Happiness Project | May 2012 recap

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Acceptance or surrender?

Am I giving in?  Or am I living in this moment?

Is this feeling a feeling of resignation?  Or am I letting this feeling wash over and through me?

I made radical acceptance my goal for my May Happiness Project, and it’s been a challenging month.  I’ve felt underwater with all my roles and responsibilities and pressure to be everything to everyone.  Felt frustrated with the loneliness and monotony that goes along with being a stay-at-home-mom.  Worked through nervousness and jitters as I taught step classes and in between crammed my brain with new choreography to learn.

Sometimes life can feel so heavy.  And in those heavy moments, I worked to survey my mind and body, ask myself what it is I’m feeling.  Why I’m feeling that way.  Sit with those feelings instead of let them run roughshod through my mind.

To me, that’s what radical acceptance is.  Accepting how I’m feeling without trying to change or judge how I feel.  It’s just a feeling.  It’s not who I am.

But it’s mighty uncomfortable to sit with certain feelings.  Sitting with frustration is not my favorite.  I feel that frustration bubbling and pulsing.  Frustration is a burning feeling.  And unworthiness is equally itchy.  Sitting with unworthiness feels like lying in mud through a rainstorm.

I’m not particulary fond of sitting with feelings.  I want to hurry through them.  But feelings are tricky.  The more I try to push them away, the more they remain.

So this month I just sat with my feelings.  Good feelings.  Bad feelings.  Indifferent feelings.  Just sat.  And at first it was just too hard.  But I kept trying.  And trying a little more.  And a little more.

Some of the time, I was able to let the feelings slide through me without judging myself.  And other times I got stuck and turned a critical mind to myself and my thoughts.

It seems this radical acceptance thing takes some practice.

I’ve determined I can’t completely change my thought pattern in one month.  But small shifts in my thinking this month proved to me there is another, a happier way, to move through life’s frustrations.

I don’t have to like everything about my life.  And some stuff I can change.  But for those things I can’t, there’s acceptance.  And that’s kind of freeing.

Favorites | May 2012

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Stash Premium Lemon Ginger tea.  While I’m all about caffeine during the day, I like to end my day in a decaf way.  I am usually a sleepytime tea girl, but I’ve been mixing it up with whatever’s on sale at the grocery.  For the past couple weeks, Harris Teeter has had Stash tea on sale, and I’m crazy for this lemon ginger.  It’s spicy and slightly sweet and fabulous with some animal crackers and bad TV.

Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion.  If I only do two beauty-related things a day, it’s clean and moisturize.  After I shower, I pat myself dry and smear lotion all over.  I find that my damp skin helps the lotion seep into my skin and keep it from getting all dried out and yucky.  I usually go with Vaseline, but this was on sale.  I’ve been using it for weeks now, and I am especially loving it this month because it’s lightweight and doesn’t make me feel too slick or sticky in the humidity.  It glides on smoothly and never leaves residue or requires me to really work it in.

NYX Matte Lipstick in Pure Red.  When I first put this lipstick on, I freaked out.  Wowza.  That’s red.  But the color is awesome.  My face totally lights up when I wear this color.  And distracts from the dark circles I’ve got going on from too little sleep and too much chasing a certain toddler.  I like how when I wear this lipstick, I look just a little less like a hot mess.  Just use a light touch.  A little goes a long way.

Lululemon flow and go tote.  I’ve been using a beat up canvas bag for my gym back for years.  I’ve spilled stuff on it, it’s not water proof, and I don’t have space for shoes or damp clothes.  Now that I’m teaching group fitness, I’ve got a tunebelt, microphone covers, change of shoes, towels, two water bottles, etc… to carry around.  My friend and mentor, Kim, sports a Lululemon bag I’ve been coveting, and when she told me I get a discount as a fitness instructor, I high tailed it over to Lululemon and picked up a substantial tote.  I love this bag.  So much so that I wish I had another to use as an everyday bag.  It’s super big (and I’ve got a thing for big bags) and has a bunch of compartments to fit my fitness essentials.  Oh, and it’s water proof, so when my water bottle leaked, I just wiped it down instead of having to let it air dry for days like my poor canvas bag.

Three-pack Aladdin reusable tumbers with straws.  Kate is nuts about cups.  Girlfriend is particular.  I like to drink water all day in something that won’t sweat, and she had her eyes on this green tumbler I got from Blissdom.  When I found this three pack (by the way, I got it for $14 at Costco), I snatched up up.  Now, Kate gets my green tumbler and I can use these.  I love how they don’t sweat, are easy to clean, and hold lots of water.

You tell me, what did you love in May?

Dinnertising with Lawrys | Herb and White Wine Chicken Salad

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Congratulations, Kimberly M!  You are the winner of the Lawry’s giveaway.  Please email me your full name and mailing address, and the marinades, serving ware, and Rachel Ray dish will be on its way to your house!

(Did you miss the post I wrote with my shredded pork recipe using the Sante Fe Chili marinade?  Check it out here.)

Last night I made another quick and yummy dinner featuring Lawry’s Herb and White Wine marinade.

In true Sarah fashion, I rolled out my crock pot.  Again.  Whatever.  It feels like 101 degrees here in Northern Virginia, and the Very Last Thing I want to do is turn on my oven.

So instead, I popped two frozen chicken breasts into my crock pot, poured the Lawry’s marinade over top, and added a carton of chicken stock.  I turned that thing on low and walked away.

When my crock pot timer showed about an hour left, I took out the chicken and shredded it with two forks and dumped it back in.

At some point in the day I started thinking about exactly what I wanted to do with this chicken.  I had rice, but since I’d already done that route, I decided to try something different.

We had left over tomatoes and avocados from this pasty weekend’s Memorial Day cookout, so I tossed those in with some whole wheat pasta and the shredded chicken.

Hello, easy summer chicken pasta salad.

That Lawry’s Herb and White Whine marinade is my favorite.  It completely flavors the chicken, leaving no need for lots of other seasonings.  It’s the perfect blend of tangy, sweet, and salty.

Are you a marinade-type-of-cook?  Got another easy summer salad recipe for me to try?

Project Life 2012 | Week 21

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This week was all about my garden.

My mother-in-law and I put my garden this past Tuesday, and I’ve kept it alive for almost a week.

I started to get worried because 1) I am concerned I am going to wake up to find some critter feasted on my plants over night, 2) it monsooned the other day, so I thought for sure it would wash away my plants, and 3) it’s been so stinkin’ hot, I’m concerned they are going to shrivel up and die.

Thankfully, done of the above three concerns have happened.

Yet.

I’m keeping a careful eye on my plants, and the grape tomato plant just sprouted a blossom.

I know!  The excitment never ends around here!  Herb/tomato Watch 2012 in full effect.

Sargento “thin to win” | swapping winter wear for spring flair

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My “thin to win” challenge:  Spring clean your closet to eliminate winter blues.  This weekend, swap your winter wear for spring flair and share a picture of a your newly cleaned closet.

The weather this spring put a cog in my wardrobe.  In early March we had downright warm weather.  And then April rolled around with chilly and wet weather that had me reaching for my long sleeve shirts and heavier cardigans.

But now that it’s May, in true Northern Virginia fashion, we’ve got nothing but hot and sticky weather day in and day out.  And that means it’s time to ditch the knit sweaters and boots in favor of t-shirts and flip flops.

As a (mostly) stay-at-home-mom, I don’t have much use for fancy office wear.  I need stuff that doesn’t require dry cleaning and can keep my comfortable while chasing my toddler around the park and playing on our family room floor.

Now that the weather’s changing, it’s time to go out with the old and out of season and in with the new and in season.  Sargento’s “Thin to Win” campaign encourages everyone to “thin out” their lives, so I’m thinning out my closet.  (You can participate daily in the challenge to win prizes on the Facebook page.)

I went through my closet and tossed my clothes into three piles: 1) donate, 2) keep and store, and 3) back to the closet.  I quickly realized my several-year old capris have seen better days and a handful of my t-shirts had gone through the wash one too many times.

Cleaning out my stuff is one of my favorite activities.  I don’t feel the need to hang onto things for sentimental value.  I’d rather toss out a worn pair of pants or donate a gently used shirt that no longer works for me than let those things take up space in my closet.

In my 1958 rambler, space is an issue.  Especially closet space.  I’m wondering if people in 1958 didn’t own many clothes.

Anyway, each season I work to remove all those things that I never wear and donate those hardly-worn items and toss those that are beyond useful.  Then I can see what I have and what holes I need to fill in my wardrobe.

After this spring’s clean out, my closet is at it’s smallest volume ever.  Ever.  Seriously, this closet used to be so jam packed, there wasn’t a smidge of room between one item and the next.  This set up made finding something to wear so difficult most days I’d just give up and wear my four-day-old yoga pants.

Now with my newly cleaned out closet, I knew what I had and what I needed to replace.  I hopped over to Old Navy and Kohls to replenish my capri collection and pick up some light weight t-shirts.  I decided to go with some fun, spring colors to spice things up on the playground.  As you can see, I’m a sucker for striped anything and orangey corals.

With my closet back under control and at a manageable volume, I can find something to wear in under 60 seconds.  Less is more, so it seems.

Disclosure:  I received products and compensation from Sargento Foods, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in this campaign.  All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Friday Features | three cheers for summer

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It’s definitely summer around these parts.  I start to sweat the minute I step outside and my hair goes completely wack-a-do.  Humidity in Northern Virginia, whee!

Here are some links I loved this week:

+I wrote about my first time teaching a group fitness class on Stratejoy this week.

+My fellow Stratejoy blogger, Caiti, wrote about feeling the blogger burn out blues.  I totally get that way, too.

+I don’t do Pinterest-looking parties, either.  I’m more of a these-are-from-Costco kind of party girl.

+This gold-dipped manicure from Kate of The Small Things Blog is super sweet and chic.

+My blogger friend, Sarah, wrote a post that resonated with me this week.  We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we think about it.

+The super awesome Megan behind Country Cleaver was on TV!  How awesome is she?  Go, Megan!  Come make me that chicken piccata, girlfriend!

+I bet BA at Blissdom, and she is as lovely in person as she is on her blog.  She’s been on blogging fire lately, and I’m loving all her posts.

+Mindy Long is my real-life friend and awesome writer and blogger.  I have been thinking about her post on defining goals this week.  Lots of good stuff there.

+Sarah’s post (I know, another Sarah!  We’re everywhere!) wrote a fabulous post on blogging and honesty and sharing.

+I’m definitely going to ViVa Vienna this weekend, and I hope to run into Rachel and some other lovely ladies and their pop-up shop outside of Caffe Amouri.

What are you going this weekend?  What links do you have to share this week?

 

Exercise, athleticism, and finding what works for you

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Nothing makes me sadder than when people think they have to turn themselves into a runner to be a true athlete.

Running isn’t the only way to achieve a successful workout.

You don’t need to be a marathon runner or triathlete to be athletic.

I have great respect for runners and joggers and swimmer and cyclists and people who compete.  Those people train and practice and show tremendous athletism.

But here’s the thing.

You don’t need to be a marathon runner to be an athlete.

I’ve been an exerciser for years.  And I’ve gone through various exercise transformations and transitions.  I’ve been a runner, jogger, speed walker, rollerblader, cyclist, yogi, group fitness groupie.  But all the while I heard a mean voice in my head saying just because you take spin classes/propel off a step/squat and lunge doesn’t mean you’re an athlete.

Real athletes do things like races and competitions.

When I thought this way, I didn’t spin as fast, jump as high, or do push ups off my knees.  I started killing my spirit and love for exercise.

But when I started exploring becoming a group fitness instructor, took my initial training, and started practicing and practicing and practicing, I increased my endurance, strenghtend my legs, and exerted more power than ever before.

When I teach or take a class, I’m huffing and puffing.  I can feel my hamstrings and quads toning.  My body and mind are stronger.

I’m not huge into competition.  Some people love it and it motivates them to run or swim or bike faster.  That’s not for me.

But it doesn’t mean I’m not an athlete.

I’m a spin class, tree-pose, propulsive lunge off the back of the step, kind of girl.  And I’m good at it.  And I’m powerful and strong.  Just because I don’t wear a number on my back doesn’t make it any less of a test of my endurance.

If you want to be an athlete, but races and competitions aren’t your thing, then find that exercise that is your thing.  When I talk to people who are struggling to find an exercise routine, it often comes down to how they are forcing themselves into running when they don’t actually enjoy running.

To me, exercise is like a religion, you find the one that works best for you.  Whatever it is that moves you to action.  Whatever that exercise is that gives you peace and strengthens your mind and body.

There is more than one way to strengthen and tone.  There is more than one way to get your heart pumping.  There is more than one way to be an athlete.

The herb garden, take two

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I started with good intentions.  But last year, my poor plants succombed to death via weeds.

Last year was my first foray into herb gardening.  And when my little garden took off right away, I got excited.  Only to find it overgrown and out of control.  Weeds took over and herbs from one pot ended up in other pots.

Anyway, I never harvested anything from my sad little herb garden.

This year I worked under my knowledgeable mother-in-law who grows stuff without killing it or having it turn into a weed garden.

We decided to nix the pots and grow my garden in a raised bed I have on my side yard.  And rather than start everything from seed, we bought plants at Walmart.  We ended up with Basil, Oregano, Cilantro, Roma tomato and Grape tomato plants.

I also wanted Chives and Rosemary, but since WalMart didn’t have any in plant form, I picked up two seed packets, and I’m crossing my fingers those seeds sprout.

I’m most worried about some critter helping themselves to my plants.  So far, so good.  But if that deer who eats the tops of my tulips starts coming around and eating my plants, he or she’d better watch out or I’m going to go all cross-bow on it, Katniss style.

 

Dinnertising with Lawry’s **giveaway now closed**

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When it comes to dinner around here, I’m a no fuss kind of woman.  The very last thing I want to do is use upteen ingredients and spend the afternoon stirring something over the stove and keeping a careful eye on whatever’s cooking in the oven.

Keeping an eye on dinner is a near impossibility anyway because Kate and Belle like to use the afternoon to get into as much trouble as possible.  I left them for 30 seconds so I could use the bathroom and when I came back, Kate was feeding Belle tissues one by one from a box of Kleenex.

Since I spend my afternoons putting away laundry and prying half-chewed board books out of the dog’s mouth, I don’t have time to babysit dinner.

So when Lowry’s sent me these new marinades and seasonings, I couldn’t wait to make something yummy without all the slaving away.

 

For this meal, I unearthed a pound of pork tenderloin I had hiding out in my freezer.  I seasoned both sides of the pork with the Roasted Garlic salt and smothered it in the Santa Fe Chili Marinade.  I also added two cans of diet Pepsi and a couple squirts of honey.  (If porks not your thing, chicken would be equally delicious.)

I cooked the pork on low for about eight hours.  And my house smelled so good.  In a garlic, chili, sweet and spicy way.

When my crock pot timer had about an hour remaining, I pulled the pork out to shred it.  This is the satisfying part.  The combination crock pot slow cooking and marinade made the pork so tender, it just about fell apart.  Kate got in on the action and helped me shred the pork.

I paired my shredded pork with some quick cooking vegetables and rice combo.  This dinner took almost exactly no time and tasted like I tended to it for hours.  My family loved the smokey, sweet taste.  Just enough spice and sweetness.  These marinades take all the guess work out of my cooking and leave me with something delicious.

To highlight how fun and easy it is to make dinner using these Lawry’s seasonings and marinades, Lawrys offers these interactive Dinnertisements you can make in just a few minutes (here’s one I made) to get your family excited about the meal.

Are you looking to add some fun back to your dinners?  Good news!  Lawrys is giving away a Dinnertising Kit to a Sunny Side Up reader.  What comes in a Dinnertisement Kit?  Lot of awesome stuff.  Behold:

Rachel Ray’s Lasagna Lovers stoneware, two Zak Designs serving spoons, and Lawry’s new marinade and spice blends in these flavors: Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt, Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, Roasted Garlic Salt, Santa Fe Chili Marinade and Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade.

To enter to win, make your own Dinnertisement (it will take less than three minutes) and post a comment and a link to your Dinnertisement in the comment section.

Okay, get going, making something yummy, and tell me about it!  I’ll announce the winner next Tuesday.

Thank you to Lowry’s and The Motherhood for sponsoring my post. I was selected for this sponsorship through The Motherhood, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.