Our children are 9 and 5 and we have never been on a family vacation. 6 months out of the year we go up to our family's cabin every chance we get and the other 6 months of the year I feel are spent just getting through birthdays, holidays and sports.
Most of the reason why we haven't been on a family vacation is because of money.. the other reason is because it sounds overwhelming as heck to travel with children. Especially two high energy boys.
But, we feel confident that our children are at wonderful ages for traveling and we've finally made it a financial priority for us.
[Drum roll please] WE'VE BOOKED OUR FIRST FAMILY VACATION TO PUERTO RICO!
And you guys, it's going to be a VACATION - 8 full days in 85 degrees and staying right on the beach.
We went to Puerto Rico back in 2015 but only for 3 nights for our honeymoon. We had never been on a trip together and we hadn't been that far from our kids so we made the trip short and sweet. But man did we ever fall in love with PR! We've been itching to go back ever since.
We've had this trip in the forefront of our minds for about 6 months now. Since hurricane Maria hit we've been keeping close tabs on their progress in getting things back up and running. The populated areas like San Juan are good to go - it's the center of the island in the more remote areas that are still without power, water, etc. I would love to find a service project that we can do with the kids while we're there. Even though traveling there in itself is great for their situation it would be even better if we could lend an extra hand in any way possible.
Another exciting part of this trip is that we're taking my mother-in-law with us! She goes south every winter so by the time she gets back and we go on this trip with her it will have been nearly 3 months since we've seen her. It will be really nice to get that quality time with her.
A trip we'll remember forever!
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Monday, February 5, 2018
Whole30 Results
We have officially completed our first Whole30!
Are you wondering what that means?
Well, that means we went 30 days without -
-Added sugar (real or artificial)
-Legumes
-Dairy
-Grains
-Alcohol
-Carrageenan, MSG or sulfites
-Baked goods, junk foods or "treats" with approved ingredients (chips, etc)
They say no weighing yourself during your Whole30 as well. They want you to focus on NSV's *Non-Scale Victories*.
Some of my NSV's include:
-Fewer blemishes
-Flatter stomach
-Leaner appearance
-Clothes fitting better (belt went a notch tighter)
-Less bloating
-Healthier gums (my dentist raved about how much better my gums were)
-Fewer mood swings
-Fewer sugar cravings
-Fewer carb cravings
-Feeling in control of my food
-Mindful eating
-Eats to satiety
-Can identify cravings vs hunger
-Sleep more soundly
-Awake feeling refreshed
-Energy levels are higher
-More knowledgeable about nutrition
-Healthy eating habits have brought my husband and I closer
I did cheat and weighed myself once a week during the 30 days but my husband did not.
My starting weight was 116 (I'm 5'0") and after Whole30 my weight was 106 - Adios alcohol weight and HELLO FLAT STOMACH!
My husband's starting weight was 175 (he's 5'5") and after Whole30 his weight was 154! We could hardly believe it! 21 lbs! I haven't seen him look this good in over 6 years! And holy cow are his pants baggy.
So now that Whole30 is over for us we have been slowly reintroducing the food groups that we went without for the 30 days. You're supposed to do one group at a time at each meal for one day and then give yourself two days of Whole30 before reintroducing the next group. Repeat until you've done them all. The idea behind this is so that you can notice how your body handles these certain foods. For instance, I've noticed that non-gluten grains have made me REALLY tired. Like, two hour nap needed tired. I also no longer like the taste of peanut butter. So odd! We have dairy and gluten to still reintroduce and I'm praying it goes okay. I really miss sour cream and cottage cheese!
When we're done with the reintroduction process we plan to follow a mediterranean diet for the most part and avoid added sugar as much as possible.
I love how great this experience made us feel and I'm so glad to have done it with my husband. I know that we were so successful because we did it together. Not only did it help to hold each other accountable but we had a damn good system - I made us breakfast every morning and he made us dinner every night. We didn't use a single recipe and kept our meals simple. There is no need to stress yourself out and overcomplicate this with long recipes and $10 dressings. Andy made us compliant dressings from scratch a couple times as well as a couple batches of clarified butter.
My advice for future Whole30ers - Keep a lot of produce, potatoes and eggs on hand at all times, don't let yourself get hungry and keep it simple! I encourage those of you on the fence to give it a shot - it's only 30 days and you could feel amazing too!
Are you wondering what that means?
Well, that means we went 30 days without -
-Added sugar (real or artificial)
-Legumes
-Dairy
-Grains
-Alcohol
-Carrageenan, MSG or sulfites
-Baked goods, junk foods or "treats" with approved ingredients (chips, etc)
They say no weighing yourself during your Whole30 as well. They want you to focus on NSV's *Non-Scale Victories*.
Some of my NSV's include:
-Fewer blemishes
-Flatter stomach
-Leaner appearance
-Clothes fitting better (belt went a notch tighter)
-Less bloating
-Healthier gums (my dentist raved about how much better my gums were)
-Fewer mood swings
-Fewer sugar cravings
-Fewer carb cravings
-Feeling in control of my food
-Mindful eating
-Eats to satiety
-Can identify cravings vs hunger
-Sleep more soundly
-Awake feeling refreshed
-Energy levels are higher
-More knowledgeable about nutrition
-Healthy eating habits have brought my husband and I closer
I did cheat and weighed myself once a week during the 30 days but my husband did not.
My starting weight was 116 (I'm 5'0") and after Whole30 my weight was 106 - Adios alcohol weight and HELLO FLAT STOMACH!
My husband's starting weight was 175 (he's 5'5") and after Whole30 his weight was 154! We could hardly believe it! 21 lbs! I haven't seen him look this good in over 6 years! And holy cow are his pants baggy.
So now that Whole30 is over for us we have been slowly reintroducing the food groups that we went without for the 30 days. You're supposed to do one group at a time at each meal for one day and then give yourself two days of Whole30 before reintroducing the next group. Repeat until you've done them all. The idea behind this is so that you can notice how your body handles these certain foods. For instance, I've noticed that non-gluten grains have made me REALLY tired. Like, two hour nap needed tired. I also no longer like the taste of peanut butter. So odd! We have dairy and gluten to still reintroduce and I'm praying it goes okay. I really miss sour cream and cottage cheese!
When we're done with the reintroduction process we plan to follow a mediterranean diet for the most part and avoid added sugar as much as possible.
I love how great this experience made us feel and I'm so glad to have done it with my husband. I know that we were so successful because we did it together. Not only did it help to hold each other accountable but we had a damn good system - I made us breakfast every morning and he made us dinner every night. We didn't use a single recipe and kept our meals simple. There is no need to stress yourself out and overcomplicate this with long recipes and $10 dressings. Andy made us compliant dressings from scratch a couple times as well as a couple batches of clarified butter.
My advice for future Whole30ers - Keep a lot of produce, potatoes and eggs on hand at all times, don't let yourself get hungry and keep it simple! I encourage those of you on the fence to give it a shot - it's only 30 days and you could feel amazing too!
