Holy moley! Baby Doodah has hit the BIG 500!?!
You read that correctly, folks! I hit 500 posts late last week, which means it is time to celebrate…. 😀
Tag Archives: holidays
Happy Holidays!
Hey everyone! Just a really quick post to let you know that I’m going to be taking the remainder of the year off. I have a ton going on to prepare for Christmas and then we have family flying in mid-week. I want to be able to truly enjoy our time together, during the holidays!
With that said – in the New Year, you can expect some changes (good ones) to be happening.
Things like…
- A more reliable post schedule
- Better Content
- Themes
- A more cohesive site
- Better ease of navigation
- A better flow
All of these won’t happen at once, but you’ll definitely notice the changes as the year goes on. I cannot wait for the new year and everything that it will hold.
Please have a wonderful holiday season and be sure to enjoy every possible moment with your family and friends. For me, that’s what it is all about – forget the presents, bring the love and comfort!
Take care!
Love,
Celebrate the Holidays – NOT the Food
I was going to start this post by saying that the holidays are on their way, but let’s be real, they’re here. Thanksgiving is 3 days away, and Christmas is 30 or so days away – they’re definitely here!
This is a time of the year where people tend to let their bad habits come back into play and claim that they’ll start anew after the first of the year. I was typically one of those people, but I’m not this year. Nope! No way, no how! I thought since I’ve shared my journey with you, I’d take some time to explain how I plan on staying focused on my health this year.
I would say, nearly every year since I can remember has been spent telling myself that it’s okay to OVER indulge and gain a little weight, because the first of the year is right around the corner, and what better time to restart the weightloss journey than January one? Am I right?
This year, I decided to do something a little differently, technically A LOT differently for me. I plan on treating this time of the year the same way I do every other part of the year, when it comes to food. I’m not going to eat like it’s my last meal, or like I’ll never have the food again – I’m going to enjoy what I want, but in moderation.
Easier said than done, right?
Usually I would agree, but something is different for me, this time around. The other day, while celebrating early Thanksgiving with my family, I didn’t feel the normal pull of 2nd and 3rd helpings. And, I was even asked if I wanted more squash/potatoes/cranberry sauce/turkey, but I said no to all of it. I was full, I knew it, and my belly knew it. Instead, I spent the precious time with my family all together, laughing and not focusing on the food on the table or going in my mouth.
I imagine the experience was similar to how a naturally thin person would eat. I knew there was food in front of me, I knew I wanted to eat some of it, but I wasn’t concerned about the amount I’d eat. It was an amazing feeling!!
I can’t really pinpoint exactly what has caused this change in mindset, but what I can share are the many different things I am doing to better myself, and have a healthier relationship with food.
So far, in the last couple months I’ve…
- Read a couple different self-help books
- Started drinking Shakeology daily – I truly believe that this is a huge part of why my cravings are manageable.
- Stopped hating on myself constantly – I used to be so mean to myself, now, about 80% (I’m working on the other 20) of the time, I am kind and loving and am more accepting of my flaws.
- Started working out regularly – Any workout will really get you feeling better, but doing it regularly will change your entire mind.
- Actually listening to the complements that my husband gives me – Probably seems like an easy one, but it was actually pretty difficult. I just never saw what he did, I shut that part of me up and now listen to Seamus.
- Stopped worrying about whether I’ll ever have another Big Mac, slice of pizza, chicken fingers, etc., again – I tell myself that there will be another opportunity for these foods, but I have to really want them (except for the pizza, that I will splurge on, or make at home).
See… I’ve made a lot of changes! But, let me make one thing very clear, I am not 100% perfect with any of these areas. I still struggle with food, but since admitting and becoming more aware of my triggers, my bingeing and bad relationship with food has gotten much much better.
So yeah, I’m excited about this holiday season because it means lots of time with family, who I only see a few times a year. The food? Well, that’s just an added bonus!!
Curious to know more about my poor relationship with food? You can read all about my struggles with Binge Eating Disorder by clicking here.
Your turn!
Have you made any changes in regards to your eating or relationship with food? Or are you waiting until the new year to get started?
What’s your tried and true trick to help stave off the cravings?
Please share in the comments below!
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I’m linking up with Fitness Cheerleader and Running Rachel – YOU should join me at the #MotivateMeMonday link-up!
Picture Post – Holidays
The holidays flew by in what seemed like a blink of the eye, but we did our best to celebrate to the fullest.
**Warning: This will be a picture heavy post.**
Back in my Thanksgiving post, I mentioned that the holidays would be a bit different for us then they have been in the past. Typically we celebrate Christmas Eve at my parent’s house and do this huge Wigilia celebration. Actually, up until about 4 or 5 years ago, the celebration was at my grandmother’s house, and I looked forward to that more than any other day of the year. The traditions just abounded and it felt so good being around my family. This year, we unfortunately could not celebrate with a Wigilia meal because I had to work Christmas Eve, and traveling with Emmett that evening just wouldn’t have been feasible. Instead, we attempted to have our own meal, but it just wasn’t the same. Maybe we’ll be able to make it down to my parent’s house next year to celebrate, but only time will tell.
Christmas morning was wonderful! We woke up, and spent time in bed, cuddling with Emmett. He drank his milk and then it was almost as if he knew something was different, he started whining to get down. Once down, he ran into the living and started whining to open gifts, smart little boy, I tell yah!
In the afternoon we made a quick trip to visit my parents and open gifts with them. It was pretty relaxing visit, which is good because by the end of the night Emmett was very obviously starting to feel crappy and getting a fever. 🙁
Santa also made a visit, but the babies were not happy.
The rest of the holidays were spent between work and Seamus/Emmett time (there’s nothing better)!
She’s single & educated!
My sister was joking around on Christmas, asking whether her outfit was pretty enough for the blog. Then she stated I should take a nice picture of her and put it on the blog, letting people know she’s single. Welp, there yah go, Bridget! HAHA
We had a great time seeing my niece and her parents, just wish we’d had more time together.
Your turn!
How did you spend your holidays?
My 2014 Intentions
I’m sharing my 2014 Intentions.
I don’t know if anyone is like me, but every year I make resolutions (you can read last year’s here), and nearly every year I fail to follow-through. It’s pretty depressing, and I have absolutely no one to blame but myself. I want 2014 to be different, beyond all else, I’d love for this to be the year that I stop making excuses.
So in an effort to stick to this overarching goal, my theme for the year is (just like Nike), Just Do It!
Without further ado, my 2014 Intentions:
Grow My Blog – Baby Doodah is slowly but surely growing in readership, but I need to put more time into the behind the scenes organization. This includes, completing my editorial calendar, getting a notebook (or a great app) to keep with me always to keep track of ideas that pop into my head at a moments notice.
I want to continue writing consistently, since July I’ve been writing about 5 to 7 posts a week, and I really want to keep up with that. I feel so great when I sit down and dedicate time to writing a post, it inspires me to write more. What better way to keep blogging, then to dedicate myself to writing AT LEAST 30 minutes a day? Nothing! So that’s what I’ll do.
Stop being obsessed with the numbers! Right now, I’m so concerned with how many views my blog gets each day, that I am checking my stats constantly. I recently read a tip that you should check your stats once a month, and take that time to, instead write great posts. I’d like to adopt this philosophy.
Work on my focus and time management, in regards to my blog. Right now, every time I sit down to write, I think of everything else I need to do, and it overwhelms me. If I’ve sat down to write, I start flipping through email, or reading one of the many bookmarked sites I have, and the last thing I work on is the blog post. I’d like to have dedicated time to do emails, write, and read things I’ve bookmarked – if I stick to these dedicated times, I believe I’ll gain some serious focus.
I am also considering a few new blog series, but for now, they’re still in development, so I can’t share anything more about them. 😉
Take My Health Seriously – I need to stop futzing around with my health. I’m extremely overweight, probably in the morbidly obese category, and that needs to stop. I want more children, and I am just not at a weight that I am comfortable with. I put myself, and the future child in so much danger being so high in weight. Honestly, there is no better motivation, than losing weight so that I can be around a long, long time for my children. I am going to be taking part in the Genetix Program (more to come on this in future posts), and I’m hoping it will help assist in the motivation to get healthy, once and for all! I need to wrangle in my eating and start breaking a sweat in the gym.
Focus on ME – I am a person who is always concerned with what others think of me, and I struggle when I feel like someone doesn’t like me or is thinking negatively about me. I need to stop, what is most important is what I think of me. There are times when people’s opinions are important, but other times I worry unnecessarily. I need to work on changing this, but I’m not quite sure how, research is needed. Of my intentions for the year, this will likely be the most difficult.
Those are my 2014 Intentions, I’m keeping it to three so that I can truly focus on them, and accomplish great things.
Your turn!
What are your 2014 Intentions? Let’s keep each other accountable!
Weekly Wishes – Nature
It’s Weekly Wishes – Nature time!
Weekly Wishes is a link-up started by Melyssa from The Nectar Collective. It is a place where you can post and share you wishes and goals for the week ahead on your blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, etc and then link it up on Melyssa’s blog. I LOVE doing this because it holds me accountable for the week ahead. I’ve shared my goals with the world (through my blog) and I know people will read and wonder whether I stuck to my goals. It definitely keeps me honest!
Is it seriously Monday already? I swear that I had just been joyous that Friday had ended and was on my way home from work. Guess the busy days cause that to happen, huh?
Either way, we had the best weekend! Saturday was full of us bumming around, to almost every store you can think of, getting all of our last minute shopping out of the way, and then grabbing (a not so healthy) lunch at Tully’s. If you’ve never been, you should go, their chicken fingers are AH-mazing. Anyhow, back to our weekend, Emmett was so good while we went in and out of one store after another. I really anticipated him melting down because he had to get in and out of his car seat and didn’t get the chance to get down and run around, but nope, he was so good! Love that lil bugger!
Sunday was almost as equally busy. Seamus had to run an errand in the morning, so Emmett and I spent time playing and being complete goofballs together. When Seamus got home, I showered and we all went out for lunch, then grocery shopping and ran a few other errands. I am seriously enjoying this Christmas season, but I will admit that I am looking forward to a weekend of not running around or possibly not even leaving the house. That sounds lovely! 😉
This week’s theme for Weekly Wishes is Nature. My picture doesn’t directly reflect nature, but it was taken while Emmett and I were out playing in the snow (that has now melted away 🙁 ) last weekend. Emmett wasn’t thrilled with being in the snow, he actually got quite upset (you can see pictures here), but I’ll keep trying. I am snow lover (except to drive in it, then I’m a nervous wreck) and I really would love to share that opinion with my favorite boy.
Now, down to business! Last week’s wishes…
My first wish from last week was to fill in my editorial calendar. Ugh! I hate reporting failures, but I just could not find the time to do this. The only day I had time was Thursday, and I really wanted to take that day away from the blog, I always seem more refreshed and motivated when I take a day away. It is what it is, life is busy right now, I’m not going to get down on myself about it.
Next was to ensure that I really spent time absorbing the Christmas season with Emmett. I did this as much as possible! Work is busy, and I’m really stressed out about it, so trying to pull myself back to family time, once I’m home, is tough. But I did force myself to do so, and felt great about it!
My final wish was to finish Christmas shopping and begin wrapping. COMPLETE! We finished shopping this weekend, and while I may get a few more odds and ends for the heck of it, we are done. Seamus has off today, so he’ll begin wrapping this afternoon. I couldn’t be happier!
This week’s wishes…
- Spend time being with my family, this Christmas week. Next time I am here, Christmas will be over and I really want to report that we had a full and loving holiday.
That’s it, that is my ONLY wish. I’m taking it easy on myself this week, so that I can not stress about anything at home and just be happy and in love.
Alright that’s it, my loves! Be sure to stop on over to The Nectar Collective and link-up with Melyssa’s Weekly Wishes.
Your turn!
What are you exciting plans for this holiday week?
Erway’s Christmas Tree Adventure
We recently visited Erway’s Christmas Tree Adventure, it was such a great time!
We decided in early October, shortly before Halloween, that we would get a real tree. Our original reason for that was that the fake tree we have is much larger than the space we wanted to put it in, and I really don’t want to feel any more squished then we already are. I immediately started looking for places to get our tree, sure you can go to Home Depot or other local stores around us, but I really wanted to create a memory for us, and possibly start a new tradition.
Then – BAM! I was driving to work, and on the highway was a billboard for Erways’ Christmas Tree Adventure. I wasn’t sold at first, the billboard was kind of silly and the name was really long, but I drove by the billboard again the next more and decided I’d look it up later that day. I’m really glad I did! It is such a fantastic tree farm, filled with loads of things to do with your kids, beyond just getting a Christmas tree.
When you visit Erways’ Christmas Tree Adventure, and buy a tree, everything else is included in the cost. That means that things like, Tree shaking, Trunk Drilling, Tree Bale, Secure Car Tie and admission to their lodge, are all included. The lodge is great! There are snacks and hot drinks, and Santa on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6. They also have live animals that you can buy feed for, several deer, bucks and goats and one cute little zebra.
Seamus and I both took off on Friday so that we could go to Erway’s early and avoid any crowds. It worked! There were people there shopping, but it was a nice pleasant amount. We got to slowly meander through the one of the greenhouses to look for our tree. We stopped at a few different ones, thinking it was THE one, but we kept on walking, we weren’t completely smitten. Then, as we continued, we found it and it is perfect! I’ll definitely share pictures of the tree we chose and how it’s decorated in a few days, but it’s not quite ready. We placed the lights on the tree, but haven’t put up the star or the ornaments, I’m sure I’ll get to that over the next few days.
While our tree was being prepared for the ride home, we went into the lodge and looked around, and then wandered through the animals. Emmett had a really fun time looking at all the different animals and kept wanting to reach in and touch them. They all had signs to be careful because they could bite, so we kept Emmett back, but close enough so that he could see them move around. He was having so much fun, he really seems to love animals!
The prices of the trees are affordable and right on par with Home Depot, or any other tree farm. Our tree is very fresh, and once placed in the tree stand, barely drank any water because it was still so fresh. Oh! And it smells amazing! I can’t stop sticking my face deep into the needles and huffing it. Mmmmm…
Because of the lighting that day, we were able to get some really really cute photos!
If you’re located in Western New York, and are looking for a place to get your Christmas tree, I highly recommend Erway’s Christmas Tree Adventure. We made some great memories this year, and will likely return to Erway’s next year.
Your turn!
Real or Fake Christmas Tree for you?
Do you have a special tradition that you follow for getting your Christmas tree?