Once the buzz of the new year wears off, it's really difficult to keep up motivation to be active and enthusiastic when the days are short and dark, the weather is cold and gloomy, and most of the large projects that I started last year are finished, but new projects seem like insurmountable obstacles. It's mid-winter in Michigan, and it ain't pretty.
To summarize my life for the past few weeks:
We had a mouse in our house, which is fine... I am not a scream and gather-your-skirts kinda gal... but it makes me worried. Is our house secretly filthy? Or is it just old and a bit creaky, with plenty of room to get in for an enterprising rodent or two? Either way, Mr. Mouse was beat up pretty bad by Cat and Dog, and we haven't seen him since... hopefully he learned his lesson.
Alternately watching Supernatural and playing Zelda leads to some weird, not particularly restful dreams.
A vampire bat.
Dog is much better to have around the house when he gets his morning walk, or "reads the doggy news." We are working on "heel" right now... it's a process, but for once I am grateful that I have such a food-motivated beast.
Playing Guitar Hero with my parents is surprisingly fun.
Huggems Day Festivities
I am becoming more wonderful thanks to Pinterest and free printables. Also, I need more ink. But most of my food in my cupboards is repackaged and has cute labels on it! Also, I have a fabulous new yarn wreath and am having a contest with myself to see how many friendship bracelets I can make in the mornings by the end of the year. So far I have two, but it's a pretty recent contest. Also, I am growing scallions in my windowsill thanks to a pinned tip, and I feel like a pioneer, even though I am just putting grocery-bought scallion ends in some water and aqua beads in the windowsill of my modern, heated home.
I think this week I would like to get organized for spring cleaning. I am looking forward to spring, being outside, and hopefully getting the garden in over spring break. I am sick of being cooped up, and REALLY want to open the windows. Except it's 30 degrees outside.
All the babies and children in my life make me happy. Also, I accidentally convinced my 5-year-old nephew that he witnessed a stabbing when I took him to see a play a few weeks ago, and he definitely told everyone he knows about it. I still haven't met miss Josie, and she is getting so old now! But I had a lot of fun visiting with friends Hali and Aaron and their adorable daughter Soffi a few nights ago, and hopefully we can keep our Sunday dinners a semi-regular occurring.
Husband and Nephew
I am going to be the kind of person who always brings a little gift, who has kind words to say, who is silent when need be, who sees the good in everything, who throws amazing get-togethers, who wants to do fun things. It's going to happen. Because Spring is coming!
The first day that it was still light out when I got out of work!
A survivalist friend of mine spent a couple of months in the Upper Peninsula woods living in a tent. When he came back to civilization I was naturally curious as to how all of that time was spent - no phone, no internet, no TV... He told me that he spent most of his time revolving around the obtaining, preparation, and eating of food. Hunting, making baskets and pots, cooking... it takes up a lot of time, and I am sure that is how our ancestors lived every day of their lives. Now I am not someone who villifies our modern conveniences (which would be silly since I am writing this on a blog right now), but I do think that even in this day and age, what and how we choose to eat says a lot about us. For the past couple of years, food has stayed on my mind in one way or the other. I do all of the shopping and cooking for our family, and so what goes into our mouths is completely in my domain. I dabbled in vegetarianism a few years ago (as so many of my generation did). I have researched into organic foods and thought about becoming a locavore (not easy in a place with 4 months of snow). I started using my local farmer's market and growing some herbs and veggies on my city lot.
I won't profess to be an expert. There's a lot of stuff out there about food, and there are little grains of truth in everything. I like what the bible has to say about food: "It is not what goes in to a man's mouth, but what comes out of his mouth that makes him holy." This tells us to not be too caught up in what we eat, because it is all temporary and meant to fuel more important things. But God did give us taste buds and a sense of taste, so it must be a good thing to get pleasure out of eating. I like the French philosophies about eating - French cooking is known to be rich and decadent, but they eat small portions and savor each bite. I love how Spanish culture thinks of food as a social event, something to be shared with family and friends. I admire Asian culture, and the way that Buddhism affects thought about food - careful and moderate eating of quality foods. I agree with vegans and vegetarians about the abhorrent conditions of the American Agro-Industrail complex. Perhaps the people I fall in line with most when thinking about food are the new wave farmers - animals have the right to live good full lives, produce should be fresh and local, people should know where thier food comes from. Eating is by nature killing, but it doesn't have to be torture.
Ideally, Husband and I would have our own small-scale farm. I have dreams and plans for that, but it's a long way away, and I jut have to live vicariously through Jenna and Cold Antler Farm, among others. For now, here are the various ways I have combined all of these beliefs and more into what seems to be working for us. You could call it the Modern-American-Socially-Conscious-Busy-Lifestyle-on-a-Budget Diet.
First off, if you go out to eat more than once a week, stop. Even McDonalds is a lot more expensive than the most expensive burgers at the store (I love Morningstar Farm's Spicy Black Bean Burgers - about $3 for four of them, and that's pretty pricey.) Because we have a relatively comfortable budget, we treat ourselves to a date night or lunch out once a week. We eat at restaurants that are not chains unless friends suggest them. This is a great way to get to know your community better and keep your money in the area, too! Find out if restaurants source local foods... many do, and maybe more will if they get enough people asking. I try to look at eating out as a treat done with others - I get what I want to eat, within reason. When you do go out, get water instead of soda. OR go out specifically for soda (I like diet soda and refuse to give it up.) I try to never keep it in the house, though, so I have to go for a walk or bike ride to get it.
Plan ahead dinner-wise - especially when you're starting to eat more perishable goods like fruits and veggies, don't pick them up on a whim or get overexcited. I did that all last year, and our compost bin bulged with all of the excess fruits and veggies that were not eaten by good intentions. See if there is a place that lets you buy things individually instead of packaged - Kroger allows you to bag your own spinach, so I can get a couple of cups of it instead of the huge bag for $4 that most stores carry. Shop local and farmer's markets when you can - but I know that some of the big-city markets can be REALLY expensive because they are so trendy. Maybe try some Asian or Latino markets? Again, learn your community... shopping at locally owned stores is good for everyone involved...
Find a balance that works for your particular eating habits. For me, I have found a pretty good balance with eating a small healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, reasonable snacks (tortilla chips and yogurt, hummus and pita - I am a snacker, so just cutting out chips and cheeses for snacks is making a big difference.), and a normal dinner that uses maybe more veggies then I am used to. I have a couple of family recipes that I have started throwing frozen broccoli into (LOVE it, lasts so much longer than fresh. I always use frozen veggies as stand by sides and only buy fresh when I know exactly what I am going to do with them, and they last for a couple of months and are CHEAP.) I have some really good recipes that are tasty and relatively healthy.
Find recipes you love. If you can find something you love, you can sneak it in to the husband without him even noticing, and then you don't have to worry about having a big "we need to get healthy" conversation.
Go meatless. We have started to go meatless for 2 meals a week, partly for social and ecological reasons, but also because it's a LOT cheaper. We eat seafood another meal of the week, chicken for two meals, and beef or pork for one meal (eating out the other). I love Quorn products (We now regularly use the "ground beef" in tacos... can't tell the difference in flavor and the texture is more pleasant than beef!) Beans are so tasty and good for you, and I am loving the veggie stir fries and pastas that are out there.
Wait for sales. Buy enough meat for 1 or 2 months, then spend the day packaging and marinating it. It makes the evening meal so much easier because you only have to pull it out, and it marinates while it thaws.
Be frugal. Eat when you are hungry. Stop before you are full. We are lucky to live in a country where there will ALWAYS be more food. When you get the urge to munch during the day, drink some water. When you get the urge to munch at night, brush your teeth. Learn your body, learn your eating habits.
That's all I know so far. But it seems to be working for me. Now to get on that exercise train... :)
Yes, just a normal 2 PM at the McFarland Household.
Okay, so work has actually taken over life again, but with the first month of 2012 down, I can say that some things have seen real progress! I have lost 6 pounds and am feeling a little bit healthier and more balanced. I have found a way to make Pinterest a daily part of my life, and am finding it helpful in many ways: Collecting lovely and beautiful things from all over the internet, getting inspired with DIY projects, and lesson planning for Eureka Club.
Nate moved out at the beginning of this month, and we are getting used to having the house to ourselves again. He was a good housemate, but it was the right time to make this change, and it seems like he is doing well at his new house too! The cleaning is much easier to get done.
I made the best pulled pork panini EVER a few days ago, and have tried out several great new recipes. I made Steelhead for the first time (a tasty and slightly cheaper alternative to Salmon). I have had a few (read: quite a few) backslides when it comes to eating healthier... I am a stress eater, and I am usually stressed when I am working. BUT the most important things is to dust yourself off and start back up again the next day, and as long as I keep chipping away at it, it will get down to where it needs to be.
This winter has been CRAZY warm. I won't say I haven't been enjoying the sunny 45 degree weather in January, but is is freaking me out a little bit. Also, I was expecting more snow days since I work for a school district... we've only had one so far this year!
The basement is all organized and mostly painted. I don't know if I have any before pictures, but I am quite happy with the results so far - it's bright and cheerful, and will be a great play space for children when we have some. For now it's a functional craft and exercise space, AND a good place for me to watch Smallville free of embarrassment! :)
I read Bossypants while I was being held captive at Barnes and Noble for three and a half hours, and found it to be decent. Much like the infamous Sarah Palin sketches or the wonderful 30 Rock, I find anything Tina Fey touches to be infinitely overrated, but at the same time still quite funny. Is Fey the first actor to become famous for doing an impersonation of a political figure? Hardly. Was there anything particularly groundbreaking or unique about her portrayal of Palin? Not really. Was is funny? Yeah, definitely. 30 Rock is much like a modern Mary Tyler Moore that suffered a bit from a bumpy first season and occasional bouts of preachiness, but overall it's hilarious and the writing is original. Does it deserve every single award ever? Probably not. Is Bossypants, "Achingly Funny," "Inciting beverages to come out of nasal passages," or "The greatest thing you will ever read?" Not by a long shot. In fact, Mindy Kaling's book was similar in tone but much more lovable and accessible in my opinion. But overall it was a decently funny book that I don't regret having read.
This week I am looking forward to getting back on track with my meal planning. I am stoked to meet miss Josanna Mullen, who was born last Saturday. I plan to become more organized with work, and to keep chipping away at lesson planning and classroom prep. I also want to make this wreath for my front door:
.JPG)
