August Challenge

Some of you may know that I am pretty much obsessed with pop. (Yes, I call it pop- I'm from the North!) It is something that soothes my stomach when I'm not feeling well, brings me joy on junky days, and it's something so nostalgic to me that I want to drink it alllll the time. Well, in 2012 Jon challenged me to give it up for a whole year, and I made it! Talk about the most challenging thing ever because I also got pregnant in 2012 and definitely had the junky feeling from time to time, but I never caved. It was in that time that I learned I didn't have to have pop to feel better, I simply just wanted it!

Well fast forward to 2013 and still pregnant, I decided to have pop again. I didn't like it as much as before, but I still enjoyed it.  I quickly learned that I have basically no self control when it comes to an ice cold crisp coke, so I fell back into my habits of consuming it far more that I should.

I guess I didn't really care if I was gaining weight from it because I was pregnant and gaining weight anyway. Probably not the best mindset. Then, our sweet boy came in April and I was ready to start loosing weight. Thanks to nursing 25 pounds or so came off quickly and without effort. However, I still have weight to go! I began working out again little by little, but not really changing much of my diet.

Now three and a half months later, I am determined to truly focus on my diet again. I know that it will not only benefit me but also my family. SO Lindsey and I have decided that August would be a "clean" eating month. NO processed sugar! From there, it's pretty open. We're going to try to cut dairy and limit the amount of grains we consume. More than anything, we desire a lifestyle of healthy eating so this is our way of jump starting it!

We would love to invite you to do the challenge with us. Some friends have already talked about doing it with us... or coming up with a plan that fits you. One of my friends is doing 4 clean meals a week and working out 2x. If she does more great, but the goal is one that is attainable. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

In honor of my last day of sugar for the next 31... Jon and I had Wendys for dinner and a chocolate ice cream reese's peanut butter cup blizzard! Let us know if you want to join in, the more the better!

Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake is one of my husband's favorite desserts! So back in May for our one year anniversary, I attempted to make a healthy version of this and I found the recipe here. It did take me a while but it was well worth it! I think the pan lasted us the entire week and I was eating it for breakfast and dessert. I reckon it may have been better 1-2 days after I even baked it! Quinn's initial reaction was, "It tastes like a bland muffin," (didn't take that as a complement!) But then he assured me he liked it after a few bites and gobbled up a huge piece with a scoop of ice cream AND went back for seconds.

                                      If you have a special event or free afternoon, try it out!

Learning

I feel like if I could chose one word for my new season it would be "learning." I have officially been a mom for 81 days, and it's difficult to remember my world before that sweet day in April.

I'm learning how to be a mom to a newborn, how to function on 5 hours or less of straight sleep coupled with daily naps, pursue a new career of a stay-at-home mom/wife, be content with not meeting expectations, and trying to figure out how to get back into my pre-pregnancy jeans.

The Lord has been gracious to us for sure. Justus is such a content baby who just goes with it. I am thankful for him. I'm still trying to learn how to put him on a schedule trusting that it will serve our family best if he's somewhat predicable :) He's learning to be more engaging which is awesome! He smiles and coos a lot, and it makes me fall even more in love with him than I already am. I'm learning to be grateful to not see the clock until the 3's- who would have thought 3:30 am could feel late!

I'm trying to learn that it's ok if I don't meet my expectations... if you know me well you know that I hate "wasted" time... in fact in college if we were going to have a movie night it wasn't unusual for me to at least try to do some homework while watching. It got so bad that my best friend Misha would tell me you pick the movie because then maybe you will actually watch it without doing anything else! I try to fit 24 hours worth of stuff into 18. Maybe at different points in my life I could kinda pull that off, but now definitely not. Who would have thought, not me! I thought newborns nap 18 hours a day so therefore I will get everything done on my list... (feel free to laugh if you have a kid, because you know the truth)- it can't all get done. At least not right now... I'm lucky to shower and wash dishes. In the beginning I felt bad for not getting more done, but I'm realizing it's ok. My priority is to take care of Justus- make sure he is fed, getting rest, and getting lots of attention when he's awake. I also need to love on my husband and serve him, and finally spend time with the Lord. Those three things are my focus, and everything else is icing on the cake! However, saying this doesn't make it any easier. I still struggle with the fact that my "to do list" is growing and not shrinking. My hope is to learn to be in the moment and grasp the things that really matter... somehow I'm not convinced that a clean sink is the top thing!

Until next time, here's what is capturing the majority of my attention.