Storage Solutions

I want my house to look cute, to be well organized and to look really really good regardless of what room you are in.  I am in the process of weeding out our cheap storage and adding in nicer higher quality storage.

Here are the things that I would like to add to our home.

In my kids' rooms!!
Initials Inc

I'd like 2 of these "Bins" for each of my girls' rooms or 4 total at $30 each = $120


I'd like 2 of these "Bins" for each of my boys' rooms or 4 total at $30 each = $120

I'd like 2 of these "Binettes" for each of my girls' rooms or 4 total at $20 each = $80

I'd like 2 of these "Binettes" for each of my boys' rooms or 4 total at $20 each = $80

I'd like 1 of these "Roundabouts" for each of my kids' rooms or 4 total at $35 each = $140


Thirty One

I'd like 2 of these "Mini Utility Bins" at $29 each = $58

I'd like 2 of these "mini utility bins" at $29 each = $58

I'd like 4 of these "mini utility bins" at $29 each = $116


That would take care of organizing all of their toys in their rooms and making them look cute and personalized too!!

For My Dining Room I want to get these!!
I want two of each color for a total of $400 (some would hold toys, some would be used for shoes...all could be used for additional seating and they'd look so cute!!  (they come in pink, turquoise, and gray too!)
 These are from Target!

I want this storage bench for my entryway for $70 from Meijer
  This would be used for additional toy storage in the living/entryway area.

I want three of these for in our living room...again storage and seating all in one for a total of $300...from Wal Mart.

I have a window that I would put one under with blankets in it.  Then the other two would be in our play area, one along the wall and one along the back of the couch.  Again to store toys and children's goodies in them.  I love that my kids could use all of them as seating as well because this makes things so much easier.



Since there would be so much chevron already I would probably get 1 chevron and 2 of the trellis pattern.

Make Up Fun!!

So I am slightly obsessed with make up. 

I might be lying a little bit b/c I might be more obsessed than I am letting on.

As someone who used to work for Sephora if I lived in the right area I would completely attempt a career as a make up artist or a brand expert.

Tonight I was talking with my friend and we were discussing our favorite make up.  I'm trying to become more of a minimalist so if I could only have one of everything then this is the list that I would buy.  I plan on buying this list and a cute make up case and then going for the goal of getting rid of all of the crap that has collected in my make up bins over the years. 

Here we go!!! 
I'm honestly excited to share these all with you guys.

Must Have Skin Care

First off let me state that if it is skin care and it is available on the market that I have probably tried it.  I have used everything from the most expensive Dr Perricone goodies to the cheapest WalMart off brand in my quest to find the perfect for me skincare routine. 

What I have concluded is that unless I want to spend several hundred dollars per item I can find something that works great for me that is relatively affordable or for some of you these would be considered cheap but I have to say that they are my obsession and my favorite.

Morning Skincare Routine

Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser (retail $6.99) and Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturizer with SPF 15 (retail $12.99)

I love the texture of both of these products and that my skin feels smooth all day long.

Nighttime Skincare Routine

Neutrogena Make Up Remover Cleansing Towelettes--Night Calming (retail $7.99) and Oil of Olay Age Defying Sensitive Skin Night Cream (retail $13.99)

I'm lazy at night so I love that the towelettes actually remove my make up and leave my face feeling clean!

Weekly

I exfoliate on a weekly basis and if I feel extra oily for some reason then I throw in an extra exfoliation.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub (retail $7.99)


Make Up

Now we get to talk about all of the fun stuff!!!

Face Make Up

I feel strongly that everyone needs these facial products.  Whether you use the same choices that I do for them there are reasons that these are the must haves.  Obviously you will not be wearing them all together but with these products you can have a lazy low key make up day, a normal day, and a night out with some hot smokey eyes!!!

Tinted Moisturizer
Stila Sheer Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free SPF 20 (retail $34)


Powder
Clinique Blended Face Powder and Brush (retail $23) and Bobbi Brown Sheer Pressed Powder (retail $36)


Concealer
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit (retail $33)


Foundation
Clinique Superbalanced Make up (retail $23)


Bronzer
Too Faced Sweetheart Beads Radiant Glow Face Powder (retail $32)


Blush
Nars Blush (retail $29)

Mascara
Dior Diorshow Mascara (retail $25)


Eyeliner
I have to explain a bit here.  I love this eyeliner b/c you can create any look that you are going for and when it comes time for a night out you can also create the perfect smokey eye with this one!!

Stila Smudgepot (retail $20)


Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Rich Chocolate Eye Palette (retail $52)

Brows
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo (retail $23)



Lipgloss
Nars Lip Gloss (retail $25) and Clinique Almost Lipstick (retail $15)


Lipstick
Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick (retail $15)


Lipliner
Clinique Quickliner for Lips (retail $15)




Must Have Accessories

Once you have your make up you need good brushes.  Without good brushes you can not achieve a professional make up look because you can expertly apply the make up. 

Brushes
Sephora Collection Presige Luxe Brush Set (retail $125) ...this might look or sound expensive to you but it is a steal!!  You are getting $425 worth of brushes so you are really saving quite a bit of money!!


Bags 
I have a ton of small cases.  It seems like I get them all of the time as free gifts with purchases or as gifts from family/friends that have no idea what to get me.  I am a bag whore and I love getting new make up bags.  What I am posting here is the idea of minimalism, so there is one bag that is big enough for everything when at home and a bag for in my purse or when I travel.  These are the two bags that I would suggest everyone own.

Sephora Collection The Vacationer (retail $42) and Sephora Collection the Night is Young Clutch (retail $22)


Travel Must Haves

Finally I will leave you with this amazing choice of travel kit.  It is perfect for what it is and it makes travel oh so simple!!

What I Ate Today

It's Hard to Figure out What to Eat

Accountability is key....so here is the good, the bad, and I am sure what would be considered the unhealthy that I stuffed into my mouth today.

Breakfast

Post Protein Plus Cereal Honey Granola, Nuts and Seeds....220 calories

Lunch

1 cup of leftover pasta with alfredo sauce
coke

Snack

Did not eat one :(  but I had a second coke without drinking my water....bad bad bad I know but I have had a killer headache today!

Supper

Homemade eggplant parmesan with angel hair pasta and marinara sauce

Snack

2 mini ice cream cones (not healthy I know but it was what I wanted so I figured if I ate anything else that it would work)

Things I need to work on!! 

1.  Drink More Water!!!! 

I'm terrible about the amount of water that I drink.  I don't particularly like water so this one is very hard for me.  My goal in upcoming months is going to be 2 big glasses full a day (my big glass is a water jug that was given to me at the hospital when my youngest was born....it is really big!--I will post a picture some time)

2.  Eat on a Schedule!!

I am bad about skipping meals.  Even though I feed my children, sometimes I don't feel like eating and skip meals.  It is true that you end up consuming way more calories later than if you had eaten the meal at hand.  I need to figure out how to make myself eat at least three times a day to keep my metabolism up.  If I can work up to five times per day then that would be awesome too.  I am working on this one and do not know how long it will take.  If you notice I have planned in my snacks after supper and between supper and lunch.  This is when I naturally snack so why try planning a snack in between breakfast and lunch when I don't want one then anyways.

Want to Help Me??? 

I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on the following things!!

 

1.  How do you drink more water? 

Any suggestions would be great!!  I love coke so my deal with myself for now is that I can only have one coke until I have drank my two jugs of water.  :)  This way if I want more coke I have to drink all of that water first.

 

2.  Menu/Recipe Ideas that are Healthy and Keep Me from Being Bored

I like healthy food but it can be hard finding ways to keep from eating the same things all of the time when you are picky or have dietary restrictions.  I'd love suggestions on what you are eating.

Minimalism Can Be Fun??!!??

I will admit.  I am the last person in the world that I would have ever thought would consider trying to become more of a minimalist.

Things I Used to Think About Minimalism

Let's be honest.  I know that I am not the idea person to even discuss minimalism.  I love to shop!  By love, I mean LOVE to shop!!  I find buying new things to be fun and something that we can all enjoy.

Let's face it, who doesn't love finding a great new pair of jeans that makes their ass look great?

I'm doubting that there are not a lot of you who do not enjoy finding these types of great purchases.

So when I used to hear minimalism I would start to stress....

How could I ever get my house in order enough to live as a minimalist?

How can I get rid of things that I might use one day?

What do I keep? 

What should I get rid of?

I have learned that the answers to all of these are much easier than I expected and something that everyone can learn from.  Even if you do not become a super minimalist you can minimize some of the things if your life and this is going to help you to really be happier.

Minimalism Means Owning Nothing

I was wrong when I first looked at minimalism.  I thought that it meant that I could not own things. 

This caused a significant amount of stress for me as well.  It caused me to worry about not being able to shop or do the things that I enjoyed.

I was wrong.  With minimalism I can still own things.

I just have some rules. 

Rule #1--Make a List

Before I go to the store I make a list.  If something is not on my list then I do not buy it.  If I see something that I want and/or need then I add that to my next list.  I edit my lists before going to the store so if the item gets edited off then it was probably something that I didn't need.

This not only keeps me from having extra stuff in my house but it also keeps me from spending extra money that I do not have.

Rule #2--Evaluate What is Needed

Before shopping for something I do an inventory.  I go through the kids' clothing and put together outfits.  Then I can decide where they have areas that need to be filled in.  This helps to prevent their clothing from getting out of hand.

I will admit my children still have a lot of clothing but this one thing helps me to keep myself on top of things and be able to make sure that I do not buy duplicates of items or get completely out of control as I have in the past.

Rule #3--Make a Shopping Plan

I like to shop and I find it to be soothing and fun.  I love finding a great deal on something and being able to purchase it.

So I have to have a plan to keep me out of the stores.  For instance.....at tax return time I take a set amount of money and go to the outlets and order new shoes (in the next size up) and coats (if they will need them the next year).  I use this money to get all of the basics for their entire wardrobe. 

Then I just have to fill in at the beginning of the season which saves us a considerable amount of money because I can generally purchase everything on clearance.

Being a Minimalist Would Leave Me Depressed

I have found that having less but being able to spend more time focusing on the things in life that are important instead of trying to pick up all of our stuff has made me much happier than I ever was before.

Truths About Minimalism

Since so many people are confused about minimalism means it is important to note that there are some things that can help you realize that it is a great lifestyle to consider. 

Even if you do not want to live it fully there are things that you can do to implement minimalist practices into your life.

Expert Thoughts

The experts discuss minimalism and how it is an affective way to be able to make yourself happier.  When you want things you constantly seek out the next things that you want.  By learning to want less you will find that you are happier with what you have. 

If you want things that are completely attainable then you never have to feel like you couldn't get what you wanted.

Opinions of Others

People who live as minimalists find themselves happier and living more fulfilled lives than they might have thought previously possible.

Here are some great quotes on living as a minimalist:

"My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do."  Francis Jay (Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify)

"Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly.  It is your masterpiece after all."  Nathan W Morris

Becoming a Minimalist??

If you had ever told me that I would seek to become a minimalist I would have laughed in your face . I would have never thought that this was the lifestyle for me.

However I have been shocked by what I have learned about myself and I am continuing to determine how I can de-clutter and cut down in different areas of my life.

Deciding If Minimalism Was For Me

It was a tough decision learning to live with less for me.  There were some contributing factors that made me change some of the things easily but others were things that I was holding onto and things that I did not really want to change about myself.

Becoming more simplistic in my life was not something that I took lightly but instead was something that I did with all seriousness.

Learning How to Improve My Life With Minimalism

My life continues to improve with each area that I clean and de-clutter.  I can finally have the home that I always dreamed of.

I never have to worry about someone just dropping by because my house is almost always picked up and clean.

Once I have some extra money I will be able to buy the organizational pieces that I need to get my home looking exactly like I want it to and that will improve my determination to de-clutter as well.

My Minimalist Plan

1.  Clean out the toys in the living.....DONE
2.  List old toys on FSOT site to make extra money
3.  Clean out all dressers and put away all clothes that kids have grown into
4.  List all old clothes on FSOT sites to make more extra money
5.  Purchase storage solution for shoes and dining room toys (thinking a bench with lid/seat for shoes and a couple ottomans for toys) around $200
6.  Purchase storage solutions for the living room toys and blankets (purchase a few different benches--this will add seating and keep things looking awesome and some different storage ottomans as well)  around $600
7.  Purchase final storage solutions for the kids' rooms--no idea what I want!!
8.  Clean out the toys in the kids' room!!
9.  List toys to sale
10.  Clean out my closet
11.  Clean out cluttered areas of my bedroom
12.  Clean out all bookshelves
13.  Clean out downstairs cabinets and all areas that have collected clutter
14.  Clean out upstairs bathroom and hall closet
15.  Clean out coat closet

While I am not making a full to-do list these are the things that I have to start first to get back on track.  I have 1 down and 15 to go.  If I do one of these tasks each week then I will be done in about 3 months.  Some weeks I know that I can do more than one but I am determined to at least do one each week!!

 

Menu Planning: My Week In Advance

Struggles of Menu Planning

There are so many struggles to trying to plan a menu for six. 

Food Allergies

There are food allergies...my husband is allergic to poultry (that's right all the birds that I love are off limits for him so are all of my favorite flavored products....basically anything chicken--ie rice cooked in chicken broth, no yolk style noodles cooked in chicken broth), Huxley (#3) and Adeline (#4) are both allergic to milk (not dairy but can't drink milk that has not been heated...there goes the homemade ice cream!). 

Foods that Someone Doesn't Eat

On top of the allergies we have foods that we all would rather not eat.  For me it is meat, I was vegan for a while and I honestly eat mostly vegetarian now....I pick out the meat that I don't want from a lot of foods that we eat or I eat the sides while my family enjoys the foods.  I also do not eat anything that has been compressed and reshaped (I will only do fish sticks that are labeled as no minced fish or whole fillet).  I don't like blackberries, blueberries, or most melons unless in a smoothie but there is not really a vegetable that I won't eat and I like most fruits. 

I HATE eggs and bananas.  In fact when it comes to these two, I don't even like making them for my family b/c I hate how they smell. 

Issues with Children

Let's face it, as a mom I have to think of meals that my children are going to eat.  In the past I was vegan but I can't for the life of me comprehend how taking away foods that my children enjoy completely will teach them to eat healthy.  I know that some families are able to eat vegan and I think that this is great.  In fact I commend you but this is not what is right for my family.  In fact my boys love meat more than anything else.  Now I do purchase grass fed organic beef and only purchase organic hormone free products to feed them but I can't base their eating needs on mine.

I have learned to base my eating needs on theirs. 

Here is My Attempt at Menu Planning

Wednesday Supper (tonight)

Homemade Eggplant parmesan (pan frying in olive oil) with angel hair pasta and marinara sauce
Bruschetta crustinis for us/mini garlic breads for the kids
Fresh steamed broccoli

Thursday Supper

Going out....thinking maybe Flat Top grill b/c I love their stir fry and being able to get it made into lettuce wraps (one of my favorites)

Friday Supper

Tacos (beef for the family/potato for me)

Saturday Lunch

beef stroganoff (mushroom stroganoff for me), noodles with sautéed mushrooms for one child, noodles with a side of beef for one and the whole shebang for a third

My oldest is at his dad's this weekend or we would have two eating the entire meal.

Saturday Supper

hamburgers and hotdogs*** on the grill (I will not be eating either of these)
pasta salad
fresh sautéed green beans

***I only purchase nitrate free hot dogs for my children!!

Sunday Lunch

Beef, vegetable, and rice soup/stew**
Acorn squash soup
**This is my own recipe so I am not sure how to classify it. 

Sunday Supper

Pinterest Fish with Tomatoes* for us
Fake Fried Fish for the Kids (baked with panko)
*I love this recipe!!  It is super simple too...just heat some olive oil in a pan and sauté some onions and minced garlic (I prefer red onions), then mix in several chopped tomatoes and a few hot peppers or red pepper flakes if you are interested.  I season my fish (either Cajun or creole seasoning) and place the fish on top of the tomatoes.  Just cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes or until fish easily flakes.

Monday Supper

Swiss chicken cutlets
Rice

My husband is gone for work, leaving Monday afternoon so I am going to be alone with the kids...this means that we will be eating chicken a couple of times.

Tuesday Supper

Acorn squash quesadillas (for me--I will eat leftovers for lunches the next few days)
Fish Sticks

Wednesday Supper

Oven Fried chicken
turnip fries

Some Notes

If there is no vegetable/fruit with the meal we are still eating them.  We are going to the orchard tomorrow to pick apples and we have a huge watermelon.  So those are the fruits that we will be eating.  Since I am not a melon fan I will be getting a big thing of lime juice and whipping up smoothies next week for snacks with the watermelon and lime. 

I will try to snap some pictures of meals or new recipes that I try.  I never make anything as it is supposed to be made and often times end up changing things here and there so I will include recipes for meals when I can.  I hope that this can help you with being able to get into the best shape of your life and being able to get healthy quickly.

Let's Talk Exercise

To be honest, I hate it!

Exercise=Devil in my mind.  I try to change this all of the time but seriously how can anyone think that making themselves hurt and sweating is fun. 

I hate sweat!  Yes another confession of mine but one that has shaped a lot of my life.

However I understand the importance of getting into shape and of course I am vain so I want to look good.

Actually I do not know if it is vain or just that I have a whole hell of a lot of cute clothes in a size 10/12 and damn it I want to wear them.

I mean I have these awesome jeans and my fat ass just won't fit into them right now.


Who doesn't want to wear these?   I know that I do, but they continue to sit in the bottom of my dresser drawer in the pile of jeans that won't even go past my knees. 

Disgusting!!  I know but it's honest.

So I have been trying to come up with an exercise plan that I can stick to. 

Here is what I have planned. 

I will be honest I have attempted to do multiple 90 day challenges, programs and let's be honest most of them just did not work for me.  My goal is to jump from one 90 day challenge to another until I hit my goal weight.  Since I have over 100 pounds to lose well it is going to be a long journey.

I am attempting to do the Real Simple 90 Day get fit plan.  It seems much simpler than some of the other plans that I worked on trying in the past.  If you are interested in following this one too then you can check it out here.

In the past I have always tried a "wait until Monday" approach when starting a plan. 

Today I am making a change and using my motivation to get on top of things to start today.

So I've read the week 1 plan....and here is my fun summary of it with commentary on how I think that it will go!

First off be aware this is a free workout program so you get the joy of tons of advertisements.  So far I have been lucky enough to be able to opt out of them with a click on the "x" in the right hand corner of the screen.  Look there if you do not want to be stuck having to read or watch advertising.

What luck do I have??  The cardio routines started on Wednesday so I guess I will just jump in there.  Today's goal will be 30 minutes of cardio...will I enjoy it?  Hell no!  Will I do it?  Yes, yes I will because I can conquer the battle of the bulge and look how I think and feel that I should look.  I will remind myself every time that it gets tough that I am doing this for me and that I too can get where I want to be if I put in the hard work that it requires.

The goal for the week says "to simply put in the time"....don't you just love how people sugar coat things.  It should read "suck it up, fat ass, get off of your ass and do the damn workouts!"  Personally thinking about how fat my ass is motivates me more than the accomplishment of putting in the time.

Oh joy!  I get to "familiarize" myself with some total key body exercises....does that sound like fun to you?  Well I bet you can guess what I am going to say.

While it does not sound like fun to me I will encourage myself to remember that this is what is going to get me where I am going.

Disappointment In a Box....It's Really Not that Bad

Let me start off by painting this beautiful picture of what I thought that I was purchasing when I grabbed a box of Great Grains Protein Blend Honey, Oats, and Seeds.

You see I saw this box....



....and I thought that I was purchasing a box of delicious honey flavored granola clusters with almond slices and pumpkin seeds mixed in. 

This sounds amazing right?? 

I mean this was going to be the kick off to a new lifestyle all with a delicious granola based cereal that I envisioned eating for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks when I wanted to keep myself on track.

Now here is the truth and why I stated that this cereal ended up as a disappointment in the box.

It is bran flakes.  Not a few bran flakes but seriously like 75% bran flakes with a few mixed granola clusters, sliced almonds, and pumpkin seeds. 

I will admit that it still tastes good.  Yes I am a freak of nature and I do like bran flakes, but it was highly disappointing to be expecting a big bowl of sweet deliciousness to end up with a big bowl of bran flakes.  I feel that the advertising on the box was highly misleading.  It looks in the picture of the cereal like there are some bran flakes but it looks nothing like the bowl that was poured from my box.

And guess what?  #4 decided that she really likes granola clusters so guess who was picking all of the delicious granola clusters out of my cereal??

That's right.....



She was!!

Overall this cereal gets a rating of a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 for me.  If it were all of the deliciousness that I was expecting it would have scored off of the charts but due to the disappointment factor it went from an 8 to a 7.  It was yummy and I will probably continue to buy it but let's face it I will not be as excited as I was this time.

Sshhh....Can You Keep A Secret? I Have a Confession to Make

So I have a problem and like all twelve step programs this one requires me to make a confession.

I am a serial dieter!  Eek!  Ooh....aah (I'm waiting for the shock of this confession to pass before going on.)

That's right I have a problem and it starts with Clif Bars or protein shakes and ends up with me yo-yoing on my weight.  In the end I never really lose much but only end up with the same frustrating problems.

Life has not always been this way for me.  Don't get me wrong I was rarely a skinny girl no matter what my age was.  It seemed that puberty hit and that I was instantly catapulted into a battle with weight that I continue to battle.  I have some serious hormone related issues that started with headaches and migraines when I was just 15.  Throughout my life these things have continued and they either got better or worse after the birth of my children.  Unfortunately after number four they seem to have gotten worse. 

I also have had mixed battles with weight.  It has always been that I was kind of stuck at a size 10/12 unless I wanted to work insanely hard and well I am lazy and do not.  :)

So here I am starting a different kind of journey than I have ever been on before.  I am starting a true lifestyle makeover, not a diet.  I am working on improving my life and bettering myself from the inside out. 

Do I think that it will be easy?

Hell no!

Do I think that I can handle it?

Hell yes!

In the past I have kept blogs on many different things.  Had blogs for each different area of my life and now there is just this one.

I plan on blogging a bit about products and things that I love, how to try to obtain optimum health for my family while still allowing them to be "normal" (ie not one of those crazy moms who have a child that has never tasted McDonalds--if you are one of those moms kudos to you because there are many times that McDonalds suffices as a meal because I have too much going on with my family), living on a budget (Hello! I am a full time stay at home and we have four children but again I am far too lazy to coupon like crazy or do things like that!), and overall a discussion of my favorite things.  I love make up, cosmetics, food, and music. 

This is my journey and I am glad that you are choosing to read along and come on it with me.  If you are starting your own similar journey then keep in mind that I am here to listen too.  Comment or email me and share your thoughts on your life.  I'd love to help encourage you while you work on change in your life too.