Back on the wagon.....

After another long break (meningitis struck again!), I am back and hopefully back on the wagon.  The hospitalizations throw me off in so many ways.  I get behind on my housework, my food prep, my devotional time, exercising, and even eating healthy.  So yesterday I made a vow that I needed to get back on track and what better way to start than to begin my fitness and diet routine?  One of the hardest things I have with eating healthy is just how picky I am.  Unbelievably picky.  In fact, it would probably easier (and way shorter) to list what I DO eat instead of saying what I don't eat.  I should have been born in a Mediterranean country....I could live on cheeses, breads, olive oil, garlic, olives and seafood.  

One of my struggles is getting enough protein in my diet.  I've tried typical protein shakes and either I hate the taste or I have weird reactions to them (for instance, violent headaches...as if I need ANY more of those right?).  I have found a protein powder that doesn't make me sick so today I thought I would try playing with a new smoothie recipe.  It's definitely a winner for me and I think even my picky daughter will love it!

I started with frozen pucks of Greek yogurt and almond milk ice cubes.  I put a 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt into each muffin slot in a regular sized muffin tin and froze it.

One batch of smoothies makes about 2 actual smoothies for me

1 puck of frozen Greek yogurt
4 Almond/Soy/Rice milk cubes
1 cup frozen fruit of your choice
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
Almond/Soy/Rice milk as needed for your desired consistency

To simplify the process for the future, I put all of the frozen ingredients for one batch in a freezer quart bag and popped them all in the freezer.  I will just take one bag out before a workout and let it soften a bit to make blending easier.  
 

Attempting to get Organized

I think most of you know what I mean when I say that my counters are always overflowing with paperwork.  It's amazing to me really, how much stuff comes home from school even in this technologically advanced day and age.  I get texts announcing homework assignments and upcoming tests but still they send floods of paperwork home for me.  

The evils of papers.....well first there is the clutter.  It drives me nuts to have a cluttered kitchen (or dining room table AHEM..if any of my family members may be reading this) and it makes me cranky.  No one likes a cranky mama.  Second, there is the problem of never really knowing where anything is.  One of the kids needs to turn some of that paperwork in and then I'm digging through piles for an hour or two.  And let me just say that once I start digging through a pile, I have to go through it, organize it to the best of my ability and sort out the junk which just consumes more time.  

In order to combat the clutter and chaos, one of my goals for this year was to become more organized.  What better way to do that than to search my favorite treasure trove of information and ideas....Pinterest.  I've found loads of wonderful ideas for home organization binders and other odds & ends.  I'm currently in the process of moving everything to binders.  I have a home binder, one for my son's schooling info (for anyone who has a child with an IEP, you know how much paperwork that can generate!), and legal & financial info.  I still need to get one done for my daughter, one for the budget and one for the extras (travel plans, crafting things I found in magazines, etc).  I also decided we needed some cork and dry erase boards so I glammed up some of my own.

Here is my spruced up cork board (with some of my binders in evidence):

 And another one of the board with the dressed up clothespins:

 And finally, our dry erase board where everyone can list items that need to go on the grocery list:

The dry erase board was simply a frame I already had on hand with some cute scrapbook paper inside.  The cork board I bought at JoAnn along with a 1/2 yard of fabric, decorative upholstery nails and a wooden letter that I painted white.  It was a fun project and I feel more organized already!

Where has the time gone?

Whew!  Another long, long break!  Between the holidays, another meningitis hospitalization in early December for me, two polar vortex storms of enormous proportions and my husband having a week long stint in the hospital himself, I haven't even thought about this poor, neglected blog.  How many times have I done an update in photos and then promised to come back?  Well I am really working on my organization and prioritizing so I hope I can keep to it this time.  In the meantime....here are the last few months in pictures...

Mama/Daughter Day at the Ballet

Ani & I went to see The Nutcracker and we were able to go backstage and meet the dancers.  Annika was on cloud nine because the girl who danced Clara was named Annika as well (though spelled Anneke).

Christmas Crafting with my bestie & kids

  

The kids painted snowman votive holders and Lea & I painted several winter/Christmas themed wine glasses like the snowmen above.

Christmas Eve

My hubby and I did some very early morning Christmas Eve shopping.  The weather was beautiful!  And then the candlelight service at our church and the tree after the kids went to bed.

Cotton Candy!

The kids gave me a cotton candy maker for Christmas.  Dangerous!

 Sewing!

 Jimmy gave me a sewing machine for Christmas and this pot holder was my very first attempt at sewing.

The Best Birthday Ever!

 In addition to adding to my new Pandora bracelet, Jimmy spoiled me this year on my birthday by getting me the Naked 2 eyeshadow palette by Urban Decay!  And then, my lovely friends surprised me with a small birthday party and cake pops.  I am so blessed!