Hot Mess=Me

If you were to look up the word "Hot Mess" in the dictionary, a picture of me from this week would be right beside it.  I've been hot messing it up all over the place.  Let's get to the weight loss.

Original weight:  142.5
Last week's weight:  133.6
This week:

Loss from last week:  0.4 lbs
Overall loss:  9.3 lbs

Biggest challenges this week:  I'm going to be completely honest with you guys.  I'm surprised I lost this week.  I had to mentally prepare myself to step on the scale this morning because I was expecting a number that was quite a bit higher than my 133.6 from last week.  I ate like crap.  And, as a result, I felt like crap.  For some unknown reason, I cannot sleep.  I wake up in the middle of the night (or my child wakes me) and I cannot. go. back. to. sleep.  I lay there.  I think about all the things I need to be doing.  The checkbook balance.  What I'm going to wear tomorrow out of my 30 items.  What I'm going to get people for Christmas.  Before I know it, I'm getting like 4-ish hours of sleep every night (I'm a 9 hour a night kind of person).  It's exhausting.  It also makes it extremely hard to function as a normal human being during the day.  Enter caffeine--and lots of it.  I have probably been drinking 2-3 "Cokes" a day.  So not healthy.  Also enter drive-thrus.  I'm exhausted, so I don't have the energy or the want to make my lunch in the morning.  So, I've been a regular customer at the McDonald's drive-thru.  I can tell that my body has gotten used to less fast food because yesterday, I felt horrible.  Stomach pains, bloating feelings, the works.  My body was completely telling me "STOP FEEDING ME CRAP!"  So, this morning, I woke up on time and made myself some lunch.  And I've only had one Coke.  Hopefully steps back to being the healthy me that I've been working so hard on.

What worked this week:
{1}  I've started exercising.  I'm working on strengthening my ab muscles again.  After Avery was born, they were pretty much non-existent.  Every night, while I wait for my sleep-aversioned princess to drift off, I lay in her floor with my legs up on her ottoman and I do 100 crunches.  I'm hopefully going to increase the number of crunches and introduce some cardiovascular exercises, because that's where the calories are burned!
{2}  Finding better snacking options.  At work, we have a popcorn machine.  I've been adding dried cranberries to my bag of popcorn.  Healthy, sweet, salty..perfect combination!!  I've also started portioning off my snacks.  Instead of taking a big bag of chips with me to lunch, or to sit on the couch and snack on, I put the portion size in a Ziploc bag and only allow myself that amount of food. 
{3}  Making dinner again.  I had been sadly slacking on my domestic responsibility of making dinner for my family every night night.  I can't remember the last time I'd made dinner for the two of us.  I sat down and made out a grocery list for 2 weeks from healthy recipes I'd collected.  Better than raiding the fridge for junk to eat because Mama didn't make dinner.

I'm not perfect.  I had a crappy week and I will probably pay for it when I step on the scale next Monday.  I can't dwell on it.  Time to shake it off, forget the past week and start fresh.  Back on my journey to being a HOT MAMA!

Thirty for thirty {days 1-5}

It's my first "30 for 30" update post and let me tell you people.....this is hard.  It may not be hard for a girl with major fashion sense that can accessorize anything from an evening gown to a paper bag.....but I am not her.  Far from it, in fact.  I never realized how hard it would be to mix up shirts and pants without making it look like I'm wearing the same thing every single day.  Plus, it doesn't help that it's been in the mid-90s here all week and layering to change the looks of my outfits is not an option.  Hopefully, I'll get to wear some of the blazers and cardigans I picked out before the end of this month.  Otherwise, you're going to be seeing the same outfits every single week.  *sigh*  Well, here goes.  My first five days on my 30 for 30 challenge.  Take a look.  Critique.  Tell me what would look good with that green shirt so it doesn't look like I have nothing else to wear.  Really.  I need feedback.

Suggestions?  Ideas?  Accessories you wanna give away to help me jazz these outfits up? 

High Fives {week 9}

Friday High Fives!

{one} 
I live in Kentucky.  Here, we have a gigantic rivalry between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals.  Like "I can't be friends with you if you root for the opposing team" kind of rivalry.  I am a die-hard, bleed blue alumni of the University of Kentucky.  The sun rises and sets on Kentucky basketball.  Somehow, I married a Louisville fan.  Our child is going to be so confused.
{two} 
After much convincing, my cousin is starting a new blog!  She's still under construction, but it's been fun helping her design her blog and give her some of the tips I wish someone had told me when I first started.  Check her out in a few weeks when she gets up and running!
{three}
Remember a few weeks ago when I told you we were getting a major office remodel at work??  Here's a before and after.  Goodbye hideous 1970s wood paneling and dingy carpet!

{four}
Matchbox 20 came out with a new cd on Tuesday.  Their first in a decade.  It's pretty darn good.

{five}
This pretty lady is my momma.  She's been there for me for every major moment in my life.  She's listened to me complain, let me whine about my problems and gave me a reality check when I needed one.  I honestly don't know what I'd do without her.  Her birthday is tomorrow and she's planned a super secret trip for her, my sisters and one of her sisters.  I can't wait.  Happy birthday Mom!  I love you!

Planning to Organize

Wednesday--it's time to organize just one thing in my life to make it a little less cluttered.  Today, I'm focusing on my planner.  Every year, I buy the same kind of planner from Wal-Mart.  Same brand, just a different pattern every year:

Studio C, by Carolina Pad.  It's the size of a standard school notebook with spaces big enough to write all your things in day-by-day.  I hate monthly calendars.  I can't fit all my stuff into a tiny box! 
My day job is working as a legislative assistant for my dad, who serves as a Kentucky State Senator.  When I took the job, one of the requirements is to keep up with his schedule.  Which can get hectic, especially this time of year.  Parades every weekend, fundraisers, picnics, etc.  Needless to say, "my" calendar has filled up with my dad's appointments.  In the beginning, I tried keeping our things separate by highlighting things in a different color.  Dad's stuff was green, my stuff was pink, blogging stuff was blue.  And it worked.....for a little while.  Until the green began to take over the days. 

See the green?  That's dad's stuff.  Just dad's stuff.  And it always grows.  It starts as one or two things and ends up being several things a day.  It just gets confusing for me.  I'm the type that writes EVERYTHING down.  If I need to put chicken in the fridge to thaw out for tomorrow's dinner, it needs to be written down on a to-do list, or I'll forget it.  Make fun of me, if you will, but dad's calendar wasn't leaving enough room for my obsessive step-by-step calendar for everyday.  Enter the Dollar General store.  Enter a "student" planner for $2.

I can have all of my things in here....and color-coded.  Red is that night's dinner menu.  Dark blue is to-do things (laundry, put ground beef out to thaw, take Minnie Mouse doll back for return).  Green is appointments and events.  Light blue is blogging ideas.  This works.  I can have all of my stuff in one place and all dad's in another.  I'm not searching through the green highlights to see what I need to do that day.  I've organized one thing in my life today and it feels pretty darn good (and looks pretty good too). 

Unfriendable.

Does becoming a mom automatically make you un-friendable?  It seems like when I had my sweet Avery, I gained a daughter, but lost all of my really good friends.  If someone were to ask me right now who my best friend was, I would have trouble coming up with an answer.  Actually, before I go any farther, let me clarify.  My husband is, without a doubt, my best friend.  I know that I can tell him anything and he's always the first person I turn to whenever I have something on my mind or have news to share.  Sometimes though, you just need a girl-best friend.  Someone that understands that you HAD to buy that cute pair of shoes or your need to go into an Anthropologie store even though you can't afford anything in there.  Someone to call when you need to complain about your husband (just kidding Marty! sort of....).  Someone who will meet you for lunch once a month just so you have an excuse to put nice clothes on.  I need that person in my life.  And I don't have them. 
I had my college friends.  People that would hang out on a Wednesday night at the drop of a hat and didn't care if I called at 1 am on a Thursday to just talk or make a Taco Bell run.   As college friends tend to do though, they graduated.  I graduated.  We got jobs.  We moved.  We got married.  And, even though I share some of my fondest memories with those people, I can't remember the last time I talked to them.  Other than the occasional "Facebook hello,"  I can't remember the last real conversation I had with them.  I feel like that's part of life though.  You share the college experience and then you grow up. 
Once upon a time, I would have considered my sister my best friend.  I would tell her everything.  And I think she did the same.  We knew that we shared an unspoken sisterly bond.  Until I had a baby.  A baby that would become her niece.  Suddenly, seeing me was less important, unless I was bringing my kid along.  The bond is still there, but it's more my kid's aunt---her niece's mom kind of bond.  The ability to share secrets and stay on the phone spilling my guts isn't really there anymore.  I guess we're at different points in life now.  I used to love hanging out with my cousins.  We're all close in age and we would spend a lot of time hanging out, giggling and bonding.  Now, I feel like the old maid that's left out of the loop.  Browse any of their tweets on a weekend and you'll see inside jokes and plans for parties and get-togethers.  It just makes me feel.....old.  Outdated.  Friend-less.  I understand that I'm not the same person I was pre-baby.  I can't take off on a Wednesday night to hang out or go watch a movie on a weekend with all of them without making plans for a babysitter and trying to get home in time for the bath-bottle-bedtime routine...but sometimes it's nice to pretend that I'm still that person. 
I have my mommy friends.  The girls whose daughters are around Avery's age and we have the occasional play date.  I love spending time with these girls.  I know that I can show up with baby food in my hair or be late because I had a poop explosion situation on my hands and they just get it.  We can talk about epidurals for hours or the things we're going to do differently on our next babies.  But we haven't gotten past that "mommy friend" point.  We have a great time at the play date, but that's really where the friendships end, with the exception of one or two of the girls.
Right now, I would probably consider my mom my best friend.  We have more things in common than we ever have before and I know that I can talk to her for hours about whatever was on my mind.  She understands my need to have a good cry about Avery's sleep issues and gives me advice on how she would start to wean Avery off her bottles.  But (and if you're reading this mom, PLEASE don't take this the wrong way) there are things you can't talk to your mom about.  Sometimes, you just need a best friend.  I realize that it's not an easy thing to do.  It's not like I can just take an ad out in the paper:  Wanted.  Best friend for a 20-something mommy.  Must understand if lunch dates are cancelled due to teething, but also must be prepared for a 3 am ranting phone call when her daughter is up for the fourth time.  Needs to be a frequent window shopping buddy that supports her shoe habit.  Unpaid position. 
Is it something I've done?  Have I put myself in this mommy zone and made myself unfriendable?  Have I subconsciously distanced myself from everyone I was close to and only have myself to blame?  Or is it just part of life?  Meet the guy, get married, have the baby, lose all friends?  Am I the only one??

A Labor Day Hot Mess Update

It's Labor Day and I have the day off from work, but that doesn't mean I'm taking a break from a Hot Mess Monday update! 

Original weight:  142.5
Last week's weight:  134.2
This week's weight:

Loss from last week: 0.6 lbs
Overall loss:  8.9 lbs

Biggest challenge this week:  Exercising.  I've been eating really healthy, budgeting my calories and being a really good kid when it comes to passing up fast food and french fries.  But I don't exercise.  Probably because I've never been an exercise person.  I don't really know how to do it.  I pinned a few ideas for simple, mommy-fied exercises that I think are possible.  I know that the weight is going to stop falling off at some point because there's only so far a healthy diet can take me.  I've got to WORK to get the fat to come off.

What worked this week:
1.  Better lunches.  Instead of throwing a ham sandwich with mustard in a bag and calling it lunch, I've found better, more exciting options.  Whenever I go to the grocery, I cut my vegetables up as soon as I get home and put them in tupperware containers in the fridge.  That way, when I'm making my sandwiches or salads or sides, I can easily throw them in.  Normally, I'd be in a hurry in the morning, want some green peppers on my salad, but decide it would take too long to get it out of the fridge, cut it up, put it back in the fridge, so I'd just leave it out.  I highly recommend doing this extra step when you get home from the grocery.  It's easier to eat healthy when veggies and fruit are within easy reach. 

2.  Better snacks.  I struggled with snacking when I was at work.  My go-to snack was always chips.  Greasy, not filling, but fulfilled a salty craving I would have.  I've found something better.
I'm OBSESSED with these things.  I've only tried the crackers and cheese together, but I'm thinking of all the possibilities.....like sundried tomatoes!  Best part?  Only 105 calories for 9 crackers and one wedge of cheese. 

Not much else to report.  I'm just taking it day by day, eating healthier....and hopefully beginning to exercise soon.  Till next Monday.....

Thirty for Thirty

Yesterday, I told you that I would be starting a new project today.  You might have heard of it before on Pinterest or browsing some of your favorite blogs.  I got the idea from Lauren, over at From My Grey Desk and her sister Kate, over at The Small Things Blog and The Pretty Life Anonymous (my favorite).  Starting today, I'm embarking on the "30 for 30 challenge."  Sound familiar?  No?  Let me explain. 
You can only wear 30 items for 30 days.  It sounds easy.  Read any blog of someone who's done it, they'll tell you otherwise.  Everyone has their own rules.  Here's mine:

1.  Only wear 30 items for 30 whole days.
2.  Items include: shirts, jackets, sweaters, shoes, pants, skirts, dresses.
3.  Accessories like belts, jewelry, scarves and hose aren't included.
4.  Undergarments like camis and tank tops are not included (This is necessary when you have a one year old that likes to yank your shirt down in front of a crowd of people.  Wish that was a joke.)

There's the rules.  There's the challenge.  Here's my 30:

September 1st to September 30th, this is all I get (I didn't include today's outfit because I bummed around the house all day--but I'm making up for it by wearing two outfits tomorrow).  Why, you ask?  Because I mentioned the other day that I was scared to branch out in my fashion.  I wear the same things over and over again because it's safe.  This will make me become braver with my accessories and outfit choices.  If I only get to wear 30 items for an entire month, I'm going to have to mix things up and find new ways to wear the items in my closet.  Not only that, I'll learn how to get more wear out of the things I own.  I'm really bad about only putting a shirt with a pair of pants and not adding anything else.  I wear this shirt with these jeans ONLY.  I don't know how to mix and match.  This will teach me how to wear this shirt with these jeans AND this skirt AND these dress pants.  Win-win. 

I almost forgot!  My sister, Dayna, is doing this with me.  She'll be documenting her 30 days over at the Nelson County Extension blog.  She's a Family and Consumer Sciences agent for the University of Kentucky and she'll be looking at the project from a thrifty side....save money by not buying new clothes every time you get tired of what you have.  Mix it up with other things and keep more dough in your pocket. 

It's going to be a long, but exciting 30 days.  Wanna come along for the ride?  We're more than happy to have a few fashion pioneers along with us!