It's pretty standard when someone starts a new exercise program or eating plan they take a "before" shot and update every so often with new "after" photos. 

Heck, I've done it. Progress photos are one of the basics of being a Beachbody Coach. You want to show that the products and programs work...and the only way to do that is photographic progress. 

But, for me, there's a downside. 

I'm not shy about the fact that I used to have an eating disorder. I don't hide that I struggle with body issues. I made 2016 my year to accept myself. 

So that means no obsessing over each pound or inch. It means eating what I like and aiming for moderation instead of perfection. It means listening to my body instead of counting calories. But mostly, it means accepting that my nearly 30 year old post 2 pregnancies body isn't going to respond to diet and exercise like it did 10 years ago. 

And that's okay. 

Plus I really don't want to cut back on the chocolate...

I need to stop focusing on the changes in aesthetic and focus more on inner changes. 

I sound like a freaking Fortune Cookie. Ugh. 

I'm aiming to get stronger. I want to have more energy. I want to stop relying solely on my Prozac for mood. 

I want to have fun. 

So you won't see me following a strict diet and exercise protocol. You might see pictures of food but only if it's really yummy and I think you'd like it...healthy would be a bonus. I'm not buying a program or special equipment. My journey will be as inexpensive as possible. 

And if I look the same at the end of 2016? 

By then...I'm going to be okay with that. 

My body has done a lot for me. It's been through a lot. I've survived so much...

Exercise isn't going to be about changing anything. There's no need. My body is awesome. ​

I've learned a lot in my nearly 7 years of parenting. Mostly, that I know nothing and which chocolate pairs with which wine. 

One of my biggest, and latest, realizations is that it's okay to need time away from your kids. 

I've written before about my decision to stop homeschooling.

In the beginning, I couldn't understand how parents could send their kid to school. I read blogs about homeschooling and how "children are meant to be at home with their parents" like it was a religious experience. 

As my children got older, I wanted them away from me. I spend hours wondering what I was doing wrong. What was wrong with me that I didn't want to spend the whole day with my children? 

I finally figured it out! 

Nothing. 

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH NEEDING TIME AWAY FROM YOUR CHILDREN. 

Please read that as many times as you need. 

What is one of the main pieces of advice people are given when entering a relationship/marriage? "Keep your own interests. You don't need to spend 24/7 together." My husband and I love each other very much...but sometimes he hangs out with his friends or I see a movie by myself or he'll play video games while I sit upstairs and watch stupid TV shows. 

So why did I think it was different with my children? 

​Some parents can spend hours upon hours with their children. If that's you, there's nothing wrong with you either!!

It's the comparison game. It kills parenting joy. 

I'm counting down until my youngest heads to school too...and that's okay.

Sometimes parenting requires serious creativity. 

I became the house expert on unlocking bedroom doors with a paperclip. 

My best example of quick thinking came many years prior to that...

We used cloth diapers with both kids. (It's awesome, actually) That meant carrying a pretty full bag (because they take up more space than disposables) at all times. 

We'd decided to eat out in a moment of spontaneity and, of course, the baby needed a change. 

I took him to the car and opened the diaper bag to discover....

...it was empty. 

That's right. Zero diapers. I blinked dumbly at the bag and even did that "open and close in hopes I can suddenly do magic" thing. 

I frantically looked around the car. Maybe I'd dropped one at one point in time. Maybe the heavens would open up and place one in my open hands. 

Then I spotted it!

A thin blanket we used to cover baby toes in the carseat. 

Cloth is cloth, right? 

Confession: I've used a tshirt in a pinch. 

It's a small thing, but I commend my sleep deprived brain for being able to think quickly. 

I was given "Even Glow Serum - Antioxidant Skin Treatment - 20% Vitamin C by Valentia Skin Care" to try in exchange for an honest review. 

For those that might think I only post good reviews....You would be mistaken. 

I gave this 3/5 stars on Amazon because I didn't care for it. 

The good? It smells really nice...

The bad? Well...everything else. 

The first several times I used it my skin burned. This wasn't a "tingly, something is happening" burn. No...this was "I just put acid on my face." I tried different washes and even just wiped with a wet cloth. 

Last night I used it again and it made my skin really dry and tight feeling. This is the opposite of what most people report. 

So there's that. 

Also, I can't find information on whether or not I should be concerned about sun sensitivity while using this product. I would assume Vitamin C means citrus oils (and I believe it has grapefruit) which are photosensitive....but there is no warning and the only "helpful" replies I got on Amazon were from people raving about how much they love the product.

You're more than welcome to try it...but I can't recommend it as I did not like the way it made my skin feel at all. 

​Meh. 

I got my 2nd job EVER waiting tables when I was 19. I know, privileged kid over here. (Yay scholarships helping with college)

At the time, I was recently married and just graduated with my Associate's Degree. I needed a job because I couldn't rely on loans any longer nor could I continue to live in the dorms past graduation (duh). 

One of the guys we lived with told me to apply at the restaurant where he worked. He even set me up with an extra shirt so I could literally show up in uniform. I laughed and went along with it...leaving the shirt in the car (I didn't want to appear desperate).

I spoke to the manager and was IMMEDIATELY HIRED. No application. No references. No drug test. Nothing. Just filled out the paperwork and mentioned "I have a shirt in the car" and got told "you start right now." 

People....this should have been a red flag about the job atmosphere. 

I was thrown to the wolves. Friendly wolves, mostly...but wolves nonetheless.

The kitchen staff immediately "forgot" 90% of their English when speaking to me (or about me, come to find out later). They would have a conversation with a server before me and then give me blank looks when I tried to talk to them. Yep. 

The men I was working with were super friendly but not the least bit helpful. They were more concerned with my marriage status and whether or not I'd like to attend the next party night at a strip club. 
​
I was paired with the server who was given a high priority section. Granted, she was good at her job but I SWEAR she'd never trained anyone before. She threw a bunch of information at me at once and then had me "take" a table. 

Thankfully this was a weeknight so it wasn't too packed. But when you're one of the only decent restaurants in town (period...not just Mexican food) any night can be busy. 

Did I mention already that I'd never done this before? My previous job was slinging fro-yo at TCBY for a SUMMER. Yeah. Hire me. 

At one point my trainer had me carry a tray of drinks. Me, being an over confident idiot, decided to hoist the tray up shoulder level. You know "waiter position?" 

​FYI, this should only be done with practice. Not with your first ever loaded tray.

Yup. 

Dumped it all over myself. 

Oh, the shirts we wore? White. 

​And I still had several hours left in my shift. 

I ended up working there several months overall. I left the job on mostly bad terms due to crappy management. Have you seen "Waiting" with Ryan Reynolds? It's pretty damn close.

(I never spit in anyone's food but I did see the cooks pick up food off the floor and sear it over the flame before plating it)

My first readathon of 2016 is officially over. 

Bittersweet. 

I did some cleaning/organizing this week and endured a 2 day migraine so my reading wasn't quite as impressive as it has been in the past. 

But, I did kick some book butt.

I finally finished Winter, the final book in the Lunar Chronicles. It was beautiful and the perfect ending to this series. The fairy tale aspects were woven quite well into a modernized story and I was able to close the book with a huge smile on my face. There's a prequel I haven't read and more books set to come out by this author so watch here because I'll probably read those too. 

I jumped into The Power of Six, book 2 in the Lorien Legacies. I'm really enjoying this series. It's a neat little trip into a fantasy world where aliens aren't ALL evil or all insanely powerful. The first book (I Am Number Four) is where you should start. 

Next, I picked up a NetGalley read. This novella was short and sweet. Another fantasy (duh) with shifters and witches, The Scarlett Legacy, is apparently one of many books by different authors based in the same setting. I'll let you know if I read any others, but this was a nice palate cleanser. 

I picked up Ensnared, the final book in the Splintered Trilogy, after a dismal failure at another NetGalley book. (I got 75% of the way through and was so bored I abandoned it for Ensnared)
This was a great way to round out the Splintered story. Want to talk about happily ever after? That's this one. 

I've had Snowbound sitting in my Kindle library since 2013. After I read, and loved, the Wayward Pines Trilogy I decided to give this author another go. 
It was okay. More horror and action than anything else. The suspense was almost too much and I got burned out on it toward the end. Which is why....

...the final book I picked up was a romantic comedy by RS Grey called Scoring Wilder. This book had me giggling throughout. I kept reading bits to my husband because he kept asking "What? Oh, book?" when I laughed out loud. It was definitely a good way to end the readathon. 

After reading so intensely for 7 days I feel like I need a bit of a break. So I'll be reading at a more leisurely pace while trying to run a first round of edits on my already written novel. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post! I'll be sharing what it was like my first day waiting tables (hint: embarrassing)

​This post contains affiliate links

I'm a terrible housekeeper. 

I know. Hold your shock. 

I'll be totally honest. I'm lazy. Really, really lazy. It doesn't help that I've married someone with the same affliction. Plus I have children? Nope. My poor house didn't stand a chance. 

Now, don't look for me on an episode of Hoarders (is that still a thing?) but please give me at least a day's warning before dropping by...

​because I'm cleaning with children.

I'm trying to make it easier on myself this year by decluttering and finding a home for everything. 

Sounds huge, right? Impossible? 

I'm doing this 52 Weeks to an Organized Home Challenge. It comes with 365 Declutter Missions.

Basically, you have a 15min task each day and a dedicated zone each week. That's it. That's your focus. Do the other daily things to keep your house running, but only focus extra hard on that specific area. 

​It's working. Really. 

See those canisters in the top photo? Those were part of my recent "free for a review" haul. 

They work really well with the rest of my stainless steel kitchen. I put flour, rice, sugar, and coffee (duh) in them. 

I'll also say they arrived at my house really fast. MUCH faster than anticipated. 

You can buy some here if you like. (Psst, they're seriously discounted right now so maybe grab some)

I feel pretty good about this challenge. We'll see how that goes when summer comes around and I have both kids at home...

​That just means drunken cleaning right?

​This post contains affiliate links

Remember how I said I was going to workout more often? 

Yeah, that hasn't happened. 

I did, however, get some bowling in! I woke up the next day with my left thigh/glute incredibly sore. I realized, all too late, I'd been doing one legged squats the entire time. 

Awesome. 

One thing that wasn't horrifically sore was my wrists. 

I have to thank the One For Heart Wrist Wraps for that. 

Brief Storytime: My left wrist likes to pop and make all sorts of noises. It also goes "out" and aches like a beast at the drop of a hat. That's the wrist I got tendonitis in when I played cello as a kid. It's also the wrist that I sprained when a kid grabbed my hand and fell backward. I've been known to agitate it by MAKING THE BED (this is why I don't do chores)

The wraps feel really comfortable and make my wrist feel a lot more stable. Normally I get pain after bowling (I have weak wrists, okay?) but I was able to bowl 2 games without crumbling in pain. It was nice. 

This purchase also got me a free speed rope. I didn't get much use out of it yet but I was able to impress the children by "jumping really fast." 

They're geared toward CrossFit enthusiasts (ie: not me) but anyone that needs a little extra wrist support can use them.

Yesterday was the official start of the Bout Of Books Readathon!

Annnnd I sucked. I barely did any reading. 

Okay, so most of what I read was fanfiction. DON'T JUDGE ME!

I also did some cleaning up in the kitchen. The day ran away from me. 

Today, however, I vow to do better and finish "Winter" by Marissa Meyer. I'm going to move on to "The Power of Six" by Pittacus Lore. 

I know this changes the list I'd posted, but these two are library books that are due literally the day after the readathon ends so they take priority.

​NOW, on to the game for today!

We're playing "Would You Rather" today! Book Edition! You can put your answers in the comments! I'd love to see what you choose!

Would you rather:
Lend books to someone who dog-ears pages or to someone who reads with cheesy Cheetos fingers?
Dog-ears pages. At least that isn't going to stain pages or give me ants. 

Would you rather:
Be able to meet one character of your choice or meet one author of your choice?
AAAHHHH Probably an author. I'm afraid the character wouldn't live up to how I've built them in my head.

Would you rather:
Never be allowed in a book store again or never be allowed in a library again?
I'm already "not allowed" in book stores (my bank account says so)

Would you rather:
Have to choose one of your favorite characters to die in their book or have to pick one of your favorite couples to break up in their book?
Break up! I've read the dying character books TOO MANY TIMES. No.

Would you rather:
Be required to read Twilight once a year for the rest of your life or The Scarlet Letter once a year for the rest of your life?
The Scarlet Letter! I actually love that book.

​Now then...

Pajamas are on, pizza is ordered, cheesy movie is chosen, and book is on hand. I'm ready for 2016. 

I have higher hopes for the upcoming year than I did for this last year. I'm going into it in a much better place. I also have a plan of attack instead of a wishy-washy list of maybes.

1) Work on my home. 
I'm doing the "52 Weeks to an Organized Home" challenge...again. She also gives daily declutter missions that work with that week's zone. I only have one kid at home so it should be a little easier this round. 

2) Speaking of the kid at home...
He's expressed a desire to learn to read so I'll be dusting off the BOB books and working with him a bit each day. 

3) Read for myself too.
I have a goal to read and review 50 books this year. I read many more than that in 2015 BUT I didn't review them all on my blog. You deserve better for being awesome readers. 

4) Work on my novel. 
It's written. The majority of the hours are done. I need to edit and start sending it out. I literally haven't looked at it in a year so I'm hoping my "fresh eyes" will help. 

5) Exercise more. 
I'm not dieting. I can hear the fitness peeps gasping and readying their typing fingers to tell me I won't lose weight if I don't work on my diet too....so let me tell you that I don't really care. I have an awesome body. It's not perfect and finding clothes can be hella difficult...but it's shapely and gorgeous. My husband loves it and his opinion is the only "outside" opinion I care about...I want to exercise to feel better. If I tone or whatever in the meantime? Awesome. But changing my body isn't my goal here. 
.....and I really don't want to give up pizza. 

6) Find things I like to do. 
Whether it's alone time or my "one new thing a quarter" time, I want to figure out how I like to spend my free time. That will probably be reading a book at Starbucks but I'm willing to shake things up....like possibly read at a different coffee shop.

I'm ready to take on 2016.