January, 2023

It was such a great start to the new year! Since we worked up until the eve of Christmas eve, we didn't return to work until January 9th. We eased into the year with Universal Studios (again), Great Wolf Lodge (thanks, Grandpa-Glennie), and lots of mountain bike riding behind our home. The kids were supposed to go back around the 4th, but had extra time off because we were off. I just can't send them to school when I'm off because I want to be with them!!

 

This month, the kids tried Ramen for the first time and went to their first hockey game (Go Kings, go!). 

Aut continues to play basketball and is rapidly improving and loving it. We signed her up for another league before her first one was even through! 

This year, my goal is to gain muscle and lose fat. This will entail more weight training, less running, and more protein intake. I'm aiming for at least 130g, which proved to be more difficult than I realized. I am loving Caroline Girvan's Iron Series, and am trying to complete a few of her videos each week, while still going to the gym 1-2 days a week and walking or running 3 miles most days. I like supplementing with her videos because if I have an extra 10 minutes in the morning, I can complete nearly half of her workout, and do the rest of it when I get home or (more often than not) the next day.

Since getting enough protein while trying to keep my caloric intake under 1,500-1,800 was nearly impossible, toward the very end of the month, I started Atkins, Phase 1 (also Keto). For the last week of January, I kept my daily net carb intake at 20 or under, not an easy feat for this carb-lover.

The kids and I closed out the month by hiking up a nearby hill. We often see tiny, ann-size people from our kitchen window. And so, we set out to find the trail, which wasn't hard to do. The best part was calling Daddy, who was hard at work laying some pipe, while we were at the top and waving to him! It was so neat to see him, and hear that he could see us!

Things I don't want to forget about this month:

While I was driving: “Raise your hand if you’re the best mom and the best cooker and the best teacher. Raise your hand if you’re that girl. You should be the cooker at my school because I would get to see you. You should be my teacher -you should’ve picked that job because then I would get to hug you. My love for you is never going to end even when I die.” ~ Cha

Aut insisting "No, I love you more." Not even close, baby girl...not even close.

What we're reading:

Kids: