{Memory Keeping: January}

Are you also a collector of memories?  Sharing today my pages for January 2017, made using the Project Life App.  Love Project Life or do you scrapbook another way? 

Journaling cards from the Project 52 2016 Edition.

  

Journaling cards from the Project 52 2016 and Everyday Editions.

Journaling cards from the September Skies and Just Add Color Editions.

Journaling cards from the Project 52 2016 Edition.

 

Journaling cards from the Project 52 2016 and Good Vibes Editions.

{Goals: One month, One week}

Time for another goal check in, and asking myself how I'm doing.

• to listen to my body, intentionally.  

Mostly, I feel like I'm succeeding well in this area.  I've had a few moments of weakness, like when I couldn't stop myself from eating that extra slice of pizza, but overall, my evening munchie times have decreased a lot.  Until I got sick this week, and then for the last 3 days, all bets have been off.  It's funny how when you're sick and it's when you really should be eating well, that that's the moment when all you want is comfort food.

I'm really challenging myself to make time to make dinners from whole ingredients, rather than using a lot of processed mixes, pastas, and sauces. I've lost a couple of pounds since the first of the year, but weight loss isn't really my overall goal here, it's being healthy and being fit.  I'm also listening to days when my body needs time off of working out and when it's wanting to work out.  Most days, I have at least 15 minutes for a good sweat session, which releases toxins but also releases negative emotion. I just finished a 30 day fitness challenge, have started teaching Oula again, and am really looking forward to springtime when I can begin running more consistently again.  I began training for a half marathon in April, and then have had to take a few days off due to snow (literally everywhere!!!) and sickness, but I'm looking forward to getting back in this week.  I am certainly enjoying feeling stronger, and am excited to start my next challenge to push myself toward being more healthy and fit!

Hubs and I after a quick run this Fall.

• to intentionally give myself structured down time.  

Meh.  Some days this is going great, and other days it all goes out the window.  When I come home from a particularly stressful day at work, I don't want structure.  I literally spent all day Saturday and again on Monday (sick day) sitting on my couch curled up with books.  Sometimes it's just what you need.  On particularly stressful work days, I just want to bury myself in a book and escape to a far off land when I get home.  And some days structure works for my schedule, and other days it doesn't.  While I've been trying to stay away from social media at all hours of the day, I still find myself on my phone frequently when I'm a passenger in the car, though, so that's my next area of challenge to myself...  Putting the phone down and interacting with whoever I'm with.  I know myself, and this will be a tough one.

• to challenge myself to share more of "me" with those around me. 

This one has definitely been challenging.  The hubs and I have made some intentional decisions about how we are spending our time lately, and this includes inviting more people over more frequently.  January has definitely felt very busy, but it has also been very enjoyable.  I've also been helping him lead a class at our church, and have felt more confident in stepping out and giving my input, sharing from my own experiences.  I have some other ideas that I've been really trying to get my mind around how best to share, and I feel like some of that is starting to gel, which excites me.

We have also been through some difficult emotional times the last couple of months when we had some misunderstandings with friends.  This experience has stretched and grown me in ways that were very uncomfortable at times, yet also very good.  Some days, though, I have felt like the answer is to shrink back and not be vulnerable to others.  It is a difficult thing to hold your heart and feelings out for others to trample on...especially when they take advantage of that opportunity! It's definitely a process of pushing and pulling, of taking steps forward and backward, to try to figure out this thing called life!

And while we've been more intentional about being with people as a couple, I can definitely reflect that I haven't been the best at reaching out to my friends personally over the last couple of weeks.  I've definitely been in more introvert mode, and maybe that's myself trying to balance for the busyness in other areas of life.  So that's a goal for the next little phase of this experiment.  To reach out to others, and let them know what's going on with me.



How are you doing on your New Year's Goals?  Have you all but given up?  Or still going strong?  What steps will you take this week to get back on track or continue to push forward?  We are all in this together!!

xo,
Becca

{Meal Planning: Back to it!}

Yep, I'm back to my meal planning ways!

I didn't really take January off, but as a part of the 30 day fitness challenge I did, I had my meals planned out for me, so I didn't really have much I could post about with meal planning.

But now, I'm back to my old ways, and I'm trying to really incorporate more whole foods into my plans.  But lemme tell ya, it's a hard, hard thing to change old eating habits.  Especially in winter when all those yummy colorful veggies are in shorter supply than during the summer.  And when it's cold outside, creamy comfortable soup and bread sounds so much more appealing than a cold, heartless salad!

So here's my February plan!!

Week 1:

February 1:  Chicken Enchiladas
February 2: Leftovers
February 3: Out~Red Robin, I had a yummy salad.  :)
February 4: Snacks... not super healthy choices, I'm afraid.
February 5: Souper Bowl Sunday!: Potato Soup and then appetizers at the game.
February 6: Spaghetti
February 7: Tacos

Week 2:

February 8:  Grilled Chicken w/veggies
February 9: Yellow Soup
February 10:  Pork Stir Fry
February 11: Leftovers
February 12:  Cheesy Chicken Rollups (with Corn tortillas instead of flour)
February 13: Tilapia and veggies
February 14:  BBQ Chicken, fresh grilled veggies and baked potatoes

Week 3:

February 15: Lettuce Wraps
February 16: Beef Stew
February 17: Chicken Piccata
February 18: Leftovers
February 19: Nachos
February 20: Turkey burgers
February 21: ???  Meetings this night, so I'm not sure yet.

Week 4:

February 22:  Grilled chicken & veggies
February 23: Crockpot chicken soup
February 24: Gyros
February 25: Homemade Pizza with Black Olives (per special request for my son's birthday dinner)
February 26: Leftovers
February 27: Shepherd's Pie
February 28: Beef in Stout

Yum, yum.  I'm hungry now.  Lot's of comfort food, but also lots of opportunities to alter some of these recipes and make them with as many whole foods as possible, instead of mixes and processed food.  There are some sauces, or things with bread crumbs, etc, but the main ingredients for many of these are not from a mix or a box.  Little changes at a time equals success in my book!

Happy planning!

xo,
Becca