Mission: I can do everything

I'm challenging myself for the next 30 days (and beyond) to get more out of each day.  First, part of this mission is about sticking to the mantra: more with less, this blog will be more like a to do/checklist with more substance and less sentence structure.  Plus, I love lists!!!  Since I have no, well maybe a very few readers, it will be very candid.  I need to get what I want into the universe so it can become reality. Think of it as a not so private diary.  So, here goes:

1. I want weigh less.  I am not so unhappy with my body, but now that I'm done breastfeeding, the pounds don't stay off as easy.  I want the scale to say "170" whatever that means I look like. It's just a better number than 178,9,80. This means commit to exercise and ease up sweets by cutting back to every other day (this is a challenge all by itself. Focus!)

2. I want to be able to find stuff in my house.  That means put stuff away immediately and keep out of toddler reach.  In the midst of hiring a prof organizer to give me some tips, but there are things I can do without a prof opinion. Do them now!

3. I need a daily theme song.  Making this work will require I feel like the queen of the universe.  Today it's Christmas music, specifically Sleigh Ride.  So what it's mid August?

4. In an effort to make use of the upcoming holiday weekend, I am going to find a paint project we can do as a family.  I need a reason to use my michael's coupons :-D

5. I am going to make lists daily for what needs to get done the next day.  Maybe some of the tasks carry over to the next day, sometimes they won't, but again, get them out of my head and into the universe.

6. I'm going to spend an hour at least three days a week to focus on my future career goals. Yesterday I decided to look into becoming an editor at some point (don't hold this blog against me).  I don't know what exactly that entails, or how to become truly qualified, but I know I love to read and revise stuff. 

Ok, that's a lot already. September 9, here I come.

Guiltless Chocolate - Wha?

So I'm one of those people who struggles with how much I lu-u-uve food but want to be thin enough to not totally offend people in a bikini.  I like to eat healthy, but I'm down to eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's on occasion. It's been a little over a year since I had my first child, and luckily I've lost the 65 pregnancy pounds I gained before little man's first birthday, I'm sure in part due to breastfeeding. As most of us know, harder than losing weight is keeping it off.  So after a long, relaxing vacation, where I ate whatever and gained 5 lbs in a week, I've recommitted to eating healthier for a while, during the work week at least. And I've found even when you eat more food, if it's healthy food, I can still maintain my weight pretty well.

Let me tell you about my current healthy food obsessions:

Chicken caesar wrap. Ingredients: 6 inch whole wheat low carb tortilla, weight watchers brand shredded cheddar cheese, craisins, tomatoes, spinach, low fat caesar dressing.  Realizing that healthy can go out the window if there's too much of some of these ingredients, but keeping it small, it is a delicious lunch. Everything is fresh, natural, easy to transport from home to work and easy to assemble at my desk. Yum!

Unsweetened Almond Milk with Chia Seeds.  I got this recipe from the Dr. Oz Show. It is delicious and a great quick drink for when I am running out the door in the morning.  Sweetened with a packet of stevia and a little vanilla extract, it's like a breakfast milkshake with more Omega 3 and other good stuff than you could ask for.

Dark chocolate with cayenne and hot peppers. Another idea supplied by the Dr. Oz Show. I have a major sweet tooth and often crave chocolate. This satisfies the craving, and because it leaves a savory, spicy tingle on your tongue, that cuts that feeling that you have to have more. A perfect little sweet treat that I don't have to feel guilty about. Guiltless chocolate - I've died and gone to heaven!