Getting Your House in Order

Okay, so we technically don't have our own house, but we will be moving in a few months (we're not sure where yet). And, we won't be able to afford a house for several years anyway. But, thankfully, you don't have to have a real house to get things in order. I guess this post is my new years resolutions of sorts, not that I usually make an actual list and check it off every day, but I do have some goals, not really just for this year, but for the rest of our lives. I feel like writing about them here.

The first and foremost thing on my mind is our diet and health. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years just about did me in this year with all of the food. I'm not complaining, the food was delicious and we had a great time, but I am ready to eat a bit more simply. My mother-in-law, who is way more generous to me than I deserve, gave me the Green Smoothie Girl 12 Steps to Whole Foods program. The idea is that each chapter is a new step to try so that by the end of a year you are eating 60-80% raw food. The rest of your food is whole grain, good for you food, not just fast-food, white flour and sugar. Not that you can never have those things, but you know what I mean. I feel weird talking about that, because it seems strange to say I will have a raw food diet because I don't perceive myself as a real health nut. I still like burgers and fries and pop and sweets. But, I've learned more about what a diet of those foods will do to you, and I would like those things to be in the “Very Rarely Eat” category of my diet. (And I'm not saying diet as in The Atkins Diet or Weight Watchers, but rather what we eat every day.)
So, after that long ramble, I have read the first few chapters of the 12 steps. The first chapter is about incorporating green smoothies into your daily diet. I pretty much already do that. I have gotten lazy lately and missed a few days here and there because I would rather sleep in 10 minutes than wake up and make one. But, I am recommitting myself. I found that if I mix up the stuff the night before and put it in the fridge it makes it a lot easier. Then in the morning I dump it back in the blender, add some ice and frozen fruit and it tastes just as fresh. So here I am, sipping my green smoothie at my desk and writing this. Caroline likes green smoothies. She always moves a ton after I drink one. So, I've got the first chapter pretty much down.

The second chapter and third chapter I am combining. Chapter 2 is about having a big salad as part of your dinner every night. Chapter 3 is about making your own salad dressings. I have been dabbling in making my own dressings lately anyway, so I decided to do both together. The manual has all kinds of recipes. Basically, before you eat what you are having for dinner, you eat a big plate of salad. I really like this idea. You get a lot of digestive live enzymes from the salad, which will help you digest your cooked portion of your meal. Yesterday I went to the store and got a lot of veggies. It was the healthiest shopping cart I've ever had. I'm excited to make this a habit, especially before our kids are here, so they grow up with it. I know I could end up with really picky kids, and you never know, but my plan is they have to eat the salad before they eat the rest of dinner, and if they don't want to, they can go to bed hungry. But, I'm hoping that if I do this from a really young age they will want the salad and green smoothies on their own.

Also, my mother-in-law gave me a great book about keeping your house clean and I've been reading it lately. I really like it. It has good ideas about having routines and things like that. For instance, you should have a morning and evening routine. They don't have to be very long, 15 minutes tops, but if you do them every day it will help you have a handle on things. Also she talks about Hot Spots in your house. These are the areas that always get overwhelmed with stuff, the kitchen counter, that one drawer, your night stand for instance. Cleaning those up in your routine every night will keep it under control. I really am looking forward to having our own place again, where I can try some of these things out and really start out as organized as I can be with kids.

Sorry about the long ramble. I have had these things on my mind lately. In other news Eli went to Portland Monday and Tuesday for an interview at Oregon Health Sciences University. He like it and thought it went well. Poor guy, his flight was delayed and he didn't land until almost 2 a.m, so he didn't get home until 3:15 and had to get up and be at work at 7:30 this morning. I think he'll be going to bed early tonight. But I am so glad that he's home. I'm also so glad that we bribed his little brother with Costa Vida to pick him up so I could sleep. That was Eli's idea and I am so glad we did that. I can't get by with 3 hours of sleep like Eli can, not anymore.
I also got a haircut yesterday and I love it. I'll put up pictures later.
Love,
Cherie