Healthy things I'm currently loving

As I mentioned a few posts back, I'm using the New Year as an excuse to recalibrate my health and wellness goals. I know most resolutions don't stick, but if you don't have goals, what do you have? Or whatever.

So far, the no-sugar thing is going extremely well. I knew once I got over the hump, it would be so much easier. The first week was very hard, and I had headaches almost every day. But now, the cravings are gone, and I just don't need that sweetness at the end of every meal to feel like my life is complete. Honestly, I don't even think about it. I'm sure there will be lots of temptations, but so far, so good.

Here are a few other health-related things that are changing my life as of late.

Kayla Itsines

My co-worker introduced me to this lovely and terribly mean woman. Check out her blog and follow her on Instagram, and you'll see why I'm doing her 12-week Bikini Body Guide. The transformations are incredible, and the workouts are SO FUN! I mean, they're actually terrible because they're hard, but it's exactly the type of workout I love. It's efficient, you change your routine every day, and you sweat like you've never sweat before. I love how I feel after each workout, and I think this routine is very sustainable, even for a working mother of two.

I agree with her entire approach to health and fitness. I love that she doesn't even try to act like there's some secret to looking and feeling good. You work hard and you eat clean. It's that's simple. Love her.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Have you ever read about the health benefits of this stuff? I add a teaspoon of it to hot water 3x a day, and I'm addicted. You have to buy the raw organic kind (they sell Bragg's on Amazon), and for $6 and no negative side effects (because it's made from apples, not chemicals), how could you not give it a try? The reviews had me convinced.

Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

 Foam Roller

How have I gone this long without using one of these? This weird little cylinder is amazing. It really helps stretch out my muscles and it kinda feels like I'm giving myself a massage.



Clinique Age Defense BB Cream



No, this isn't going to make me skinny, but in thinking about overall health and wellness, I have to remember that I'm 30 now.I need to be using sunscreen every single day (I really should have been all along, but it's never too late to start) and I love the way this stuff makes my skin look and feel.

What healthy things are you doing this year?

We finished finishing our basement!!!

We're done!

What started as a wild idea to finish an "unfinishable" basement turned into an amazing space for our whole family to hang out. 

Here is a little glimpse into what it looked like before. Dark, junk-filled, maybe even a little creepy?

The house was built in 1987, and though people learned by then to make the ceiling height higher than 6 feet (unlike our old house), basements weren't really designed to be finished. They're designed to hold all of the mechanicals of your home, hide all of the pipes, and serve as a place to store your crap.

But not anymore!

Here it is today!

The most incredible part about this transformation is that my husband did it completely on his own. Well, obviously the carpet folks installed the carpet, and the countertop man installed the countertop, and I painted, but seriously. The framing, the drywall, the electrical, the plumbing, the trim, the baseboards, the railing, the insets, the wood wall, the cabinets, the door - I mean, honestly??? Who can do all that (and do it REALLY well) unless they actually work as a general contractor? Well, apparently Jon can, and I can't stop telling him how amazed I am. He's done some pretty incredible things to the houses we've owned, but this is the most extensive project we've taken on from start to finish, and I can't get over how gorgeous it turned out.


A place for all of the toys! This has been life changing. 

Jon's new office space. Yep, I've relegated him to the basement. Sorry honey!

I cannot get over how well this wet bar turned out. This spot was where our washer & dryer and utility sink were when we moved in. And now it's a gorgeous place to store all of our glasses, and it helps separate the adult space from the kid space. 

I am obsessed with this backsplash. I now want to re-tile our kitchen backsplash, but I'm going to give Jon a break... for now ;-)

It was Jon's idea to build these inset things. It was alot of extra work and effort, but I love the character it brings to the basement. We stained the back walls to match the beam that runs through the middle of the room.

For Jon's birthday, I found a giant (but sadly empty) bottle of Silver Oak (one of our favorite wineries in Napa) and it came in this awesome case.

Back in March, this area:

Looked like this:

Big upgrade. Big. Huge.

My favorite! A wine crate coffee table (DIY instructions found here) that costs less than $50? Sold!

I want to fill this handy little cubby with corks from every time we drink a bottle of wine together. Every cork a memory, right? Looks like we have some work to do! ;-)

I love this little TV nook for the girls. They sit/lay down next to each other and cuddle up watching movies, and my heart melts.

Every day when we get home, Anna wants to immediately "Go Dow Sares" to have her "Cup" at the table. <3

Ruler: Hobby Lobby; Kid's Table: Amazon

I half-joked with Holly that I should start renting Jon out for side projects. As I mentioned in my 2014 recap post, I am amazed that Jon was able to do all of this with the schedules that we have. Sure, it may have taken us 11 months (a lifetime according to HGTV standards), but we got the basement finished for a fraction of what a contractor would have charged. Plus, we got to design everything, and make our own choices. 

I know it was incredibly difficult for Jon to get home from a long day of work and go down to the basement to work on this project, but it was so worth it. I couldn't be more grateful for his expertise, and now that it's all said and done, I keep telling him it was kind of fun. Right??? RIGHT??

Now, on to the next project! ;-)

"Veggie Spaghetti" and a 2015 Challenge

I, like probably 30% of the population or more, have committed to eating healthier in the new year.

Once again, I am committing to removing as many added sugars from my diet as possible. It's the way I feel the best, and has had proven results on my health (i.e. my triglycerides dropping by 50 points!)

I recently watched the documentary Fed Upand it only reinforced my feeling that sugar is the devil and it's killing us. 

One thing with eliminating added sugars is that is incredibly difficult to give up processed food. I'm not a big chip/cookie eater, but I LIVE for pasta. I may or may not have eaten an entire box of spaghetti in one setting once. Or twice. Or more than that. I don't keep count. It's embarrassing. Let's just say I can eat a metric ton of spaghetti and not even bat an eyelash (or barf for that matter).

Even when I eat whole wheat pasta, I just cannot eat the recommended portion size. I always go back for a second (or let's be honest, third) bowl. So I knew I had to find a good substitute for pasta, otherwise I'd fail at this. It was through Googling that I found the Veggetti.

This thing may look a little crazy but it was seriously the best $12 I've spent this year. (It's only January 5th, but you get the idea).

I took one large zuchinni, spiraled it out (which was SO easy!)

Threw some garlic and olive oil in a pan. And then added more garlic because garlic is awesome and wards off vampires.

Sauteed the zucchini,  added some sea salt and cracked pepper, and then a generous tablespoon of parmesan cheese.

 

Note: I am not a food blogger, so this doesn't look that fancy, but 

O

M

G 

I immediately texted my best friend and told her I was never eating pasta again! And then she immediately ordered her own because we are co-dependent and we like to be the same.

While it may be too early to say I'll never eat real pasta again, this zucchini substitute was seriously SOOOOOO good. It completely removed any craving I had for pasta, and I will now be eating it several times a week, without feeling guilty.

Good luck to all those getting started with eating healthy! 2015 is your year!

And seriously, go watch  Fed Up - that's a swift kick to making a good choice.

2014: A Year in Review

I've been saying this for several months now, but after the emotional roller coaster that was 2013, 2014 has proven to be one of the best (probably THE best) years of my life.

January brought the beginnings of our basement remodel. I CANNOT wait to show you the finished product! We just have a few more touch-ups to do here and there, and I haven't gotten around to taking photos due to sheer and utter laziness, but I promise to get them up in 2015!

A little reminder of the before:

I am IN LOVE with this basement and even more in love with Jon for making such a cozy and happy place for our family- and for alllll of the toys to be in one place, out of sight ;-)

In February, I did a little photo shoot with some of my girlfriends. What a blast! I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for us, but I know there will be weddings, wine, and widdle babies to name a few.

March was spent avoiding time outside and seeing the movie 'Frozen' for the first of over 500 times this year. Okay, maybe not 500, but pretty damn close, especially if you count listening to the soundtrack in that total. The Polar Vortex of 2014 was fierce and had us seriously contemplating moving outside of Ohio, but thankfully the spring DID actually come, so we've decided to stay put for now. Ask me again in February when it's -11 though.

In April I got very deep and insightful with you all. See here and here.

And then came May. Oh May. May 2014 - you rocked my socks.

First we celebrated my 30th birthday with a Derby 30 birthday party. It was a total BLAST and I also learned that I tell people I love them alot when I drink wine.

I shared our proposal story (and shed quite a few tears writing it).

We celebrated Anna's 1st birthday with a sunshine-themed birthday party.

We also celebrated 5 wonderful years of marriage and Jon's MBA graduation with a trip to Northern California.

Let me tell you something right here and now. If you asked me today "If you could go anywhere on vacation every year for the rest of your life, where would you go?" I would say Napa Valley, without a doubt.

We had the most amazing time. Napa was everything that I love in this world (outside of my children of course). Amazing wine. Amazing food. Beautiful scenery. Clean, unspoiled air. Fantastic photograph potential. I felt like I was in Heaven that week, and I can't wait to go back!

See my recaps here 

Here

Here

Here

and here.

Ahhhhh, somebody PLEASE take me back. Please. Pretty please?

As if summer wasn't perfect enough already, I got to return to California in June to attend a conference, and three of my best girlfriends tagged along and the result was the most fun trip that has ever been! (without my husband and children). It could not have been more perfect, and I will forever cherish the memories made with these girls.

In July, I watched the fireworks for the first time since moving to Columbus (whhhattt?!) and enjoyed lots of family time out in the sun, including an awesome and stress-free trip to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium.

It's cool Jon, don't look at the camera.

In August, I reflected on time spent with my children, and how time is a completely different concept to me now.

August also took us on an impromptu road trip to Disney World. Read here for my sage advice on not taking your toddlers to Disney World in August. We had a blast though and I can't wait to go back and spend more time there.

From Orlando, when then spent a week in South Carolina. As stated above, any time spent with my family is the best time ever, and this trip was no exception. 

At the end of August, we surprised my in-laws with a 40th Anniversary Party on Kelley's Island. We had such a good time! Just wait till you see what we have in store for their 50th ;-)

In September, I reflected on the one-year anniversary of Anna's scary ordeal. My God, this child is an absolute miracle, and even today I tear up when I look at her and see how far she's come. She is braver than I will ever be.

This girl is now walking everywhere, talking up a storm (she says SO many words!) and is defying every odd put in front of her. Just a reminder of the gift I was given by being her mother.

In October, we drove to Washington DC to do a little sightseeing and watch my incredible husband run the Marine Corps marathon. He. is. a. stud.

Did I mention that he trained for this marathon while going to school, working full-time, renovating our basement, AND being a loving, doting, and hands-on father? Yep. I know I'm the luckiest. That's a fact. 

We also got to celebrate our first coherent Halloween. Meaning, Emerson is old enough to really "get it" and Anna wasn't in the hospital like she was this time last year. 

The girls went as Anna and Elsa, naturally, but swapped costumes because Emerson likes the Anna costume better and (our) Anna didn't really care. They had so much fun, and though I thought Halloween was overrated until now, I have to say that these holidays are WAY more fun as a mom! I love watching their unspoiled joy and excitement over the littlest things.

In November, we hosted Thanksgiving at our house, and though I love some good food and wine, I could not be more thankful for my family.They make every day better.

We also picked out our Christmas tree and decorated the house because, Christmas!




Lastly, December was chock full of fun! 

We went to the Snowflake Castle. SO MUCH FUN! The girls look indifferent, but I swear they loved it. They're a little skeptical of Santa though. Who wouldn't be? If you asked me to sit on a strange man's lap to get presents, I'd meet that request with an appropriate amount of apprehension and terror.

Then we had Emerson's 3rd birthday party, the Non-Pinterest-Worthy Tangled Party, and it was so special. I can't believe she's 3!

 The next day, I hosted our (5th?) annual Friendsgiving. See above. I love these girls like WHOA!

We spent Christmas day at my in-laws, and they spoiled us and the girls rotten.

If you learned nothing from this incredibly long blog post, you will have learned that as long as my family is involved, I am the happiest I could be.

My entire heart belongs to these people.

So there we have it. The best year of my life, in pictures and clipped sentences. I can't put into words how grateful and happy I am that we had a healthy, happy, exciting, adventurous, crazy and beautiful year.

2015, you have A LOT to live up to. Let's see what you've got! ;-)