We are rapidly heading into the part of the year where best intentions get sidelined, "food-centric" holidays are abundant, the days get shorter, we want to go into hibernate mode, and generally, priorities can get skewed. In preparation for that, I thought I would share what I do. I plan. No, seriously. I plan. I start NOW, thinking about "holiday survival".
1. Think it through. What do I need to do differently. How will I get through different scenarios. For instance, what would REALLY happen if I pulled out my yellow container on Thanksgiving? (that's a really humorous thought, right? but, when everyone KNOWS how hard you have worked all year, what do you think they would really do? Probably nothing. in fact, they might want to do the same thing!) Loosely, here's what I do. I think through parties or family functions. Can we bring a veggie tray? Can I eat beforehand? Can I have a shake and then make a really small plate of just my very favorite things? You don't need to get obsessive on this, but at least think about it. Don't just go in blindly, assuming that it will all be fine, because that's a recipe for disaster. Think it through, decide where your boundaries are, and stick to them.
2. Keep it to yourself. I don't tell anyone (except my husband) about any of this planning, by the way. The WORST mistake ever was admitting, on a holiday, at a family dinner, that I was planning to stick to my diet. It then became almost a challenge to everyone to offer me things that I wouldn't normally eat. "Can you have this?" "are you sure you don't want this?" "oh, this is my favorite, I thought it was yours, right?" Instead, I just take small portions of the things I want, that fit in with my plan, which I did up front, before the event, and I enjoy my day, within my own rules.
3. Bring what you can eat. If you are a person who really enjoys dessert but wants to stick to your program, bring a dessert you can eat. In fact, be warned, bring lots. People will want to eat it and will actually gravitate toward it. I typically will bring a crustless pumpkin pie, which I actually make in individual ramekins, as well as a couple of other things, to be sure there's enough. Apple pie can be a great addition, because you can make it fairly healthy, right? By bringing my own desserts, and making sure I get some, I am not denying myself. I'm still able to eat and enjoy.
4. Remember that it is just ONE meal. I think the holidays get blown up into a food fest. There's certain things that are only "in focus" around the holidays, like huge platters of cookies, egg nog, pies and other desserts, boxes of chocolate and other treats. It can become a sort of landmine if you are eating mindfully and trying not to sabotage what you've worked so hard for all year. Instead of succumbing to all those foods, I try to remember that, for instance, Thanksgiving dinner is ONE meal. Just one. It's not an opportunity to eat all the things. I don't eat all day long, I eat very carefully all day, then I enjoy my turkey dinner, then I'm right back onto my eating plan. I just am. It is important to me, so I make it important. I don't just throw all my hard work to the wind. That's only disappointing me. If I know we will have a huge meal, (like Thanksgiving), I will eat a sparce breakfast and plan a sparce dinner. (our Thanksgiving meal, for instance, is usually around 3, so it replaces lunch...)
5. Work it out. Yesterday, on Facebook, I already saw a post where someone was asking "are you planning to workout on Thanksgiving and Christmas?" Really? What makes those days different? If you enjoy your workouts and are having good results, why would you stop? Why not actually make it a little easier on yourself by doing your workout first thing in the morning so that you have given your body some kindness and attention and can eat without thinking about how much you have to do to burn off all that food. (which doesn't even work!) It's just another day! I plan to do a workout in the morning, and actually, might add some yoga in the evening, to smooth it all out.
6. Enjoy the day. The purpose of holidays isn't food. It's not. The food is not supposed to be the driving factor of everything. It has, over time, become the focal point, which is wrong. The focal point of holidays is being together. Sharing gratitude and love with family and friends.
If you follow even 3 or 4 of these tips, I think you will find that you enjoy your holidays more. I know I do, because I know that I will finish the holiday season happy, healthy, and ahead of the game, not having gained a bunch of senseless weight because I ate my way through them. :)
-Have a fabulous day, and I hope these tips help you in the holiday season!
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 3
Saturday, December 21
Christmas is what you make of it...
I struggle with Christmas. A lot. Not actually *with* Christmas, but more with all of the things that surround Christmas. I've struggled since I have been an adult and it wasn't until just this year that I really realized the reason.
Growing up, I was an only child. We lived about 500 miles away from our family and we didn't go visit during the holidays. Then, as I grew older, we moved 3000 miles away and we really didn't visit at Christmas then! So, for most of my childhood, it was just me and my parents at the holidays. No big family gatherings, just us, in our beautifully decorated home, sharing the holiday together.
When I became an adult, it became necessary to change things up just a little, naturally, as serious boyfriends and later a husband, came into the picture. I spent part of the time with my family and part with theirs, like most couples do.
Once I married my wonderful husband, Steven, however, a huge change became necessary. You see, they live in Los Angeles, and they too adore Christmas. But, in a different way. Steven has a much larger family than me, and he is used to be being with them for the holidays. So, we had to make adjustments. As the years went by, and we had our son, it became clear that no matter what my thoughts were on traditions and how much I wanted us to have family traditions, we were supposed to be with Steven's family for Christmas. I really struggled with this for a long time, until just recently when I realized that, no matter what I thought I wanted, we have traditions. We have family, and we are loved. Very loved. Steven's parents love to have us come and visit and spend time with them, and to be honest, I completely treasure that time. His parents are so good to me and I love them more than I could ever say. I am extremely blessed to have people who care so much about me and want to be with me.
So, as this posts, I will actually BE in Los Angeles, with my family, celebrating Christmas a few days early because this year, I have to work before and after Christmas, making it impossible for us to spend more than the weekend with them. However, this year, unlike some years in the past, when I have felt a bit "off" about being there, I will treasure every moment, every hug, every smile, and be grateful for the time we are blessed to be able to spend together because....
Growing up, I was an only child. We lived about 500 miles away from our family and we didn't go visit during the holidays. Then, as I grew older, we moved 3000 miles away and we really didn't visit at Christmas then! So, for most of my childhood, it was just me and my parents at the holidays. No big family gatherings, just us, in our beautifully decorated home, sharing the holiday together.
When I became an adult, it became necessary to change things up just a little, naturally, as serious boyfriends and later a husband, came into the picture. I spent part of the time with my family and part with theirs, like most couples do.
Once I married my wonderful husband, Steven, however, a huge change became necessary. You see, they live in Los Angeles, and they too adore Christmas. But, in a different way. Steven has a much larger family than me, and he is used to be being with them for the holidays. So, we had to make adjustments. As the years went by, and we had our son, it became clear that no matter what my thoughts were on traditions and how much I wanted us to have family traditions, we were supposed to be with Steven's family for Christmas. I really struggled with this for a long time, until just recently when I realized that, no matter what I thought I wanted, we have traditions. We have family, and we are loved. Very loved. Steven's parents love to have us come and visit and spend time with them, and to be honest, I completely treasure that time. His parents are so good to me and I love them more than I could ever say. I am extremely blessed to have people who care so much about me and want to be with me.
So, as this posts, I will actually BE in Los Angeles, with my family, celebrating Christmas a few days early because this year, I have to work before and after Christmas, making it impossible for us to spend more than the weekend with them. However, this year, unlike some years in the past, when I have felt a bit "off" about being there, I will treasure every moment, every hug, every smile, and be grateful for the time we are blessed to be able to spend together because....
Christmas is what you make of it.
Friday, December 20
around our house... Christmas decor this year...
Most years our house looks the same at Christmas. We pull out the same decorations and put them up, over and over. This year, however, I was not in "the mood" to use all of our normal decorations, and we had company coming pretty quickly after we usually set things up, so we decorated a bit differently and I am pretty happy with the sparkle through the house!
First, our tree.
First, our tree.
A couple of years ago, Steven and I splurged on this amazing tree. It has white AND colored LED lights. They are controlled separately and you can make the tree do pretty amazing light things. On top of that, the tree rotates. WIN! So the only issue. :) You knew there was one, right? I haven't been able to figure out how to get a lit topper on the tree. Our usual lit toppers won't work because their cords get tangled up or don't reach where the plug comes up through the tree. When we take it down this year, I am going to try to make a concerted effort to figure out a way to fix this. Until then, I took the photo without the top of the tree!
Next up, my pink tree. I haven't taken a photo of the entire pink tree yet, but here's what I have taken. I LOVE my pink tree.
I have a special set of ornaments and garlands that go on the pink tree. White, pink, crystal, silver and gold. Nothing else. I adore how this tree glows. I really do. Maybe I'll do another post about it. :)
Last but not least, for today, our mantle. Yes, it kind of does glow. The lights are a set of very strange, heavily wired lights that we bought at Costco a few years back. This year, Steven added a stuffed Santa that I have never seen before, and we added our favorite fireplace screen and the stockings that I made us 4 years ago. I love our mantle!
Probably enough for today. It is getting late and I have a few other things to take care of but I wanted to share some Christmas cheer!
Sunday, November 28
And so it starts...
Some years, Christmas just comes at you in a blazing flash of color, light, and fun. I think this year is going to be that sort of year, which means that the big challenge will be to hang onto it and enjoy every second!
Since 2007, I have done something called Journal Your Christmas, which is a class with journaling prompts every day for 37 days, from December 1st on. I love it, as it helps me capture the holiday and capture what we did each year. Last year, I realized that it was getting a little stale for me, because there is only so much writing you can do each year on each topic. So, I wasn't sure if I was going to do it this year, but I found a cool way to make my journal different and make it work for this year, so I am excited to get started!
Today, I sat down and created the cover. I LOVE it. It is so me. Spunky, sparkly, pink in places, and just fun. I think it also epitomizes this year, as I set out to learn more about creating my own journals, and art journaling in general.
I used two pieces of corrugated cardboard, acrylic paints in red, green, white, and silver. I also used about 5 different colors of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, plus Tattered Angels Glam in Chandelier, then I tossed on some brown and some gold Martha Stewart Glitter, and finally added a 3-D gift tag that I bought at Costco. Lastly, I add a very small photo frame with Christmas 2010 in it. (I won the frame in a raffle earlier this year, so it seemed appropriate to use!) The funniest part of the cover is that the corrugated cardboard is actually cut from the side of my latest Nutrisystem food delivery. All part of 2010!
That's my start. Watch out, it's going to be a fun year for this journal. I can tell.
Since 2007, I have done something called Journal Your Christmas, which is a class with journaling prompts every day for 37 days, from December 1st on. I love it, as it helps me capture the holiday and capture what we did each year. Last year, I realized that it was getting a little stale for me, because there is only so much writing you can do each year on each topic. So, I wasn't sure if I was going to do it this year, but I found a cool way to make my journal different and make it work for this year, so I am excited to get started!
I used two pieces of corrugated cardboard, acrylic paints in red, green, white, and silver. I also used about 5 different colors of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, plus Tattered Angels Glam in Chandelier, then I tossed on some brown and some gold Martha Stewart Glitter, and finally added a 3-D gift tag that I bought at Costco. Lastly, I add a very small photo frame with Christmas 2010 in it. (I won the frame in a raffle earlier this year, so it seemed appropriate to use!) The funniest part of the cover is that the corrugated cardboard is actually cut from the side of my latest Nutrisystem food delivery. All part of 2010!
That's my start. Watch out, it's going to be a fun year for this journal. I can tell.
Sunday, July 4
Happy Independence Day!
It's a beautiful, sunny Sunday here. Nothing better to do than keep cool, so Steven took me to see Toy Story 3. I highly recommend it, but if you have teenagers and they played with the Toy Story toys as they were growing up, bring tissues. About a third of the way through I realized that Andy was 17 and Josh will be 17 in 2 months. About that I also started noticing the toys and remembering that we have them boxed up in the garage. soft sigh. Cried through the rest of the movie. LOL
Early this morning, before it got hot, I made my yummy Potato Salad. This time, I'm calling it "Farmer's Market Potato Salad" because we bought all of the produce at the local Farmer's Market yesterday. Here's how I make it:
2 lbs. baby potatoes, mix red and white, or red and yukon gold (whatever you have)
1 green onion, dice the entire thing, green and white
4 hard boiled eggs
1 stalk celery, chopped
about 1/4 cup mayo
2 squirts Gulden's mustard
salt
pepper
(3 shakes of bacon salt, shhh don't tell)
3-5 shakes of celery seed
I actually hard boiled the eggs yesterday and refrigerated them.
This morning, while it was cool, I cut up the potatoes and steamed them for 20 minutes. Perfect.
Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and mix together. Refrigerate and chow down later!
We'll be enjoying ours with a barbequed tri-tip that's been marinating all day long. Yum! Can't wait for dinner!
No fireworks to be seen again this year, I guess, but that's okay, because it's always so crowded. :(
~follow your bliss, it's a great leader.
Early this morning, before it got hot, I made my yummy Potato Salad. This time, I'm calling it "Farmer's Market Potato Salad" because we bought all of the produce at the local Farmer's Market yesterday. Here's how I make it:
2 lbs. baby potatoes, mix red and white, or red and yukon gold (whatever you have)
1 green onion, dice the entire thing, green and white
4 hard boiled eggs
1 stalk celery, chopped
about 1/4 cup mayo
2 squirts Gulden's mustard
salt
pepper
(3 shakes of bacon salt, shhh don't tell)
3-5 shakes of celery seed
I actually hard boiled the eggs yesterday and refrigerated them.
This morning, while it was cool, I cut up the potatoes and steamed them for 20 minutes. Perfect.
Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and mix together. Refrigerate and chow down later!
We'll be enjoying ours with a barbequed tri-tip that's been marinating all day long. Yum! Can't wait for dinner!
No fireworks to be seen again this year, I guess, but that's okay, because it's always so crowded. :(
~follow your bliss, it's a great leader.
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