Hey guys!

We are on day 4 of the cleanse phase! So far, so good! I wanted to share some recipes and foods that I have found helpful.

Of course, fruits! Apples are probably the best for the cleanse, but I have been eating frozen peaches, tangerines, bananas, and strawberries. We love almonds, carrots with hummus (no extra oils), avacados, and hard boiled eggs.

I made a chicken veggie soup which was delicious! Here's the recipe...

Chicken Veggie Soup

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and diced
2 zucchini squash
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 cup celery
1.5 cups carrots (sliced or chopped)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 cans green beans (I use French style)
1 carton low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil

Chop veggies and then sautée in olive oil in a large stock pot until tender. Add seasoning, tomatoes, tomato sauce, green beans, and chicken stock.

Bring to a boil and add chicken. Simmer soup until ready to serve.

I also have made some guacamole that I ate with carrots. It's not chips, but gives that "crunch" that I love! So good!

Off to have another snack and my SPARK drink. :)

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Cleanse Phase

Thought I would do an update, probably every couple of days throughout the challenge. 

Right now, I am on Day 3 of the Cleanse Phase. So far things are going pretty good. Today, I plan on sharing a typical schedule of what a day is like on the cleanse phase. 

I have scoured multiple websites over and over to get all of the information I could to make the cleanse phase most effective! There really are tons! I found a great website that seems to have almost every answer I have wondered. Check out Advocare Tips. They have grocery lists, FAQ, recipes, and a ton more. It seems like I find most of my answers from others posting questions at the end of their article. They answer almost all questions, so it is extremely helpful.

Here is a sample schedule. I have found out that the point to the Cleanse Phase is fruit, fruit, and more fruit! Oh, and a sidenote... I am not taking the catalyst supplements.

Here are some suggestions from Advocare Tips...

Dietary suggestions that may enhance your results:

Eat More: Veggies: salads during the day and steamed at night will scrub your system. Fruit: fibrous and low glycemic choices (apples, grapefruit, berries). Healthy Fats: avocado, nuts/seeds, olives/olive oil. Clean Proteins: feed muscle and reduce appetite (tuna and salmon will aid in cleansing; eggs/chicken/beef would be secondary options; stay away from processed lunch meats). Clean Complex Carbs: rice, hummus, oatmeal. 

Avoid or Minimize: Fried foods, refined sugars, corn or white starches, or bread. Wheat products: bread, crackers, etc. Dairy: cheese, yogurt, milk, white sauces or dressing. Alcohol: you’re on a cleanse…hold off for 10 days. Coffee or soda: drink water or SPARK 

I feel like the hardest part for me is coming up with meals that are compliant with the program. Like I have mentioned, Robert is doing this with me. There are pros and cons to that. I am glad to have someone else suffering working along beside me. But his role is just following along with my directions. Eat this, you can't have that, take your fiber drink, etc. He whines a little A LOT because he hasn't studied the plan. I highly encourage if you are doing this with a spouse to explain to them what you can and can't have. :)

The first day was actually pretty hard. I had my fiber drink and literally could not eat for a while; it really fills you up! I had to force myself to eat an apple and then I had a chicken salad for dinner.

Day 2
Breakfast: Fiber Drink, water, fruit
Mid-Morning Snack: 2 hard boiled eggs and Spark drink
Lunch: Baked salmon, fruit
Afternoon Snack: Handful of nuts (I prefer almonds and pistachios)
Dinner: Chicken soup with tons of veggies

My tips:

• Make sure that if you do any peanut butter it is natural (no added oils) and that nuts are either raw or plain (no salt, glazed, etc.).
• Limit olive oil to 1 Tbsp per day
• No dairy products. When I have made Robert's protein shake, I use almond milk. My distributor said it was ok, so I am hoping it won't hurt his results.
• The fiber drink is gross. Plain and simple. To help get it down, I mix it with Trop 50 Orange Juice. It is still thick, but the taste is a lot better. Drink 1-2 glasses of water directly after.
• DRINK WATER! I have probably drank 120 ounces or more each day. This is so important!
• The goal is to have mini meals every 2-3 hours. The first day was hard, but I am trying hard to keep it up.
• I have put my Omega Plex pills in the freezer. They are essentially fish oil and this method keeps you from burping them up all night. Yuck!

Last night I went to the gym and did 30 minutes of cardio. I haven't been in a while so I am trying to get back into it. Today when I go, I plan on doing cardio as well as weight training.

Hopefully this can give you an idea of what the cleanse phase is like. I will be back tomorrow with some recipes!

Hello!

Hopefully y'all remember me! :)

I have returned again from yet another hiatus. Let me tell you, when you stop blogging, it is so hard to get back into it.

After some pushes from my sister and a new blog idea, I think I am ready to give it another try.

Since it would be near impossible to catch you up on all that has happened over the past 7 months, I will just give you some highlights.

• We had a WONDERFUL Christmas! We were able to go home and have a good visit with our family. Hard to believe that in the past year and a half, I haven't even been home 2 weeks!
• Thompson is doing really well in school. He is extremely smart and just really blows me away with how well he catches onto stuff. (I like to think he gets it from me! ;)) I am really glad he is getting this extra year of school. He has matured sooooo much! We still have our fits very now and then, but I am definitely enjoying watching him grow up.
• Brycen is a MESS!!! A wonderful, crazy kid that I wouldn't trade for the world. He is a complete Momma's boy and I love it! When you talk to him, you would think you are speaking to a kid years beyond his age!
• Robert is bound and determined to become a professional fisherman. He loves to go out to the lake. He drags me out there at least once a week. Last weekend he caught like 26 bass! He really is good! 
• February 1st they started Robert's med board. He has not fully healed from his knee injury and there is no way he can go back to his previous job. The doctors decided his best option was for him to go ahead and get out. We knew this was a major possibility, so we have been planning for it. After all of the appointments and meetings, his package was finally sent to Washington D.C. It has been there for about 3 weeks now, so I am praying we find out something soon!
• About 6 weeks ago I quit working. I wanted some down time to get everything in order, be able to go with Robert to appointments, and spend time with the boys. I plan on going to work when we move back to Arkansas almost immediately, so I am glad I get this time.

Here are some pictures from the last few months...

The boys at Halloween

Visiting Santa

Thompson's 1st catch of the year!

I chopped my hair off.

Growing too fast!

Thompson played in his 1st season of basketball.

Robert and one of his many fish! Love this picture. :)

Look at this sweet face!

Now, for my new idea...

I am starting tomorrow doing the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. Last Fall I was dieting and working out. I did really well and lost about 25 pounds. Then came the holidays... I seriously gained like 10 pounds while we were home. And then we came home and I never lost it. And I actually found some more. Boo!!! I am seriously done! I do not plan on having anymore kids (keyword is plan) and I HATE looking in the mirror! I need this for me!

I am wanting to blog about this as a way of keeping me accountable as well as (hopefully) helping others. I have never tried Advocare, so this is new to me. To succeed on the challenge, you really need to follow a clean diet. I am going to try to eat as clean as possible. I have been browsing Pinterest for some ideas, so hopefully I can keep it exciting. I am hoping this will be a lifestyle change more than anything. Robert is doing this with me, so it will be good to have a partner. I plan to track our progress, meals, exercises, etc. throughout this entire process. Hopefully I won't bore y'all too much. ;)

Anyways, I am excited about this. I hope y'all follow along too! 

Tomorrow is Day 1... See you then!

Tiny Prints

As some of you know, I love sending out Christmas cards! I found a wonderful company when I was looking for someone to do Brycen's birth announcements, Tiny Prints, and have used them ever since.

The quality of their cards are amazing! They have the latest designs and the customer service is wonderful. I really could go on and on about this great company!

I always love receiving holiday cards as well and usually the cutest ones are from Tiny Prints. :)

Go ahead and check out their wonderful Holiday Cards selection! Also, if you click on the Special Offers link on their site, they are offering some great coupons!

***This is a sponsored post by Tiny Prints***

Happy 5th Birthday Thompson!

Oh, it is so hard to believe that my first born child is already 5! We celebrated with a party at our community clubhouse. It was so much fun! We rented a huge slide/bounce house for the kids and they played on that the whole time. Thompson was excited for some of his classmates to come to his party. :)

He wanted the theme to be "The Avengers", which was great because the movie had just came out so there was a lot of stuff available for decor and goody bags.

Here are some pics from the party.

His actual birthday was on Sunday. I woke up that morning to him climbing in bed with me. I wished him a Happy Birthday and told him that he was 5 now! He jumped up, ran into the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and then jumped on the scale and shouted "I really AM 5!" It was the cutest thing ever!

We had one of his friend's birthday party to attend that day, so he had a blast celebrating with him. We then ordered pizza and salad from a restaurant in town and called it an early night. Well I did, I crashed at 6:30pm and slept until the next morning. I was exhausted!

Last night, we took him out to eat for his birthday. We went to our favorite BBQ place here called Lucille's. (Seriously, good food and sweet tea!) At the end, they brought out a little sundae with a candle. He loved it! He is just like me, loves to be spoiled! ;)

Happy Birthday T! I love you more than you will ever know.  

A Quick Funny!

I wanted to share a quick story from last night. I want to write it down because it was so funny, I am afraid I will forget over time. :)

We were headed to dinner and while in the car, Brycen was jabbering to himself in the backseat. Robert and I were carrying on a conversation, when I hear something Brycen was saying that caught my attention...

Here is the scenario all from Brycen-

"Ms. Victoria, Brycen hit me."
"No I didn't!"
"Brycen, did you hit Autumn?"
"Yes."
"What do you say?"
"Sorry, Autumn"
"Now go over there and sit in time out."
"But I told her I was sorry!"

All from him, acting out 3 different roles in 3 different tones. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. He was just too funny!

Liebster Blog

April over at Meet the Jechs, awarded me with a Liebster Blog Award! :)

Here is how it goes...

11 Things About Myself:

1. My children mean the WORLD to me. I am their Momma and that is the best feeling ever!!

2. I NEVER, EVER, EVER thought I would live anywhere else besides NW Arkansas... let alone marry a military man. :)

3. I met my husband when I was 13. I had the biggest crush on him, and still do to this day!

4. I wanted to study law in school and become an attorney.

5. My parents are my biggest heroes. They have sacrificed so much for me growing up and I wasn't always very appreciative. As a parent now, I understand the love that they have for me.

6. Florida is my all time favorite vacation destination! Although, I really want to go to the Carribbean.

7. I am deathly (and I mean DEATHLY) afraid of snakes.

8. I am a reality tv addict! Love anything on Bravo or E!

9. I am very OCD about a lot of things, but I am soooo disorganized on everything else. Dishes have to be done a certain way, laundry folded a certain way, toothbrushes in a certain spot, the way I get ready, etc. But I am a clutter bug! I think it could be a mild case of hoarders. I hate to throw away anything! It drives my husband nuts! ;)

10. I am terrified of getting Robert getting out of the Marines. I have no doubt that we will make it, but the "what-if's" make me sick to my stomach. We have had the Marine Corps behind us since we got married. Leaving that and starting over from scratch is hard.

11. I have a major sweet tooth!

April's Questions to Me:

1. Tell me something quirky about you?

- I pick apart my pizza and eat it by each ingredient. Toppings, cheese, crust

2. What would be your ideal concert? (no limits to if they're around or not anymore)

- Anything country! I am going to see Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan tomorrow night!

3. If you could live anywhere for a year where would you live and what makes that place so special?
- I think I would pick Florida. I have so many memories of vacations there, I would love to sit on the beach, read a book, and just relax.

4. What's your guilty pleasure?

- Going to Target by myself, watch reality tv, or indulging in some yummy food!

5. If you HAD to be a doctor, what type of doctor would you be and why?

- When I was little I wanted to be an oncologist. As I got older, I realized just how hard emotionally that would be. Granted, all doctors of some sort are going to have to one day deliver devastating news. I just couldn't do it on a daily basis. I have the highest amount of respect for those who can.

6. If you could be a star in any movie, what movie and who would you be?
- Dirty Dancing, duh! Nobody puts Baby in the corner. :) :)

7. What's your favorite restaurant & what would you recommend there?

- Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is my absolute favorite. I have never had a bad meal and when I do get to go, it is usually for a special occasion. So it means that much more to me.

8. What's your favorite holiday and why?

- Christmas! I LOVE family get togethers, watching the kids open presents, baking yummy food, and just being together.

9. What's your ideal weekend?

- Doing nothing! :) I swear the weekends we lounge at home are the best. With me working full time, I appreciate any time to sit at home and cuddle with my family.

10. What's a hobby you've always wanted to take up?

- Sewing. I have never learned to sew, but have always wanted to learn to do that and embroider cute stuff!

11. What's your favorite store to shop at? (either in store or online)

- Target! I love their stuff! I seriously could walk around in there for hours going down every aisle.