Supermarket Diet

                                                             
   Ok, so this summer I have decided to try a different diet every week. You know , just for fun. =) I realize this is not healthy, but wanted to do it to get an idea of what is out there,so I could review it.  I will use a rating system and also report my success(or lack of)This week I am doing the supermarket diet. Basically, you eat a sensible breakfast(the plan recommends a cereal bar or bowl of cereal), then a 300 calorie or under frozen dinner for lunch, a 500 calorie or under dinner for supper, then a sensible snack in between meals, such as a yogurt or a pudding cup. The whole idea of this diet is portion control. Your portions are controlled for you, there is no going back to get seconds. It is also very convenient, and perfect for an individual who is constantly on the go , and who doesnt have time to plan meals, etc.  I have been on it almost a week, and have lost 7 pounds. This is with no exercise. I highly recommend exercise with any diet to increase health benefits and weight loss. Unfortunately, I haven't been taking my own advice . The following are my ratings for this particular diet:


Cost: **
this plan is very expensive,as is to be expected with already prepared meals
Convenience:*****
Health factor:***
you have to really watch the sodium content.If you are concerned about healthfulness, stick with Healthy Choice or Lean Cusine
Taste:*****
Hunger :*
my tummy was constantly growling with this diet.Dislike! Then again, this is to be expected when you are not used to a certain caloric intake. It just about drove me crazy. Nothing like being kept awake at night from a growling tummy =(
Results:****
I am overall pretty happy with the results. I would do this diet again. Its probably the same equivalent to  lets say Nutrisystem, except the options are greater.

If you do decide to try this diet, please try the dinner I have pictured above. It is amazinG!!!!!

20 out of 30 stars.
If you would like more information,check out the Good Housekeeping website.

Coming Soon   Morning Banana Diet Review

January in Review

        Nothing like a January Review in May.......lol


 Whew! What a month is has been! Where do i start? Hmm, lets see, how about Christmas? It was pretty good, I guess. I am glad its over. I have decided already that next year we are eiether not giving gifts or doing just homemade ones. I have a ton of fabric I need to do something with.....lol. I really get joy out of making things and plus they mean more. Which leads me to my first topic. This year I am thinking about making some stuff and doing some vending. Im going to get my etsy store back up and running. I am leaning towards making things out of/everyday repurposed items. I am really excited about it and working on a plan as we speak.
      Of course january is always the month to get focused on being healthy,etc.  Well, I have done just that and am off to a good start.  I decided to try going vegan for the entire month. No dairy, no sugar, no meat. I recommend everyone to try it for at least 30 days, and i promise you that you will feel better. Now, while I am not going to stay a vegan, I am going to incorporate alot more of it into my lifestyle.  I lost 17 pounds this month and would like to keep the momentum going. I would like to be 60 pounds down by my birthday, which is in May, so we will see.  I have officially subscribed to almost every health magazine there is.......lol. I am even considering going to school for holistic medicine,herbology,etc. I am still praying about that one..........but it is relatively inexpensive to get a certificate, so we shall see..........
     Speaking of school, I am now in my second semester, and it hasnt kicked my booty too much thus far. I am taking all of these classes that end in ogy, including psychology which is an area i am considering majoring in. I barely have time to do anything else, which is frustrating,hence the long pause in between blog posts. I mean no one really reads this thing anyway........lol.
     I recently got back into couponing after a long pause. Hubby hasnt worked in two months so we had no income.  I am soo thankful I had a small stockpile to lean on during that time. Looking at my records, i saved us a grand total of 3,000 dollars last year! Considering I am a beginner and I just barely got started in May, I thought that was pretty good. My goal is to save at least 10,000 this year.....
  So, thats all thats been going on in my world...........To the 2 of you who read this, thanks for stopping by =)

An Epic Fail Day

From a previous post.......

        Wow, can't beleive it is almost April already. The past few months have been a blur, filled with studying(studying =student dying.....lol) , church activities, etc. I think I may be starting to adjust to this thing called college life somewhat. This semester has been quite the challenge,I am pretty much taking all science and math related stuff which is not my strong suit. Yuck.
    This blog is an outlet for me, and no one really reads it anyway, so I can say what i feel.  At times I feel like a complete failure, I am going to be completely honest.  Its as if everything I have ever done or attempted to do, or am doing now is just going completely wrong. I have failed miserably at being a mom sometimes. At being a wife. At serving God.At serving others. At striving towards my own personal goals. Life has never come easy for me. It has its moments. There are those things I do in life and I do well, but I tend not to focus on those soo much  and just question everything around me. I just wish for once that I could see some fruit bearing in my own personal life, in myself and in my loved ones. Its there spiritually, but I soo badly want to see it in the physical and emotional sense. You know, some evidence............

Just what Im dealing with right now.Having one of those epic fail kindve days. But Our God is greater, our God is stronger.......

From the Heart

I hate December. There, I said it. No really, I do. I hate the commercialism of it. I hate the hype.......this year its just too much for me to deal with. Too many people have forgotten what it is truly about.........too many people get depressed this time of year because they think its about giving and receiving gifts. I used to be one of those people. Then I realized, hey instead of focusing on what I dont have and what I cant give, why dont I focus on the things I do have. What resources do I have in my hand? Well, for me personally I am a crafty person. God has blessed me with the gift of creativity. I have alot of fabric, a ton of two by fours in the back yard that I am sure could make some beautiful things. Not a crafty person? What about the gift of your time? People these days would rather buy someone something than actually do something for them. They "buy their time".  Time is more valuable than money. If your hands work,then why not use them? Help them clean their house or their car. Walk their dog?  I guess the point I am trying to make here, is its not the gift itself, but the condition of the heart that is behind it. The best gifts are the ones that can be given, not the ones in which you can receive. A wise man named Dr Suess once said Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more."

May you be blessed this Christmas season and focus on your ability rather than your inability.


 

Back to the Basics

  Ok, its time to come clean.  I have a serious addiction. Or at least I did. Its name is Swapbot . Its basically a really fun trading site where you can trade all kinds of wonderful items from people all over the world. I have made some really awesome stuff, i have received some equally amazing items. people have sent me treasures from all over in exchange for whatever.Here are a few pics of things i have recently made:


A few altered bottles I made recently



Christmas journal made for tonie2weeks


These are just a few of the hundreds.

 I have been participating on this site for almost three years now, and do an average of 10-20 swaps a month. Like I said, its a great site. But here is my problem. Ask me how many things I have made for my family or friends in the past three years. The answer is nada. So the conclusion I have recently come to is why am i making all of these things for people I dont even know, when I could be making them for people I know will love and appreciate them?  So, Rachel is taking a break from the swap world. It has sucked up too much of my time for too long. Dont get me wrong, I am still going to do them, just in moderation. and when i do I will post pics here.        My other vice has been facebook, but with all of the recent changes it is just too exhausting to mess with, so I am going to not be on there as much eiether. I really want to devote more attention to this blog, and post about things that are important to me, what I have been making,etc. Its a good hobby, plus its free. Thats my story for now, and dog gone it, I am sticking to it..............

Homeschool Times 5.3

                    4 weeks into homeschool and six weeks into college. Id say things are going pretty well.........I am loving the four day sonlight program,and although not attending co=op at first was sad i think it has been a blessing because we have used the extra day as a catch up day.im debating on wether we should go back next semester.  I have an awesome geography class idea based on the eastern Hemisphere explorer we are doing. I will have top ray about it though. Oddly enough, things have been much more easygoing with no co-op on Mondays now. I realy dont think she even misses  it.
          I am pulling all As/Bs  in my classes.  Its funny how back as a young adult fresh out of high school how much I took education forgranted.  I am soo greatful for the opportunity now, only wish i would have started a couple of years ago.......I have a new appreciation for learning now,that I didnt have back then. I dont enjoy the late night studying, and it is most definately harder to do when you have a kiddo and a family  but if I can do it anyone can
     So, homeschool is going pretty well, we have already worked out way through 4 books.  I am using a points system for geography and her history reading. Basically she has to do certain assigments and they are worth a ceratin amount of points, and she has to accumulate a ceratin amount of points by the end of the year. Larger projects will earn her more points, while things like book reports will be worth a smaller amount.........
    We are coming to an end in out Apologia anatomy curriculum, and I am trying to decide where to go next. I am thinking of reverting back to lapbooks, which we havent really done since 2nd grade. We will see.
   So, that is whats going on in our school world in a nutshell..........

awake and alive

Death .  Its a strong word  that can bring about alot of emotion.  For some it means the end , for others it is just the beginning  . Death. What is it really? Is it the period in our life story or just the dot dot dot? We will never know until we experience it for ourselves .  Life.  Most of us on the other hand, think we have this all figured out.  What does it mean to you?  Making money and having things?  Family and friends? Perhaps being with the one you love? Or maybe you are on the opposite end of the spectrum, and you feel as if your life is over , and that there is nothing left to live for..............
     For those of you who think you have life all figured out and think life is about something tangible,such as money, a job,an education, even family and friends, or even something abstract such as love, my question for you is that if that is truly indeed what life is all about, wouldnt we cease to exist after those things fade away?  If that is in fact the case, if that is truly what life is all about, then why dont we?
Mother teresa once said "Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.


Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it."

Are you still breathing?  Then the good news is that there is still life yet to be lived..........there is still beauty, there are still dreams to dream and songs to sing. Yes, there will still be struggles and challenges,sorrows and tragedies and what not.  I personally beleive that life is a journey to our final destination..........as long as we are still breathing there are duties left to be completed. Every sorrow, every unexplained occurence,if it doesnt kill us,  it makes us stronger............
   Life. Its a journey. Its a gift. ITs short.  YOu never know whats in store for it, or when it is going to end.Enjoy enjoy enjoy