7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 39)

1) We recently bought a freezer to replace the ancient refrigerator in our basement. I've been researching freezers for almost a year now and I finally decided what I wanted then waited for it to go on sale. I'm so excited to finally have space to be able to make (more than just one or two) meals to freeze. I'm also really excited to be able to stock up on staples when they go on sale now. So far I've only got blueberries and blueberry muffins in there, but I have big plans for filling it up.

2) Now that we have the freezer space, I've been contemplating buying half a cow from a local farmer. I don't have any farmers in particular that I'm thinking about I just like the idea. Although, I'm not sure where to go or how to figure out how much of each cut of meat to buy. When I think about it we seem to mainly use ground beef and beef tips, but I'd like to explore cooking with other cuts of beef. Do you have any tips for buying large amounts of meat from a farmer?

3) Joseph has a fetish for crawling into things...and these are only the times I've caught him on camera! It makes me smile every time I see him in a basket or container of sorts.

4) I started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred a couple weeks ago in an attempt to lose these pesky 5 pounds that are keeping me from getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And, more importantly, I'd like to finally fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. It's going well so far, but I don't seem to have lost any weight. My clothes are fitting a little better though, but I'm still not quite where I was pre-pregnancy. Hopefully I'll see even more of a difference once I'm completely through the 30 days (or shortly thereafter).

5) Joseph likes that I've been working out, too. He especially enjoys playing with my massive 2-lb weights.

6) After poking around Jen Fulwiler's pins on Pinterest I decided to follow through on one of the pins. She pinned this idea for "Blessing Bags" where you put together bags of useful items for homeless people. You keep them in your car for any time you come across someone who is homeless and asking for money. I love this idea because I always feel like I need to do something, but don't really like to just give them money. I can't wait to hand them out, and I look forward to one day making these with Joseph.

7) Head on over to conversiondiary.com for more quick takes. Have a great weekend!!

Are You In?

Happy New Year!! I've decided that I am going to give up sweets for the year 2012. Am I crazy? Maybe. But I've been thinking about it for a while now and I've decided the time is right. It will be good for me both physically and spiritually.
Physically, I'm pretty sure I'll lose some serious poundage. Goal-wise I don't have a particular weight I'm aiming for, but I would like to be able to fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes comfortably. I do plan on keeping track of my weight, but don't want to put too much emphasis on it.
Spiritually, I'm sure I'm going to have to lean on God to make it through the entire year, and hopefully I will get a better grasp on eating in moderation (I am the worst at this when sugar is involved). I am thinking of this as a sort of year-long Lent. I hope to find ways to offer up my desires/urges for sugar.

Beyond the physical and spiritual aspects of giving up sweets I also think it will be good for me to model good eating habits for Joseph. The first year of eating solids is so important for the development of lifelong eating habits and I want Joseph to have the best foundation possible.

Here's my game plan for the year.
I won't eat sweets except on pre-selected days throughout the year. These days include:
Easter
Joseph's birthday day/birthday party
My sister's wedding
Thanksgiving
My birthday
Christmas


Items officially not included in the "sweets" category
soda/pop
plain pancakes

Items officially included in the "sweets" category
doughnuts
chocolate chip pancakes

I only make the above distinctions to hold myself accountable. All of those items (in my mind) can be debated as to whether they're officially "sweets."

So there you have it. My new years resolution is set. And now I actually have to follow through with it because it has been declared to the entire blogosphere. I'd love if you'd join me. I am so grateful to already have three people joining me (thanks to my sisters Julia, Jeannette and Alyse!) - it will be helpful for keeping me on track.

If you're not up for this particular challenge, do you have some other new years resolution you're making?

Workout Routine?

     In an attempt to shed that pesky pregnancy weight that decided to stick around I've started thinking about how I can get in to some kind of workout routine. And the more I think about it the more I'm exhausted. Simply thinking about incorporating a workout routine into my schedule wears me out.
I have a hard enough time keeping up with basic household chores - laundry, dishes and dinner.    
     Nevermind all those other chores that need to get done around the house. I mean, thank goodness my mom cleaned our bathrooms when she and my dad first came to visit Joseph (when he was a week old) because I've only cleaned the bathrooms twice since then...eeks!
     The filing of papers is on the verge of happening. I did actually get all the papers into their proper piles (after several months of not filing the papers that came into this house there was quite a stack to be sorted through) now all I have to do is take them upstairs and file them away. That was actually one of my goals for the second half of last week and it has yet to happen because Joseph has been extra needy lately - you know, always wanting to be held, never wanting to sleep...
     I could go on about all the things that need to get done around here, but I won't bore you. The point is if I can't find time to do basic chores around the house how in the world am I supposed to find time to workout? I do take Joseph for walks - he loves to go on walks - but that isn't exactly working out.
And if I sweat at all I feel like I should take a shower right away which only adds to the amount of time I feel like I need to be able to block out in order to workout.
     Maybe I'm just making excuses. It's true that I never had any kind of strict workout routine before I got pregnant. But I did get out an exercise much more frequently. And it's also true that I generally hate working out. But I feel like I need to do something to get back into shape. Every time I do go for a walk I can tell that I'm noticeably less "in shape."
     Now, after reading this article I definitely feel like incorporating a few good workouts into my week is a necessity. Has anyone had success working a regular workout into their schedule with an infant in the house? If so, how did you do it? What did you do? I'm up for any and all suggestions.