Linking up with Naomi, Faith, and Meghan today!

Allergies or a cold (I’m really not sure) hit me really hard last week, and I was pretty out of it Monday and Tuesday — so my accomplishments were pretty much getting out of bed and not sleeping all day lol. Thankfully, once I felt better I was able to get back in the groove of working around the house and keeping it clean. After working so hard to get things neat and organized, the last thing I wanted to do was backslide!

What’s really amazing is that this is my new “messy” — five minutes of rinsing dishes, loading the dishwasher, and a quick counter wipe and it was back to looking perfect.

Have I mentioned yet that I absolutely love the lack of clutter?! I have some work to do in the rest of the house still, but I love that through most of downstairs there really isn’t any clutter anymore! Soooo much more peaceful…

One of my tricks to getting cleaning done is being properly distracted from the task at hand. I listen to a lot of music, but podcasts are another great way to make me forget I’m scrubbing dried milk off of tile or folding endless amounts of laundry. Abel James is one of my favorites, but there are so many great ones out there!

It also helps to quickly clean up (at least a little) before bed. I’ve been trying to make sure the dishwasher is empty while I cook so I can just load any dishes or utensils right away instead of stacking them in the sink, and the 5 minutes it takes to wash off the pans and wipe the counter before bed don’t seem like much, but it makes a huge difference in my productivity the next morning. Being confronted with a mess (even a small one) makes me drag my feet, but clean counters make it easier for me to cook without complaining. That sounds ridiculous to me, but it’s still true.

There have also been a lot more healthy meals cooked (NO pizza this week!), and even my pickiest kids are occasionally eating vegetables — on purpose! I can’t even begin to express how amazing it was to see Micah eat eggs and sweet potatoes and not cry for mac and cheese or chicken nuggets. It doesn’t happen at every meal, but baby steps are still progress.

I’ve also discovered the wonders of playdoh, even though I hate cleaning up after it. This kept Micah occupied while I made dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, and he didn’t complain about how long it was taking once! He even respects my “one color at a time” rule (because I’m sick of having grey/brown marbled playdoh in every container) and put away each color before even asking for a new container to be opened. Amazing!

There was also a lot of Micah cuddling — not really an accomplishment, but still awesome for me. Poor kid must have gotten a little too much sun and food, and stayed up a little too late over the weekend because he cried half the night until he threw up on me.

After a bath and some cuddles he felt normal again and went right back to sleep, but our next day looked mostly like this.

Poor kid was so tired, we just cuddled, read books, and watched some movies so he could rest all day. Thankfully he was feeling totally normal well before church, because he hates missing nursery time with his friends.

I’ve also been getting back into the groove of actually lifting instead of just being active. I’ve been walking most days for a mile or two and making sure to run and play with the boys as much as possible, but for me there’s just nothing that feels as awesome as tossing around 30 pound dumbbells.

I’m almost done with Month 1 of Body Beast, and I really do enjoy it. I miss designing my own workouts in a gym, but this helps me be a lot more flexible with a lot less equipment. I was so spoiled at my last gym and it kind of hurts to have to workout at home, but not as much as I thought it would. They’re supposed to be building a new gym out here that will actually have childcare (a must-have if I’m going to bother springing for the membership), so we’ll have to see if that winds up being a good fit.

Also, I kinda love seeing weights everywhere after a good workout! 🙂

Jonah randomly learned to say Spongebob today, and it cracks me up how he pronounces it. If he wasn’t specifically pointing at Spongebob I don’t think I would have figured out what in the world he was saying!

I’ve been drinking my preworkout supplement as I write to get me ready to move, and I have to say I’m loving this stuff! It’s only the third time I’ve tried it, so I’ll give you a full review next week after I’ve had time to settle in with it.

Now I’m off to workout, hang laundry, clean up some toys, and move a bookshelf upstairs before my kiddos wake up. Wish me luck!

Do you clean up the kitchen before bed or wait until the next morning?

What are your thoughts on preworkout supplements?

Do you prefer working out at home or at a gym?