I don’t usually feel like I’m older. I have many days where I still think I’m like 17, maybe 20. However, less than 6 solid hours of sleep is all it takes to remind me that I’m over 30. I woke up happy, usually happens when I spend a night staying up late talking and hanging out with my husband. It tires my body but energizes my soul. I did wish it was one of those mornings my kids decided to sleep a little later, but a cup of coffee helped that.

It was St Patrick’s Day and we were going to a party at our local library. I love the library, it has a lot of great stuff to do, and it is great for the budget. I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to go, these parties can be a little busy, but I knew my kids would enjoy it and that’s what matters.  I was trying to be kind to my husband and let him get some extra sleep, but the kids were so excited getting ready to go they ran in and woke him up.  He ended up tagging along to the library, which was very appreciated since this is the library I struggle the most to get them to leave, the kids room is pretty awesome.

After we got home I made lunch and got the little guy down for a nap. I decided that while there were some great deals at the store, I didn’t really need any of those items. As much as it hurt the shopper in me I decided to skip over the sale. We have another refrigerator which helps to store things, but seeing how we might get another big storm next week I am uncomfortable having too much food that can spoil. I made a list to tackle some projects in my house. I’ve been trying to declutter as much as possible. I work really hard to clean the house, but honestly it never says in pristine condition for long. We just have too much stuff. I’ve been pairing down more and more, but I still have some work to do. I have been scheduling regular donation pick ups ahead of time to force myself to have some things ready for them to pick up when the day arrives. I have gotten really good at letting things go, but sometimes I still struggle because I can be a very sentimental person. I am much better now at not bring things in and not saving things, but oldly enough things I’ve saved from before can still be hard to part with. Kids toys too… not sure why but it makes me feel so guilty. They do seem happier though with less stuff. The stuff they have is only their favorites, so I guess why wouldn’t you be happy with it? I decided to tackle my bedroom. My room tends to be the area that I work on off and on, but also is the area I store things when people are coming over and I want to clear stuff out of the living room or kitchen. The only problem then is sometimes it ends up living there for awhile. I decided last time nothing came out of that room unless it earned the right to come out. But when things are packed away in boxes and put aside, it’s easy to let them just stay that way, especially when you have a million over things to do.  I ended up spending a few hours in there working. At first it was because I didn’t know what I wanted to do first. I decided that everything had to have a purpose and a home if it was going to stay. I had honestly hoped to be done with the project by the afternoon, but I ended up getting a bag ready for donations, throwing some stuff out, and then I organized stuff by what it was and who it belonged to. I knew the stuff that was left was stuff we were going to keep, just needed to decided the most efficient way to store it so we could have it nice and neat, as well as easy to get to when we want it. I still have work to do as far as having less, but baby steps for now. I felt pretty accomplished and wanted to do more, but it was dinner time and calling in pizza isn’t an option when you are trying to watch your budget and waistline.

After dinner I was starting to feel frustrated with the diet. It was a little bit after dinner, I was hungry, wanted something sweet but had run out of berries. I knew eating too late meant stalled weight loss, and I really want to see the numbers going down to stay motivated. I knew I could run to the store , but by the time I got back I would be in the danger zone with eating. I felt like crying, which seems silly, but I did. I do ok with this way of eating until nighttime. I’m a sucker for sweets, and I’ve always loved a treat in the evening. I was all ready to make a cake that I’ve made before out of the Trim Healthy Mamma cookbbook for the birthday party for my Mom the next day, and I figured I’d have a small piece just to make sure it was ok.  It’s wonderful, and actually made with blackbeans. My husband uses a site to figure out the approximate nutritional value for recipes and I asked him to check this one. Once he entered all the information, it was a no go. It would be fine under normal circumstances, but since I have an aggressive weight loss goal it might have been a problem. So I started to panic. There was going to be birthday cake and there I was no alternative. I looked at a bunch of recipes that I could make but they were all very dense and just didn’t really hit me. Some people don’t pay attention to calories with a keto/low carb plan, some do. I do, only because I can eat just for the sake of eating, so while I don’t worry if I’m exact I like to have a sense of what I am doing. I finally decided I would do frozen berries and whipped cream. The combo makes me think of ice cream.

I ran to the store to get the stuff, but while I was there I noticed everything I was going to be picking up the stuff the next day for the party was on sale, and I was already there. I left the store beyond happy. I love Aldi, seriously I love the place. Sometimes it can be hit or miss, but I can usually find everything I need and it doesn’t drain the bank account. It’s also great to help me avoid impulse buys. I avoid the isle that has all kinds of random things, and there aren’t enough food items to go totally crazy with. I picked up things to help me handle temptation. Sometimes self care means saying no to yourself.