Organizing

I've felt this need lately to organize.  Organize everything.  I feel the urge to get things in order.  And not just physical things, but myself too.  I feel like I need to start with external things first so that I feel good inside.  I've got some great ideas from reading tons of other blogs but my 2 favorites are A Bowl Full of Lemons and I'm an Organizing Junkie.  Both have given me tons of inspiration.

Part of this need to organize comes from 'organizing' our finances.  Harvey and I started last March using Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover plan.  We immediately stopped using credit cards and haven't used one since.  We also set up a budget that we both work and agree on every month.

Having our finances organized has made me realize that I need to get everything else in my life organized too.  It's amazing the peace I feel about our financial situation and how much better my marriage is just from being able to talk about them.  I want to feel that way in the rest of my life.  I don't want to feel so 'out of control.'

Over the next few months as I work on this stuff I will share with you some of my inspiration and ideas.  I'm reading all over the web and while nothing seems to be exactly for me, (and why would it?  Everybody is different, right?) I plan to incorporate a little bit from here and a little bit from there to find something that works for me.

Mini Makeover

If you haven't noticed, I've constantly been changing the look of my blog.  I'm struggling to find something I like that fits me.

I really like this one.  It's simple and 'clean' looking.

If you don't know me that well, I get pretty OCD when it comes to certain things.  With the blog, I really like my colors to match and complement.  The colors of this one are pretty frustrating to me.  I love black and pink but am having a hard time with link colors.  I can't seem to find the right pinks to match.  Blogger doesn't make it very easy either.

So, who knows.  I'm sure you'll see it changed again before too long.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Zoe (screaming at the top of her lungs): I don't want to be your little kid anymore!


It was bedtime snack and I gave her animal crackers. Apparently she wanted cheese crackers (Cheez-Its).

Let's Talk Numbers

We got a treadmill! We ordered it last month and got it set up in the basement. I love it. If anybody is in the market for one, I highly recommend the NordicTrack Commercial 1750. It works with iFit online which is just awesome. You can track your workouts (distance, time, calories burned, etc.), customize your workout plans, and create your own workouts using Google Earth to map real routes.

I started using the treadmill on 02/09. There were some days that I didn't get on that were my break days and other days where it just didn't happen because of schedule. So, with that being said, here's my numbers for February 2011:

Total Distance: 24.03 miles
Total Time: 10:37 hours
Total Calories Burned: 4,073.8
Weight Lost: 1.6 lbs.

I'm still working on changing my eating habits. I want to take this really slow as it's going to be the hardest for me to do. I don't want to go all gung-ho about it and then it backfire. The biggest change I made in February was my portions. I worked really hard on not eating portions that are too big.

Goals for March:
Lose 5 lbs.
Work more on portion control.
Stop 'bored' eating. (I tend to 'snack' quite a bit in the late evening when I'm bored after I get off the treadmill. I really want to cut down on this.)

I really like working out on the treadmill. I feel really good when I get off. And let me tell you, I'm not just leisurely strolling. I sweat like a pig when I do my workouts. I also track my heart rate and it's consistently up in the 130's for about 45 minutes.


Any advice on stopping my 'bored' eating?
I've noticed since I quit smoking that I don't seem to have that trigger that tells me I'm full. It's not too much of a problem when I'm eating a regular meal, but I've noticed when I'm snacking that I never feel full. I can't say that I feel hungry either, but I just don't feel satisfied.