I am Officially a Housewife

  As some of you may already know, I've been making some adjustments to my personal life. After many conversations between myself and my wonderfully supportive husband, we have decided that it's time for me to pursue some other opportunities. I have finally made the leap from working wife to housewife(/student). I enrolled a little while ago in some online courses and have been very slowly making my way through, and now I'm able to focus on that full time! And hopefully now that this shift has happened I'll also have more time to dedicate to the blog (which I've really been missing!).

  Also, now that I'm back writing again, I couldn't start up with just any old thing, so tonight for dinner we spiced things up, Moroccan style! One of my favorite places is Marrakesh, the restaurant in Portland Oregon, not the city in Morocco (although I've never been there and am sure that I would love it there too!). It wasn't somewhere that I went often, but I always enjoyed the experience whatever the occasion. If you are one of my many Portland area readers and haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should. And if you are one of my many readers from elsewhere, or just want to save some money, I suggest having a Moroccan night in your home too!

  My husband had no idea what he was in for as I was whisking around the kitchen preparing dinner with ingredients that you don't too often find in our house, but I'm sure common in most other homes they are more common. In fact one of the biggest appeals to this meal, besides the familiar smells wafting though our home, was that I only had to run to the store for 3 things! Another added bonus was that the main course hasdbeen prepared in the crockpot, so NO FUSS! 

  For those of you familiar with the Moroccan way, we ate dinner sitting on the floor and eating with our hands this evening. And we started that awesome meal off with a salad, but not any ordinary salad, a roasted eggplant salad! In Morocco they call it Zaalouk, and it turned out perfectly! (After Ryan's first bite there was a loud and resounding "MMMMMMMMMMM!")

Roasted Eggplant Salad: Zaalook/Zaalouk Recipe

4 servings

For the eggplants

1 medium eggplant
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut off the top and bottom of the eggplant and peel it, leaving sporadic strips of skin throughout. Cut it into 1-inch cubes. If the eggplant is old and excessively seedy, you may need to salt and drain it for at least 30 minutes before use, otherwise proceed directly. Place the eggplant cubes in a single layer in a baking dish or cookie sheet and generously brush them with olive oil. Roast them for 25 to 30 minutes (I'm at a little higher altitude and I only roasted them for about 15 minutes and they were perfect). Remove from the oven and mash the eggplants on a cutting board with a fork or potato masher.

In a medium sauté pan, cook the tomatoes with garlic and olive oil over medium heat, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mashed eggplants and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, mashing them some more with a spatula to completely blend with the tomatoes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sea salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and vinegar.

Serve warm, cold or at room temperature, garnished with chopped parsley. Serve flat bread or crusty bread (I went with a crusty artisan flat bread that I found for $2 at the store) **I served it with finely diced cucumbers and green leaf lettuce (again, that's how it is prepared at the restaurant, but you can take it or leave it). 

  It comes out looking, or at least mine did, like a big pile of mush. But, if my memory serves me correctly, that's what it looks like at the restaurant and it smelled EXACTLY the same! It can be served warm, but I prefer it the way that I've been served it in the past, which is kinda cold. The greatest part is that you can quickly make this up after you've thrown dinner in and let it chill for a while in the fridge, then just pull it out right when the crockpot goes off and VOILA! And speaking of dinner, the main course tonight was:

Lemon and Olive Chicken!

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped onion
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I actually used chicken thighs because I love the taste of them)
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 cup green olives (you can always add more, I did!)
1 tbs white vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup swason 99% fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Place onion in bottom of slow cooker. Arrange chicken breasts over onions. Place the thinly sliced lemon's on top of the chicken breasts, add olives, vinegar, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Slowly pour broth over chicken.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until chicken is tender. Add parsley before serving.

 I can't even begin to tell you how awesome your house will smell!

  About 5 minutes before the Crockpot went off I whipped up some Cous Cous (SUPER EASY TO MAKE, just follow directions on the box) and dinner was ready! I know that this might seem like a lot, trust me, I thought the same thing before attempting it, but it really is one of the easiest meals I've ever made and with the greatest reward. 

  It was definitely something different than we normally do, and I'm fortunate enough to have a husband who is equally as adventurous and doesn't just roll his eyes when I carry dinner past the dining room table and set it on the coffee table. :) 

Conversations With Women

  Growing up I was definitely not what you would call "housewife material". A self-proclaimed tomboy, with not much more than random t-shirts and jeans in my drawers. Girly-girls use to bug me and I just never got along with them. While I had a couple of friends who were girls when I was younger, they were never really the girly type either. And once I started getting older, it seemed that all of my friends were guys. I just found that I related to them more. I would have much rather played video games and climbed trees than do my makeup and sit around talking about boys while completely surrounded by pink things everywhere. (which is what I assume they all did when we were younger).

  And then somewhere along the line, something changed. I'm not sure if I could pinpoint an exact time or location because it was such a gradual process. But at the same time it seemed like an overnight transformation. Where one day I was talking about zombies and gore and the next I was talking about makeup and dresses. So I guess I'm either evolving (or devolving). Maybe it's just taken me this long to figure out that those girls when I was younger knew something that I didn't. Now this is not to say that I don't still enjoy talking about those things, but my focus has now shifted. And I guess more than anything, I find myself relating more and more to women. And in the process it's sparked some very interesting conversations.

  I sometimes still feel like Jane Goodall, studying these creatures and their movements and personalities. Learning how to live among them without standing out like a sore thumb (or a human among monkeys). But everyday I'm learning from them, these strong and amazing women that I surround myself with. I never knew that women were even having these conversations. Not only are they taking about things like makeup and hair (which is all I ever saw from a distance), but they are talking about these deeply personal things. And I was never one to have personal conversations, or really talk about myself at all. (Well that's obviously changed!) Now I find myself talking with women I just met about concerns and fears that I may have. Admitting things to them, that I've just barely started admitting to myself. But they get it. And they relate. And then they share their stories. Then we cry or laugh or just smile to ourselves and be happy with the fact that someone else understands what you're going through, or dealing with, or is excited about. (or maybe that's just me). And it's different than how a man gets it. The difference between sympathy and empathy. I know that this all must sounds so elementary to most of you, but I never really got it until now. And I'm really glad that I do.

  I am really happy to be a part of these conversations, and to be a part of something so special. This experience has really opened my eyes and really got me talking to people that I wouldn't have normally talked to. And I've been loving ever minute of it!
 Thanks so much to all of the amazing women in my life. I learn so much from you everyday! And I promise that tomorrow I'll go back to talking about my amazing husband. :P
 

Getting to Know Me!

  I know that most of you already know who I am, and what I'm about, but as I'm getting more and more followers (THANKS!) I thought that I would introduce myself formally. My name is Ashley, I'm almost 30 and I've been married for just over 3 months to my best friend, Ryan. I don't claim to be the best housewife, or have all of the answers, but I'm certainly trying, and learning and growing everyday. And my number 1 goal is to be the best wife for my husband.
  I've been collecting some questions today to help you get to know me just a little bit better, so without any further delays, I'll get right into them!

Q: Why did you start blogging in the first place?
A: Well, to be completely honest, I started blogging because of the movie Julie&Julia! As most of you know, it's a movie about a girl in her late 20's/early 30's who doesn't really get fulfillment from her job, has a really supportive husband and is just trying to find something to do with her time and learning to finish something that she started. I can relate to that. And I thought, I have a unique voice that I think people might be able to relate to, and if not then it's just a really fun journal for me. I love my husband, and just want to be the best for him and this was a way for me to learn and try new things and also hold myself accountable.

Q: What is your favorite food to bake?
A: Wow! Umm, so far it's probably cupcakes. It's not that they are anything special, but I love how much Ryan loves them. And he always gets so excited when he knows that I've made them. Plus, I LOVE decorating them. It's something that I've been teaching myself little by little, and I really enjoy it. It allows me to be creative and artistic, and also eat cupcakes!

Q: What is your favorite thing about being married?
A: EVERYTHING! (more specific?) I have always been kind of a people pleaser, so I like having someone around that I can take care of. And it's not because he can't take care of himself, he's fully capable, but he lets me. It makes me happy to serve my husband and do little things for him!

Q: Do you have a favorite website/cookbook for recipes?
A: I hate to kinda cop-out with this one, but I'd have to say Pinterest. :P There are so many new and fun things to try on there, and I've got some really good ideas from it. I also just use Google a lot. Ryan and I are on a diet where we eat 5 meals a day, and our 3 main meals have around 300-400 calories each, so I will literally just type in "400 calorie meals" in Google and just start clicking around. And mostly I just try and search for recipes that we both love and then experiment with ways that I can make them healthier and still tasty.

Q: What three things can always be found in your fridge?
A: And I can only pick 3? Well the first one is always water. I'm weird and I can't stand the taste of tap water in Utah. I've lived here for just over 3 years and I've yet to drink it. So we always have gallon jugs of water. The second thing would be our meats. Every Sunday I cook up a big batch of ground turkey and chicken and I keep it in containers in the fridge so we can just scoops out a portion (about 4oz.) whenever we need it for a meal. And the third thing would be liquid egg whites. I am a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and every other day of the week I make either quick and easy breakfast sandwiches or omelettes. (great question!)

Q: What was the last thing that you ate?
A: We just finished up dinner a little bit ago and I made Chicken Tostadas. I bake some corn tortillas and we use refried black beans, diced chicken, tomatoes, olives, onion and lettuce (and usually a little salsa). They are quick and easy, which is the way I like my meals to be since we're both so busy.

Q: Shower or baths?
A: Well that's kind of a personal question :) but I really enjoy my baths. Just as important as it is for me to take care of my husband, it is just as important for me to take care of myself. I'm not a stay-at-home housewife, I too have a full time job and I love being able to spend some alone time with my scented bath salts, just soaking in a hot tub with a good book!

Q: What makeup could you not live without?
A: I would probably have to say my eyeliner, although I'm getting more and more into lipsticks. I haven't always been super girly and am still figuring out this whole makeup thing, but it's fun to just play around with it until something good happens.


  Wow! Thank you all so much for the awesome questions! (That was actually kind of fun!) If you didn't get your question in today, there's always tomorrow. You can always leave questions for me in the comments below and also on the Facebook fan page. And just a reminder that we're still working on getting 50 likes, so if you like what you've been reading so far, please share it with your friends!
  Thanks to all of you! NIGHT!
 

Really Early, or Really Late Spring Cleaning!

  Shortly after we moved into our townhouse a whole string of craziness started in our lives. It began with Ryan's birthday, which was also when his family came out for the week and it was the first time I had met them. Then all of the crazy planning and weekends figuring out favors, and flowers, and fittings for our wedding which was only a few short months away. And of course all of the stuff going on after the wedding! They don't tell you about that stuff. I always assumed that after the wedding everything would settle back down and go back to normal, but that's not how it happens at all. It's thank you notes and finding places for your gifts and a weeks worth of cleaning after the final house guest has left. In fact, I just found a box of stuff from our wedding that I hadn't even noticed before! Needless to say, we have now been in our place for just over 8 months and we're still not quite settled in.

  This weekend I really wanted to tackle a couple of rooms, our front living room area and the unfinished bedroom in the basement which has become designated storage room. Along with all of the normal and deep cleaning I do on Fridays while Ryan is at work, I decided to redesign the front room. We've got a couch that was left here by the owner, one that we had already, my big red chair, a coffee table and 2 side tables. There is nothing in the world that can quickly change the entire feel of a room more than a redesign. I know that that seems so obvious, but I just don't think that we always think of it as an option. So often, once we put something somewhere, that just becomes the place where it must be. But you should play around with your furniture. Every few months I like to redesign my bedroom. Even if it's something as simple as moving our bed up against a different wall. 

  The front room I've been wanting to do basically ever since we moved in and I set it up the way I had it. It just never felt quite right. The couches were facing each other with the coffee table in between them. Seemed great for if people came over to sit and chat in there. The problem was that we never really had anyone came over that just sat down in our front room to talk! So why was that the situation that I was creating the atmosphere for. Instead I wanted a room that was a little more closed off and personal. For the longest time I've been looking for a big "L" shaped couch, which I thought would really create the feel I was going for. And then, just this Friday, it hit me, I have 2 couches, why can't I just move them into an "L" shape? Yes, I know, I too fall prey to the notion that once something is put somewhere than that's where it must live until it's dying day. So I moved them! And in the process, 2 things happened: 1) I finally got the room to feel the way that I wanted it to! And 2) I saved us $1000 by not having to buy a new couch! (Ryan is really happy about the second!) 

  The second room that I've been wanting to work on is the unfinished bedroom in the basement where all of our storage is. Now, let's keep in mind that we have a good-sized townhouse, and it is just the 2 of us. Also, Ryan and I are really pretty good about not frivolously spending money on things that don't have a purpose or a specific place they need to be, so our "storage" is mostly things like a box of Christmas decorations and some of my old writings, art stuff, and our camping stuff that just doesn't get used that often. But we had it all just thrown down in the spare bedroom and what little we have seemed to be multiplying and taking over the whole room. So off to Home Depot we went to find some sort of shelving unit to contain the madness. $40 later and no tools required, we quickly snapped together the shelf and started organizing the boxes. The shelf had 5 shelves, which was a little too tall for the closet space, so we did 3 and 2 side-by-side and they fit PERFECTLY!! Now I am able to get to the Christmas decorations, when it's time, without having to take out everything else just to uncover it! 

  It truly doesn't take that long and it makes SUCH a difference! It is true that we should try to think outside the box, especially when it comes to our homes. It is where we spend the most time and where we should feel the most comfortable. Redesigning a room can change your whole attitude. It has certainly changed mine!

  Just a quick reminder that I'm still working on reaching 50 likes on the Facebook page so that I can give away any awesome prize (CHECK IT OUT HERE). I've also now added a link to the Wonder Woman Housewife Pinterest page so you can check out where I get some of my ideas! 

  Thanks so much to everyone! Night!

I had the craziest dream last night . .

  Every once in a while you have a dream so real that you can still feel it long after you've woken up. Well last night was my turn for just that.
  I was the me I am now (i.e. married, my age), and had gone back to work for the Olive Garden. Ryan was currently out of town for work and I was doing fine with that. So, my first night back to work at the Olive Garden and my first and only table was Ryan's entire family. Not just his immediate family, but EVERYONE! There was close to 50 people sitting around all of these tables pushed together to make one big enough for their party, and I was serving them all by myself. (Anyone who knows anything about serving/waitressing knows that for roughly every 10 customers there is another server. So, basically I should of had about four other people helping me out, but no, it was all me!)
  Everything started out just fine. As in they got there, found the table and all found a seat. It pretty much went downhill from there. I started with collecting their drink orders. Not a hard task (in reality), but for some reason I couldn't understand anything they were saying. (You know how you just stop asking someone to repeat something after the 4th time and just pretend like you've heard them? Well it was kind of like that. Fine in normal situations, not so fine when taking someone's order.) I was nervous in front of the table. It was the first time that I was meeting so many of his family and they were all watching me so closely as I fumbled through my little welcome speech and wrote down their drink orders (or as close as I could figure their drink orders were).
  The problem being with so many of them, was that by the time I got from one end of the table to the other just trying to understand what they wanted to drink, the other end was ready to order! So, back to the beginning to start all over again. I had no problem hearing their food orders (thank goodness!). After getting through that as quickly as I could (which in reality was not the quick, as I could tell by the eyes already being rolled in my general direction and water glasses already empty) I was off to get their order into the computer. I wanted to get the food order in first since that would obviously take longer, so I wanted to time the meal just perfect. After another 15 of putting in their food orders, I finally ordered the drinks. The bartender calls me over because he can't even understand what I've put into the system! It's one big hot mess! The head cook is already calling me into the kitchen to have me help decode the order and it seemed like they were staffed with all new people because no one else really knew what they were doing either.
  I finally go over and pick up the drinks and take them over to deliver them to the table. The second I'm in sight of the table I see "the look". As my eyes slowing work their way down the never ending table, along the way every face is showing signs of patience lost. Heads shaking slowly side to side, eyes rolling, whispered conversations and then my eyes make it to the opposite end of the far table. And sitting right at the end is Ryan's dad, and he gives me "the look", the look of total disappointment. (And even as I write this line it brings tears to my eyes). I slowly start handing out the drinks, trying to get them to the right people, but nothing that I ordered was right, and of course as they were telling me this time what they had wanted I heard them just perfectly. But as I'm only half way down this endless table, THE FOOD IS BEING DELIVERED! Trays and trays and trays of food are pouring out of the kitchen and I'm trying to direct the other servers (who apparently are around only to help with deliver the food) where the meals need to go, but I still have the drinks in my hand, it hits me that I totally forgot all of their soup and salads, and his dad from the far end of the table (from hell) is still giving me "the look".
  As soon and the food was on the table and in front of the right person, they already had their credit cards in the air and they were just ready to leave and get out of there. Everyone seemed to be paying separately (which is so confusing). So I start making my way down the table, collecting credit cards, and going at a snails pace because I am dreading reaching the other end of the table. Where Ryan's father is. (yeah, you guessed it). Still giving me "the look". I don't remember exactly what he said to me when I finally reached him, but I'm pretty sure that it was something about how basically I should end up "comping" or "writing off" some of the balance on account of everything going horribly wrong which resulted in the worst dining experience in the world. (in not so many words, but that's how I felt after what he said. Although now, I just like to think that he said it because he's "basically a cheap bastard", his words, not mine!). As I walked away from him, I made it about half way back down the table when one of Ryan's cousins (that I've never met before) grabbed my arm, and guided me down to the seat next to him. He asked me how I was doing and I just kind of looked up at him from under my brow in that sarcastic way that I do, and he just laughed and said that it would be fine. That taking care of that many people would be difficult for ANY one person to do, and timing a meal of that size would be almost impossible in almost any circumstance.
  And then instead of feeling better, I lost it, and just started crying. Harder than I probably ever have in my life. More than his entire family already hating me, and the disappointment from his father, all I could think about was how much I missed Ryan and just needed him there. That it would make everything okay. I told his cousin that I might not be able to serve 50 people, but I knew exactly how to time breakfast for Ryan in the mornings to make sure that he's not late for work.

  And then I woke up.

  My face still wet with tears, I curled up next to Ryan and wrapped my arms around him. And everything was okay.

Things I realized from my dream:
* I know Ryan's family doesn't hate me, and that his father couldn't be more proud of me and I'm pretty sure isn't even capable of a disappointing look. I know that this is about my own insecurities and not ever wanting to ever disappoint anyway or let anyone down.
*  But the biggest thing that I've realized is that I need my husband. I know that I can be a little too "independent" sometimes in my marriage, and having someone around all the time that I have to compromise with is taking some getting use to. And that, yeah, I'm not meant to serve 50 people. I only need to serve 1. This is EXACTLY where I am meant to be. (Even though the dream was a pretty messed way of teaching me that!)

 So, Ryan, party of one, your table is ready!

Whew!!

 Well I have already had quite the productive day, and I haven't even gone to work yet!

  One of the areas of my life that I am blessed is that fact that I don't actually start work until 1pm on Wednesdays. I love having this morning off to run errands or get things done around the house. Wednesday is also one of my "run days". (Ryan and I are currently working our way through the Couch 2 5K program). Needless to say, there is no sleeping in for me even on mornings off. So I got up this morning and for breakfast made turkey sausage omelettes.


Turkey Sausage Omelette:
3tbsp liquid egg whites
1 turkey sausage patty, diced
1tbsp fat free shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp homemade tomato salsa

 After breakfast it's time to get Ryan off to work! A few minutes later I am back at the house and head straight downstairs and hop on the elliptical. I'm into week 6 now of the Couch 2 5K program and it's definitely more of a challenge, but one that I'm still enjoying. I find that the mornings I dread running the most are the also the days that I feel most rewarded once I complete the run. I was definitely not feeling it today, and I am normally really looking forward to my runs. And I definitely felt over minute of today's run, but like I said, that makes finishing it so much more worth it.
 Once I'm done with the run, it's back into the kitchen for this little housewife! Lunch has already been prepared by my wonderful husband, and since I won't be at home for dinner tonight I want to make sure he's got something waiting for him! While it is nice to have to morning off, the turnaround is that I work until 7pm. Also at the same time I am working on a batch of carrot cake cupcakes! (I know, I know, I'm crazy). Now, I have never claimed to be Betty Crocker, but I do use her stuff! Yep! Cake mix right out of the box. In my opinion it's not "how" you do it, it's just that you do it! My one little secret weapon that I have for making cupcakes is this:

 Not only are these little bottles totally cheap, they are great for salad dressing and also cake mixes! Because we are on a diet in our house, I don't like keeping a lot of treats lying around, so this is a great way to store it (I never store it longer than a week as there are raw eggs in it), and make a cupcake or two at a time. Ryan also recently purchased me a mini muffin tin, and so the bottle is also perfect for filling the little spaces without dripping the batter everywhere! Now I must warn, that while I was smart enough to think this up, I was not smart enough to think about that fact that the tip is very narrow and carrot cake mix has little pieces of carrot in it which like to get stuck in there and completely block it up, but a quick snip to the end and we're back in business!
 While the cupcakes are in the oven I start on dinner. (I'm getting tired all over again just listing out everything I do in a day!!) Part of the diet we are on is protein at every meal and portioning everything! So to make it a little easier on ourselves and our busy schedule, at the beginning of the week we create a menu and then cook up and portion off the meat that we'll be using. It's so easy and convenient to be able to grab a portion and go! So tonight for dinner, even though we won't be together, we'll both be having Tex-Mex Turkey!

Tex-Mex Turkey:

4 oz lean ground turkey 

1/4 green bell pepper, diced

1/3 can whole kernal corn (no salt added)

1/3 can black beans (50% less sodium)

1/2 cup homemade tomato salsa

And I've mentioned my homemade salsa a few times, so I guess I should give you the recipe for that too. Now, I want you to keep in mind that I am somewhat of an addict when it comes to salsa, I pretty much put it on or in everything that I make. I'm pretty sure that Ryan has never had so much salsa in his life. But this, my friends, is THE BEST SALSA I've ever had (and so incredibly easy to make)! You can thank me later.

Best Salsa EVER:
1-10oz can Rotel (I use the one with green chilies)
1-14oz can diced tomatoes (or I use fresh ones)
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 tsp honey (this is the magic ingredient!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
handful of cilantro (I would put more if Ryan let me)
juice of 1 lime (I do about half of that since I don't really like a bold lime flavor)
Then just throw all of it in a blender and give it a few really good pulses to bring it all together, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

  Most of the recipes that I give will be one person's portion, because that's how I have them all written out. And I also wanted to let you know that while there will be a cupcake waiting for my husband for when he gets home, this first batch of treats is already promised to the girls that I work with. But I will be reaching out to others on the next batch of treats as I continue my way through the world that is baking, as I really don't like the treats in my house (they will be eaten with a vengeance!) So if you're interested in any homemade goodies, just let me know in the comments below and I'll see what we can do about making it happen!

  Well now that I've given you some of my best secrets, I better jump in the shower and get ready for work! I hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am! Have a great day!

A Reflection of Day 1

  This is going to be harder than I thought! Staying positive and not letting little things get to me is one of the biggest challenges I face. For me this isn't about just learning to bake and sew and be a better wife, it's about working towards a state of mind (for lack of a better word). It's so nice to be able to look back at a “simpler time” and envy that slow pace, but it really was just that, a simpler time. Things aren't simple anymore.

  So, I find myself at a crossroads. While the computer is necessary for me to be able to share with you my awesomeness, to truly have more time for the things that I'm working on do I disconnect in other ways? Could I go a month without my phone? (Could I go an HOUR without my phone?!?) When I start to think about how many apps I have on my phone that do everything for me, I get a little (okay, a lot) nervous about what that would change for me. I would actually have to WRITE THINGS DOWN! With like pencil and paper! Okay, let's not get a head of ourselves. While I may not be ready to jump into such a venture as giving up my phone just yet, I will be limiting my use.

  Let's jump right into my goals, because I'm starting my day tomorrow bright and early with my workout, getting Ryan off to work, and baking a fresh batch of carrot cake cupcakes! (I'll write more on that experience tomorrow.) On to the goals!

Goal 5. Take 10 minutes everyday for personal reflection. Focusing on things that I'm working on, what I'd like to accomplish and action steps for making those things happen.

Goal 6. Take 10 minutes everyday to reflect on others. Focusing on someone else needs and what I might be able to do to help them.

Goal 7. Limit Facebook to one hour on Sundays. (I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!) The only thing that would be posted to Facebook throughout the week would be workouts that get shared when they are completed and the daily blogs (both of which I don't have to go directly through Facebook to post.

Goal 8. Clean out my phone and limit myself to 5 necessary apps.

  Lots of new goals today, but I think they are all necessary. If I want to move past the everyday stresses and distractions, then I need to make an active effort to remove them. This is going to be great! I know it's only been a couple of days, but this project has already made me so much happier! It's fun being able to experience more and to grow as a person, and just as fun to share it with all of you! :)

Night!

Looking Good For My Man

  The first step in taking care of your husband is first taking care of yourself. Some of this might seem like common sense, but bear with me.

  Since day one with Ryan I have never been more comfortable with anyone. It was one of the easiest progressions in my life. It's also been one of the hardest when it comes to “looking good for my man”. Now, don't get me wrong, I look good, but “getting ready” is not always my thing. When my husband tells me everyday (when I look like crap, i.e. just woke up,just worked out) how amazing I look and how beautiful I am, it's easy to forget to “get ready” for him.

  It starts with little things, like painting my toenails (since I can't paint my fingernails due to years and years of gnawing them down to less than nothing), stop biting myfingernails (:P), removing old cracked polish, doing my hair andmakeup everyday (yes, even on the weekends), and not walking straight in the door from work and putting on pajamas. I am up early, have a crazy busy schedule throughout the day, and when I get home it seems almost silly to put on “normal clothes” (I wear scrubs to work) for only a few hours before then getting into pajamas. But those are all just excuses. The same way that I'm too busy for my morning run, but I waste half an hour in the morning catching up on Facebook and Pinterest. Well NO MORE EXCUSES! My husband deserves my best and I'm going to do everything in my power to give it! And it's not like it really takes that long to apply some fresh lipstick, powder my nose, and tame my wild hair.  

  As some of you may know, my husband Ryan and I have started living a healthier lifestyle. We are both counting calories and working out everyday (okay, at least ever otherday). Doing this together has been fun (as fun as dieting and exercise can be), and the support has been amazing. Taking even a half an hour every other day and doing some sort of activity does wonders for you! (I'm going to try and not go too much into this other than occasional check-ins. Or unless it's something that anyone is interested in hearing more about.)

A lot of the time the reason we won't go and do anything in the evenings after work is I am just too tired.That's why it is super important to be getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night. This has been key for us, and probably harder for Ryan to do than me. But he is younger and seems to still be able to stay up late and wake up early with little to no problem (it's kind of annoying). And obviously this isn't easy for people with young kids, but really try as best you can.

  I will be giving myself occasional goals to be working towards. Please feel free to join in with me if it's something that you too would like to work on, or check in with me and see how I'm doing. As this is my first official day in becoming the best-little-housewife-I-can-be and we are talking about ways to better ourselves, then we'll start there.

Goal 1. Stop biting fingernails. As sexy as my husband thinks I am, that is not sexy!

Goal 2. Keep on track with calorie counting and exercising every other day.

Goal 3. Take time everyday to get ready, even when I don't feel like it, especially when I don't feel like it!

Goal 4. Stay positive! (this one is super important, and I'll be talking more about it later)

Well I guess that's it for now. Catch you on the flip side!

Introduction

  When I tell people that I wake up early to exercise, shower, and have breakfast ready and lunch packed up for my husband everyday (sometimes before he's even rolled out of bed), you'd think that I was covered from head to toe in slime by the way they look at me.