Back 2 Basics page 5

[B2B]

Thanks, PBNewby! I can sometimes get cought up in the numbers, but always have to remember my ultimate goal...being healthy. Soup for lunch for me!!

[B2B]

Ahhhhhh, the weather here is crazy! Snow/sleet/rain overnight is just too much for the buses on the back dirt roads. And to think my weather app is predicting 53 degrees tomorrow. It is still January, right?

As I woke up this morning @ 5:30, I did a grand stretch and immediately after that it was as if all of my cells were "awake and alive" too. I felt the energy coursing through me and still do. I have read people discussing this buzz feeling and I think I get what they are talking about...it's kind of cool.

So for my snow day today it is relaxing a bit this morning, some chores that I have put aside, a couple of errands later this afternoon and then venison steak fajitas for dinner tonight. I started marinating the venison last night. It should be yummy!

[B2B]

I ended the months of January officially down 9.5 pounds and 5.5 inches less of me. Yeah, me! I think I am hooked on EMF WOE, I am seeing results and feel great, just my n=1. On average, my macros have been 72/20/8 - fat/protein/carbs. I have discovered that I really have to watch the protein amounts as it is way to easy for me to go hog-wild on it. I think this has been my sticking point for the last year where I was bouncing around with my weight, but never truly losing. I have been pretty religious about weighing and measuring my food amounts, this is a huge help and nit the hinderance I always thought it would be.

So for February, I am wanting to really try and add in the exercise. I know I have said this often, but toning up is in order, and something I really need to do. For me, it is all about scheduling, so to my calendar I go to do just that. Just another thing I can check of my list...love doing that! Walking is where I need to start, again. Minimum of 3 days per week and then assessments will be made from there.

Track on.....

[B2B]

Cooked up a storm yesterday morning as I was feeling super productive after hitting the grocery store at 8 am on a Saturday. 2 soups - my go to cheesy-bacon-chicken-broccoli-cauliflower soup and a huge pot of chili for hubby and friends for the super bowl; mixed up dry seasonings for tacos and ranch dressing, then made some ranch dressing, so yummy with ingredients I could pronounce; a batch of deviled eggs for snacking; chicken cordon Bleu casserole for dinner from peace, love and low carb blog which the kid devoured (truly amazing as he will not go near cauliflower, but what he dent know.....); and then cheesecake muffins for dessert. A total yum-fest yesterday. Today we have the soup for leftovers, some pulled pork left from the other day and then I am making some snacks for the big game including a cheesy chicken buffalo dip.

All that time in the kitchen and I still managed to get the upstairs picked up and all of the laundry done! I cannot wait until summer, the number of loads substantially decreases....less clothing makes me smile. So for today, it will be another cup of coffee and then off the school to get some pre work done for next week, a bit more cleaning on the main living level and then the big game. I hope the commercials come through this year as I am not super fond of either team.

[B2B]

I cannot believe the amount of food/snacks that I managed to stuff in my yesterday! I felt like the bottomless pit. At one point I was eyeing the tortilla chips sitting in the pantry to scoop up more of the buffalo chicken dip I had made in the crock pot. Uuggggh! I did walk away from the chips, but not empty handed, mind you. Between the deviled eggs, cheesecake muffins, said dip, soups and casserole I don't think I will be able to eat today. OK, that is an over exaggeration, I will eat....just not breakfast right now. But on the up side, all of at glorious food was primal!

Today is another day and the super bowl only happens once a year (thank goodness). I have my walk planned for later this afternoon and all of my meals are planned out as well. Onward and upward.....

[B2B]

This has got to be one of my craziest/most stressful weeks out of the school year that I have and yet I am not feeling it. Weird. I should be running around like a chicken with my head cut off, but I have managed to walk around sipping coffee and managing events and surprises...calmly. I cant put my finger on why, so perhaps I shouldn't waste the time.

Last night DS had a home swim meet, his diving was a bit weak with the sinus/cough he found this weekend. He said the deeper into the pool he dove, the pressure on his sinuses was pretty great. The end result was that his dives were farther away from the board and not as vertical. We will see what Thursdays meet brings, another one at home for the boys.

Tonight will be another last one for me as I have really packed in the activities: after school tutoring for an hour, followed by a short break and then 8-12 little cub scout will be invading my class room as we work on one of their science badges, which is then followed by my digging out from under my stack of papers waiting patiently to be graded, and then making sure my i's are dotted and t's are crossed for the winter homecoming this weekend. After that I am hoping to make it home and get another good night sleep.

[B2B]

Snow day, uuggggh! Normally I would embrace the gift, but I have 32 students who worked really hard to plan this awesome winter homecoming only to be foiled by weather. Nothing we can do but go to plans B and C. Last year this would have stressed me out (and it did as we had a snow day on that Friday as well), but this year, we were better prepared/planned and I am definitely in a better place physical and emotionally. Can't do anything about Mother Nature, but to acknowlege, accept and roll with her.

So, another cup of coffee in my jammies, then shoveling the driveway followed by a trip up to school to meet with the administrators as to the altered plans we need to put into action and perhaps, a huge pot of soup will make it onto the stove. Ahhhhhhh.

[B2B]

So no huge pot of soup made it on the stove yesterday, perhaps Sunday I will be doing double duty on the soup front. I love having soup for lunch in the winter as does hubby. What did end up in the crock pot yesterday morning was my sauerkraut/pork steak/onion combo. Dinner was fabulous, reminds me of my mom and how she used to simmer the kraut all day long with country ribs and have potato dumplings on the side. No dumplings for me, but the memories are wonderful.

Today maps out to be completely event-filled for me with decorating, basketball games and chaperoning a HS dance. I plan on leaving the house @ 9:30 this morning and with the quick stop to change clothes, I will not make it home until after midnight. But I've got this, lunch and dinner already prepped and packed up...preplanning and leftovers will be one less stressor for me. Less stress makes a happy me!

[B2B]

12:20 am I walked into the house from what could have been (and has been in the past) one of my most exhausting and stressful days. I was simply tired of being on my feet....waking up @ 5 am makes for a long day! No stresses, just smooth sailing. Woke up this morning @ 7 am - I guess that would have been sleeping in for me!! Two cups of coffee, a load of laundry done and clam chowder in the crock pot....got tons of energy this morning, what to do, what to do.....

It will be interesting this afternoon as we head out to a dear friends surprise birthday event. I am confident there will be tons of non-primal foods around and this is not worrying me either. I guess I am on my path and finding success around every corner and don't feel the need to diverge. I am not really wanting to feel like I did between the Thanksgiving and the 1st of the year. I think that will be motivation enough!

[B2B]

The weather this winter is crazy...even for Michigan. Another day off of school, not because of snow, but the rains that came last night with the gusting winds made the back roads sheets of ice. I would not want to drive a bus full of kids on that. I know that I will be getting some flack from my non teaching friends as we are off again, but today I am kind of glad as I spent nearly 15 straight hours at school on Saturday with students during various activities.

So fo today, I will put on my cleaning lady attire and attack the house after another cup of coffee, or course. Then I will most likely head up to my classroom to clean up/organize/put away all of the dance decorations that were deposited there late Saturday night. Followed by a couple of late afternoon preschedule appointments and then home to start on dinner and mess up my soon to be cleaned kitchen...ahhhhhh, the cycle continues

Lunch for today will be some left over clam chowder I made yesterday in the crockpot and dinner is venison burgers/brats with a salad for me and some homemade fries for the boys. Looks like i have everything all planned out, so onward to that cup of coffee!