference in my weight. Also, it is important for me to track my sodium intake, as I want to avoid developing kidney stones. {High sodium intake is associated with kidney stones}. 

Coffee Addiction

At the beginning of the 2013 (and for many years!!!)  I was addicted to coffee. The two biggest reasons for my coffee addiction are it gives me an energy boost {temporarily} and it keeps me warm during the chilly midwest winters. Are you ready for this small change? I have cut down to 1 cup a day. 1 cup, just one and no more!!! And I feel much better!! I am sleeping better and I have more energy throughout the day. I also get up more easily.

I also, have cut out diet soda (easy for me to do in the winter, not so easy in the heat of summer). If I feel the desire for another cup of coffee or a diet pop, I have something better instead....water or a hot green tea.

Spirituality

This is a very private subject for me. However, I am at a new point in my life with my relationship with God. And it is wonderful. I have a long way to go with my knowledge of the Bible, but I am eagerly seeking His word on a daily basis. I am trusting. It isn't easy for me, as I like to have a lot of control over a lot of things. I am learning to really believe, and it is so freeing. We changed churches and religions about 1.5 years ago and it was the very best decision for our family. We are now part of an awesome "Life Group" where we meet and pray for each other's children. {WOW!} Our attendance at church has  increased greatly. And we are just enjoying our spiritual journey as a family. And as a couple. I picked up this book last week and my husband and I are enjoying reading this together. Amazing book. Go get it and share it with someone you love! 

Home Organization

Nada. Nothing. Not happening here. Not yet. Maybe soon? Ski season just ended so there is some HOPE that something in the near future will be organized! Last week as I was hunting for a picture to send my mom for her 70th birthday, I had a mini panic attack as I realized that I haven't organized photos in photo boxes, nor the computer that holds upward of 9 years photos. Closets are bursting and drawers are disheveled. I am going to write "Home Organization" on sticky notes and place them throughout the house...maybe little reminders will get me going? Maybe as I see the sticky reminders all over the house I will feel the more motivated. I hope so.

Miscellaneous

When I was in the bookstore last week (a rather rare occasion now that I have a Kindle) I found this super cute series of books, Cupcake Diaries, for my little baker who is 10 years old. She hadn't been reading very much and I thought this might do the trick. Yep, she is on the second book and she is hooked on them! This would be a great gift in an Easter basket!!

How are you doing on your goals for 2013? I hope to hear from you. And if you live where spring has already sprung, go ahead an torture me with your warm temps and sunny pictures! 

Also, if you want to stay in touch, follow me on Instagram at cathymskier And we won't talk about my Instagram addiction, ok?

Hugs, 

Cathy

Small Changes for 2013, Part 2

So some of you have had more time to find your word for 2013 or make some resolutions. In my last post I said I was making small changes in 2013 and some wondered what they might be. 

I read somewhere that the #1 resolution by Americans was to lose weight. I love to eat! Over the holidays as more and more treats came into our home, I would snack on the high calorie treats that adorned our counters. Thus a little weight gain. 

Track Calories

My small change in this area is to be more active and to eat mindfully, which is a lot easier said than done. So the first small change I have made is to track my calories again. I am choosing foods that are higher in protein, less processed/packaged foods. I am also making an effort to have fresh veggies and fruits ready to be eaten. It seems when I want a snack, I don't want to take time to prepare it, so it really helps having the veggies washed, cut and ready to be eaten. My favorite go to snack is greek yogurt. If you haven't tried it, you should! It is a great source of protein and really delicious. Be sure to read the label as there are now a lot of varieties, with some containing too many calories. These are previous posts that I have written about healthy eating: here and here.

Be Active

The midwest winter months can really drag on, as those who live in the midwest know, all too well. I am aiming at being more active. I continue to ski with my family on the weekends. I have also gone back to tennis one day/week. I committed to working with a personal trainer in a group setting in February. I am using the rest of January to get ready for this huge challenge. I already logged the training dates into my calendar and I am committed to being in the gym at a minimum of two days per week.  I am also hoping to make a reacquaintance with my treadmill! 

Home Organization

Another small change I have made is in the area of organization. I am following A Bowl Full of Lemons, New Year's Home Revolution which is a 14 week home organization challenge. If you are interested in checking it out, go here. What I like about this challenge is that it can be as little or as much organization as that space needs that week. I figure even if  I clean a drawer a week in the space that they suggest, I will end up with a minimum of 14 clean drawers!! A small change that will lead to a bigger change! 

Before I started the New Year's Home Revolution "Organization Challenge"  I cleaned and organized my laundry/mud room. I am not quite done renovating this space, as I need to have a new faucet and sink installed and need new artwork above the coat hooks. I also need to find a way to hide the electrical cords from the washer and dryer, below the cabinets. I hope to dedicate one full blog post to this room, as it is a big part of the functioning of our family! Here is a peek at the progress so far from last spring: 

If you want to see what my laundry room looked like "BEFORE" go here and here.

A have a few more small changes for 2013 that I will share with you in another post. And to leave you on a note of other things happening at our house...a scheduled surgery for my son Foster, to repair an "acute ulnar collateral ligament"or thumb ligament, after he suffered a ski injury dubbed as Skier's Thumb...a similar injury his father also had as an 8th grader. Like father, like son.

Xray at orthopedic surgeon's office:

My kids love playing with the fun stuff at the orthopedic surgeon and using instagram:

I hope that your 2013 is off to a great start and that you are still enthused about the possibilities of great things to come in the new year! 

hugs, 

Cathy

Small Changes in 2013

{Made on Wordle.com}

As the new year rolls in, I am thinking about small changes for 2013.  In the past few years, I have had a focus word to remind me what I need to keep at the forefront of my scattered brain. In 2011 it was organization and 2012 it was faith. This year it will be two words: small changes.  Sometimes if we make a few small shifts in how we are approaching life we feel something shift to a happier state of mind. I think it requires less effort to make a few small changes rather than one large change. Do you agree?

This New Years, I didn't feel the need to revisit all the details and happenings of 2012. There were a lot of fantastic things that happened in 2012 and there were some incredible challenges. It felt like a good year and I was content to leave it at that, without rehashing everything that happened in my life. I am looking forward to a fresh start in 2013 and hope I can remember to write 2013 in the next month!

I am now on Instagram! You can follow me at cathymskier Here is a photo that I uploaded this morning...unedited.

So what is your word for 2013? 
hugs,
Cathy

Apple Pie

So one of the reasons that I stopped blogging last spring was because of fear. Yes, fear. When you blog and put pictures out there, you have to remember that anyone can read your blog and get a glimpse of your life. For a few different reasons the fear grew in me. I became overwhelmed and thought that the best way for me to conquer what was going on was to take a break from blogging. In the past six months I have dealt with the fear of people knowing too much about me or my kids. I was able to overcome the fear by praying my way through it. I have renewed interest in blogging and sharing with others and feeling connected to other women whom I share common interests. So I am putting aside the fear and moving forward with my blogging.

I always have a difficult time in transitioning from summer to fall. It's not that I don't like fall with beautiful changing leaves, cooler temps, and more free time with the kids in school, it is the fact that we are so far away from my favorite season of summer. I actually mourn the loss of summer and the abundant sunshine and flip flop weather...I am a true summer girl. So last week I decided that I need to embrace the good things about fall and create new and positive memories, even if I didn't feel like it. I had to change my attitude and be grateful for this new season with so many possibilities.

When my oldest walked through the door one day last week, I asked her if she would accompany me to the apple orchard. It is rare that is she is home after school but she is on a short break from her athletic endeavors, as she has been having knee issues. I knew she would rather flop on her bed before beginning her evening studies, but I was able to convince her to go with me. As we walked outside, she asked if she could drive down the driveway. She won't get her driver's permit until January, but recently I have let her drive up and down the driveway and around our irregular circle. She has practiced parking and backing up, too. I can already see a difference in her confidence and I think this will really help her when she gets her permit and gets out on the real road. (I need to write a post on driving and teenagers and my thoughts on why kids need to get their permit and their license.)

One of the bonuses of where we live, is that it is near a wonderful apple orchard that sells fresh cider, homemade apple donuts, produce, and of course, fresh-picked apples. So after our two minute drive to the orchard we asked the salesperson which type of apples were appropriate for making a pie and we popped the apples into the bag from the indoor bin. We purchased them and were on our way out the door when I was stung by a bee. I didn't even see the bee. I just felt this horrible sting on my wrist and could feel the venom traveling downward into my arm. It hurt really badly! There wasn't a stinger and I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I was able to drive home and was glad that my daughter was with me! When we arrived home a few minutes later, I wanted to get started on the apple pie but was in pain and was feeling completely silly that I couldn't handle a little bee sting. Ana was so sweet and worried about me and she told me she thought it was a bee that flew away. She helped me peel and core several apples and it was really rare and precious mother daughter time. Then she went on her way to study.

I was alone in the kitchen and added the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg to the apples while waiting for my youngest to get off the bus. She has always baked with me and has a huge interest in watching Cake Boss. I thought it would be fun for her to make the crust. It hit me that I haven't baked with her in a long time and that is a great way to bond with her. She was so surprised that I was going to let her make the pie crust. We worked together and I let her do a lot of the work and helped her with a bit of the rolling and putting the pie crust into the pie dish. She did a lot of the venting of the pie and I had to show her how to make it look even. She was really good at pinching the layers together, so I let her take over that task! Meanwhile my arm was starting to really swell and I was in pain! At this point, the kitchen is becoming very messy with flour and dough everywhere including the floor and ingredients all over the counter.  And I still had to make dinner!

Love how the sunshine on this day streams into my kitchen!

Fresh peeled apples from the orchard

Marissa, my happy baker

Mmmmm, can you smell the apple pie wafting through the house?

Marissa was all about letting me take a few pictures of her while baking. (I didn't even ask my teenage daughter, Ana...privacy is pretty important to teenagers...even in this techno age.) Imagine my husband's surprise when he walked into a house smelling like fresh baked apple pie! He made me take Benadryl (that didn't even occur to me!) and had me keep ice on my wrist and the swelling started to subside. The next morning the swelling got a lot worse and from the lower part of my hand to my elbow was really swollen and inflamed and itchy. Thankfully, on Saturday morning I was able to start on a steroid which has helped tremendously. 

By the way the apple pie was delicious. And it feels good to have a new attitude about this fall season. 

I would love to hear how you are doing and what you have embraced lately!

hugs,
Cathy