Spooky Spiders - Halloween Planning

I love Halloween - mostly, it's the weather, crisp autumn night paired with unlimited candy and kids in costumes, it's a great holiday.   I had a great time dressing up for Halloween when I was younger, but we did not live in a suburb or city setting so trick-or-treating was limited to our small, one traffic light town of 3 blocks in southeastern Ohio or my friend's suburbs.

Nevertheless, it was always fun and I have fond memories of Halloween.

Last year was our first year in the house, and I was able to do a bit of decorating, but not as much as I wanted - spiderwebs on the bushes in front, and a wreath on the front door from my mom.  We had my family over for the night, and made several snacky dishes to munch on while the trick-or-treater's came around.

This year, we have Maku, and I have much bigger aspirations for the decorations!

First, I don't like crazy mixed up Halloween decorations - I'd much rather pick a "theme" if you will, and stick to it.  So, I've decided that it should be SPIDERS!

Here are some of my inspirations:

Elimination Diet...

Ok, if I don't start this elimination diet now, it's never. 

3 Weeks, here's the list:

INCLUDE		EXCLUDE
Fruits & Vegetables	Unsweetened fresh or frozen whole fruits, fresh squeezed fruit juices, sea vegetables (seaweeds), avocados, olives, and raw, steamed, sauteed, juiced, or roasted vegetables	Oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, bananas, strawberries, grapes, corn, creamed vegetables, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes)
Dairy Substitutes	Hemp, rice, and nut milks (such as almond, hazelnut, walnut, etc.) and coconut milk, coconut oil/butter	Dairy and eggs: including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, non-dairy creamers, ghee
Non-Gluten Grains & Starch	Brown, red, black and wild rice, millet, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, quinoa	White rice, wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, triticale, oats (even gluten-free)
Animal Protein	Fresh or water-packed, cold-water fish (trout, salmon, halibut, tuna, mackerel, sardines, pike, kippers), wild game (rabbit, pheasant, bison, venison, elk, etc.), lamb, duck, organic chicken and turkey	Pork (bacon), beef, veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, frankfurters (hot dogs), shellfish, any raw meats or fish
Vegetable Protein	Split peas, lentils, legumes, bee pollen, spirulina, and blue-green algae	Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods)
Nuts & Seeds	Hemp, sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, macadamia, pistachios, brazil, nut and seed butters such as almond or tahini	Peanuts and peanut butter
Oils	Cold-pressed olive, flax, safflower, sesame, almond, sunflower, walnut, pumpkin, and coconut	Butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, canola oil, salad dressings, mayonnaise, spreads
Drinks	Filtered water, green, white or herbal tea, seltzer or mineral water, yerba mate, coconut water, green juice	Alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, soda pop, soft drinks, fruit juice (unless fresh pressed)
Sweeteners	Stevia, coconut nectar, yacon, whole/fresh fruit, dried fruit (in moderation)	Refined sugar, white/brown sugars, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, Splenda®, Equal®, Sweet’N Low®, juice concentrate, agave nectar, brown rice syrup
Condiments	Vinegar, all spices, all herbs, sea salt, black pepper, carob, raw chocolate (dairy and sugar free), stone-ground mustard, miso, coconut liquid aminos, wheat-free tamari and nama shoyu, unsweetened whole fruit jam	Regular chocolate (with dairy and sugar), ketchup, relish, chutney, traditional soy sauce, barbecue sauce, teriyaki, breath mints

Body after Baby: Just Do It!

Wow.  These past four months have just flown by and I feel like I have only now gotten a handle on being a mom, working part-time, and balancing our life.

I hate being overweight.  All of my life I have been active - working out during college along with swim team and teaching swimming lessons helped me keep off the beer weight.  But I also leveraged that to keep up bad eating habits.  After graduate school, I still logged in regular hours at the gym - weight training and teaching swim lessons. 

At our wedding, I looked great - and I wasn't even exercising.  It was 100% stress that keep me thin.

 For the next 2 years, I packed on 15 pounds.  We ate out, enjoyed our life.  I lost that motivation I had for so long.  Work was stressful, life as a newlywed was stressful.
Then we got pregnant with our little Maku, and I went from 165 to 205.  Yikes!  My doctor said it was alright for my height but after she arrived, we had a bit of a stressful homecoming.
I lost about 20 pounds immediately, not from breastfeeding (which we were unable to do), rather from stress.
Now it's Month 4 and I am still not in a routine.  It's killing me. 
I need to get up in the AM, have some dedicated alone time and get on it!
Here's my current picture..

I am not happy! 

 Goals:
* Up at 4am, make coffee, eat breakfast!
* Gym @ 5am, cardio and weights - M/W/F
* Eat healthy foods - know what's in it and where it came from!
* Be a healthy, energetic mom!

Inspirations:

Kate Hudson -  post baby body = AMAZING!

Sheridan French - designer & super mom - paleo addict = How do I do this??

Stacy Keibler - athletic & tall just like me! (also, George loves her & that's a PLUS!)

 AMAZING athletes...

Pins of the Week

Now that I am officially addicted to Pinterest, here are some of my pins from this week!  As you can see, I'm on a bit of a summer/ beach/ relaxing kick.

I love Liberty!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend...lots of resting and relaxing.  A big thank you to all of our Veterans, including my Dad & both Grandfathers!

I love liberty- Liberty of London.

Just got this amazing book from the Library - The Liberty Book of Home Sewing.

 

Now, I don't have my sewing machine yet but this book is causing me to drool over the amazing projects inside.  My love for Liberty came during it's Target debut a few years ago - I am literally kicking myself for not buying more than I did but oh well.  I've also found a couple of boxes of very cute notecards at TJMaxx which I used for Baby Shower Thank You's as well as a few notebooks from TJ's too.  Love them all.  

But the projects in this book are beautiful...up first, the baby quilt for Maku.

 

Followed by this adorable pincushion peacock...

 

 Now, I just need to save up some serious cash for the beautiful fabrics!  What projects are you inspired to create lately?

My Maine Vacation Dream

I have never visited New England, but after trolling the Historic Homes for Sale website over the past years, I have fallen in love with numerous homes on lovely bays with beautiful views.

Meet my Maine vacation home...

Built during the Revolutionary War, it has 15 acres with 4 acres of established organic blueberries.

Oh, and a pond.

I can just envision hanging some amazing wallpaper, scouring yard sales and estate sales to fill this house up with all sorts of amazing.

I love love love this vintage cupboard in the kitchen...I could fill this with Pyrex and Ball Mason Jars.

I'd pull into the driveway with my Jeep Grand Wagoneer...and a rescued dog, of course!

New Body Update

Ok, so no CrossFit. I decided it was too much money for the time and that I needed to just get my butt back in gear on my own before starting something new. I also have some pirated copies of Insanity. So, let the insanity begin. Coupled with Insanity is going to be Paleo...which I think will be great except for the no beans part. Goal is tobe down significantly in my weight by the time my mother-in-law leaves mid-July.

New Baby...New Body?

It's been 2 months since our Little Bug came along and I have had a bit of a rough go during that time. Let's just say working out was put on the back burner but now that things have settled down, I am ready to get going.

Starting May 1, I am going to Cross Fit! Yes, I am about to be inducted into one of the most insane fitness communities there is.

For two weeks, I train as a beginner then can graduate and start coming to the daily WODs (Workout of the Day).

Pairing with this is my 30DayChallenge...http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

Giving up alcohol and sugar and processed foods all at the same time is going to be SUPER TOUGH but I am also SUPER excited.

What I am looking forward to:

More Energy

Community of Support

Challenging Myself

Welcome to Lullaby Land!