All About Eve Archives - Everyday Eve

22 Days to go…

600px-MA_Route_22_svg Well, I somehow survived this semester- it was very intense. All the warnings I got about not taking Microbiology and Pharmacology together were right- that was a very NOT fun combination. In the end though I managed a A in micro and a B+ in Pharmacology. I am sad about the B+ because it took my perfect 4.0 GPA down to a not so perfect 3.98 GPA… but because it was a B+ I should be getting a letter in 22 days saying I am accepted into the nursing program- set to graduate in May of 2015. Two more long years and I will finally be done!

I can’t imagine what I will do if I get that letter and it says that I didn’t get in… that would be devastating- but I am 99.9% sure I am getting in so I am ‘trying’ not to stress… trying!

This semester I am only taking a English course towards my AA while I wait to begin the nursing program in August. It is going to be a long road but hopefully soooo worth it in the end! I can’t believe it has already been almost two years, a year of that would have been cut off had I paid attention in high school math and not had to take three semesters of ‘beginner style’ math classes!

Any tips from other moms or wives on making family life more fun while being super busy with school and homework? I know once August comes I will be strapped for time!

Lack of Balance

Stressing I feel like lately I am really struggling. I can’t seem to get any of my ‘boxes’ under control, the house is a mess, school is really hard this semester, I feel like I am not spending enough time with my 4 year old, my health is falling apart because I can’t get enough sleep or eat right lately, and I am simply unbalanced all around.

It isn’t that any of my daily tasks are all that difficult- there are just sooo many of them I need to do and so little time and energy to go around. Then the cycle starts, don’t get everything done, more for tomorrow- I am constantly adding more and more to my list because I couldn’t finish everything. Until eventually we run out of laundry, an assignment comes due, someone gets sick, etc that makes it where I HAVE to do whatever it was that I was putting off.

If I could just get my house clean and organized, but it has gotten so ‘messy’ that I have not been able to make progress, as soon as I get one room nice and clean it seems to explode in the other room- as I am cleaning that room- the room I had just cleaned seems to get used more. I am sure it would help if I didn’t have a 4 year old and a husband that do not seem to care where ANYTHING goes- ever… lol I am out of luck there! I have thought about hiring someone to come in and help me get it done- but I am not rich for one, and for two- I kinda don’t want anyone to see the ‘forgotten corners’ you know, the parts of the house everything goes when I am cleaning the parts everyone sees? lol

I really need to get everything balanced, make a schedule, stick to it, make a doctor appointment about my insomnia and headaches so I actually have the energy needed to get stuff done once and for all. Sadly, I KNOW how to fix it, I just can’t seem to get it done. Maybe writing this post will help to motivate me- it is out there- everyone can see how unorganized I am- now I have to fix it!

Day 8, 9 pounds down!

screenshot_win8_recipelist My new ‘diet’ has been going well- I did cheat a bit this weekend, but I have read that that is ok as long as you get back on the wagon ASAP! I have been loving finding new dinners to cook and logging all of my calories in loseit.com. I am also LOVING pepperplate, it is a free meal planning, recipe sharing, awesome site. It is much like all of the other meal planning sites, but my favorite feature is how many food websites it ‘works’ with, meaning I can go to another site, find a recipe I want to try and click the ‘add to pepperplate’ bookmarklet and it gets added in perfectly, pictures, ingredients, everything. I can also add it to my weekly planner, the shopping list, etc. All for free!

I wish I had thought to take a picture of last nights dinner experiment, it was bold! We didn’t feel like going shopping so we decided to try to throw something together with what we had left in the fridge… Here is how it went;

4 chicken breasts

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 red bell pepper

3 stalks shallots

1/3 onion

1 can diced tomatoes

lots of seasoning- onion, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, etc.

about 1/2 pound of fresh Cauliflower

some shredded mozzarella cheese

5 small red potatoes (all we had left!)

In a big casserole dish we diced all the veggies, except the Cauliflower we just chopped into bite sized pieces. Drizzled on some olive oil, just a little though. Then added the chicken breasts on top, seasoned everything, and finally poured the whole can of diced tomatoes on top. We covered it in tin foil and put in in a 375 degree oven for about 60 minutes, at the end we removed the tin foil and sprinkled on the cheese and put it in under broil for a few minutes just to melt the cheese.

It was really really good! The bell peppers and chicken went together much better than I thought they would! We will be making it again with a few changes- definitely more veggies- more potatoes, maybe some carrots and squash even- and my hubby thinks maybe some rice on the bottom next time but I tend to get sick when I eat rice so I don’t love that idea…. even the baby loved it, and she is super picky!

I really want to start a garden this year to save money on veggies, but I have NO green thumb so I don’t know about that! I am planning on getting one of those small food chopper upper things- so I can buy a bunch of bell peppers when they are on sale, chop them up and freeze them for later use- I think that will help a lot with quick cooking too!

Serving Sizes, Lack of Support, and Being Irritable….

0523-portions-fries_aw Day 5, I am hungry. But I know I am not hungry, I am just so used to eating insane portion sizes that my stomach feels empty even though it isn’t. I am used to a bowl of cereal that I pour to nearly the top, topped with milk and sometimes even some sugar; now I am carefully measuring out one serving size with my handy new set of measuring spoons. What a reality check!

Surprisingly, one serving of Cheerios DID make me feel satisfied, sadly though, so would have the four servings I used to eat- that goes to show that I was overeating so bad before. It is going to take some massive will power but I am loving this so far.

Unfortunately, my husband is not so on board, sure, he is ‘logging’ his calories, but I don’t think he is being accurate, and if he gets the tiniest little hunger pain he has to eat- making excuses like his body needs meat, or his body needs that… honey, sorry to say, but your body would survive on it’s own for a month if you stopped eating today. He has at least 200 pounds to loose if not more… the will power does not exist in him at all right now.

That lack of will power on his part means he seems to want me to stop dieting too, so I will stop ‘helping’ him and just let him continue eating whatever he wants without doing a lick of activity… so if I slip up and say “a buffalo chicken burger sounds great but I am not wasting that many calories” he is quick to jump in and say things like ‘you can’t starve your body’, or ‘you need certain things to survive’.. and so on… no, I am not starving, I am eating my allowed calories, I am just choosing to make those calories be something besides one horrible fattening meal. I am actually eating more than when I started, and the things I am eating are much healthier. Sometimes I would like to fantasize about filling my stomach with something not good for me, but heaven forbid I say it out loud…

Regardless, even though I am a bit irritable today; possibly the lack of sugar, lack of support, or both… I am still loosing weight and I am doing it for myself, not for my husband so he can suck it! lol (just kidding… kinda!)

Day 4, Three Pounds Gone

healthy-diets-761081 I have not yet added in any exercises to my ‘new me’ plan, because I have been pretty sick for the last week- but hopefully soon I will be able to get moving. Even without working out though, I have lost three pounds so far- just by logging what I eat (every bite), drinking a ton of water, and making what I do eat count for something- i.e. if I am going to consume 500 calories, it better have some veggies or other good for you stuff- not just a thing of fries… mmmmmm, fries… NO!

There are a few free sites that I have been using to better get a handle on everything- the main one is Loseit.com, a calorie and activity tracking site with free apps for your phone or in my case, the Kindle Fire HD. I log everything I put in my mouth, any activity, my weight, etc. It helps a lot when I am thinking about what to eat, I can log in and see how many calories I have left for the day.

Another is SkinnyTaste.com, lots of yummy recipies and food to check out, I even found a healthy alternative to buffalo chicken that I will be trying this week, Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. I will be sure to post when I try them and let you know how that went!

I am noticing I am hungry today, but I think it is more in my head than anything else… trying to be strong and not cheat! I am really positive that I can pull this off and get to a place where I am happy with my body.