Let's give this blog a kick-start.....

I am as ready as I will ever be to ‘Kick Start’ this blog!  
Trust me, I will be learning along the way!

All right, my goal is to live simply, live by intention and live a life full of love. 

Simply intentional with love!  Oooh, I LOVE the sound of that!

Well a couple weeks ago, I stayed home from my “day” job. It wasn’t intentional however; I was stricken with illness that was brought on by treating myself badly…  Let’s just say I had a rough night with the porcelain God...!  

This had me thinking about “why” I was feeling this way, “what” made me feel this way, “who” made me feel this way….  Conclusion:  I realized that I was not sick nor did I have food poisoning, I did not have the chills, but still I felt awful and my body rejected something… 

hmmm, why? Ahh-haa moment, because I was wasting too much effort and time feeling sorry for myself this past week{end}, I over indulged in any food item I pleased, I didn’t cook or prepare “real” family meals, we were on the go-go-go, I drank alcohol, ate cake, hot dogs and cheese, m&m’s, lemon bars…{light bulb} duhhh, I figured it out…! 

I completely gave up on myself; I treated my body terribly and did nothing good for my soul either.   I was just not giving my life my all.  I was actually kind of giving up... 

My excuse was that my man was M.I.A. due to work obligations for a total of two weeks in October.   The boys and I missed him dearly, he is really good at keeping us on track, and he wasn't there for that support.  Our home was completely out of sync and I spent zero time really caring about myself or for myself… 

All of those self-pity moments led me to overeating, eating unnecessary sugar, not drinking enough H2O,  and gave me days of grumpiness, irritability, sluggishness, and a general feeling of just not feeling well  “Seriously GIRLFRIEND What is your deal?” {me, talking to me…!} "LIFE IS A ROLLER COASTER! Get over it and keep going!"

I remember being called a duck by a colleague, calm at the surface but paddling like hell underneath.  That pretty much sums me up.  I tend to show a lot of self-control at the surface, I'm usually pretty coo,l calm, and collected and tend to hide the stress.  Most people wouldn’t even know how crazy I was paddling under the surface! So, being a duck, I am not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing...? 

Here are some of my ways to get back on track…. {I need to always have a goal in mind.t}

{Photo: My favorite juice, kale, mint, pears + blueberries}

Step one… Hubby back on the juice machine! 

Seriously, we love our fresh morning green juice that he lovingly makes for us every morning, it is pure, energizing, rejuvenating, healthy, brings everyone happiness {most days}, we all get a ton of fruit and veggie servings first thing, and it has aided in weight loss!  All key factors to a healthy lifestyle, its simply intentional with love!  

{always be~e putting wholesome goodness in the body throughout the day…no snacking unless it is wholesome and good, limit eating out and bring food from home that is home-made wholesome and good!}

{Photo: My hubby making fresh healthy juice.}

Step two…  Fill my jug with crystal clear goodness!

Fill that 64 oz jug every morning and drink it throughout the day, just need to keep it close by and remember to quench my thirst once in a while…!  

{aim to try and add lemon to a cup of warm water in the morning to kick start the engines for digestion…!}

{photo: coffee, berries, notes}

Step three…Follow the yellow list, it’s a great map to where I am going! 

One of my favorite paper pads is the yellow page steno book, it’s a perfect size 6” x 9”, two columns, and yellow, so I can easily spot my list...!  I am just really bad at keeping only one note pad going at a time, I end up scribbling on sheet after sheet of paper!  And they are even in countless places.  I just need to Follow + Keep a system.  And K.I.S.S. it. {keep it simple stupid!}

{always be~e keeping up on our organization system, this is something I struggle with, I haven’t quite found my system… oh, and use the yellow iPhone notepad, it has come in handy many times!!!}

Step four… Play music, exercise and breathe.

These go hand and hand sometimes, when I turn that music on after my morning coffee…watch out, dance party USA in-my-living room!  I look like I’m nuts, if someone were to happen to show up at my door during this routine, they would wonder why I am not skinnier than I am, that's for sure!  I move, I shake, I lift my kids, I spin, I jump!  Just need to turn it into a workout routine, and I'd be set!  Another great thing I have tried and absolutely love…meditation. I really didn't understand what it was until I tried it, its refreshing, relaxing, rejuvenating, motivating, healing, I think it can really be anything you want it to be!  

{set a goal to turn on the music more often during dinner time!  Get moving girlfriend! Also aim to spend time with my friend walking the stairs at my “day” job and don't forget to add some yoga to our life! Take time to meditate.}

Step five…  Stop worrying about a clean house and get a project going even if it takes days to complete.

I love being creative, I hate clutter, and it’s a battle I am constantly dealing with…  I love being able to be a hostess at any moment so my home needs to appear clean and tidy at all times, just in case… However, these days, I have two busy bee monsters ruling the hive!  So visitors are really at a minimum these days, so why not focus on making our hive cozy and fresh and use all of the creative energy I feel and have a hive under a little construction.  Were a family and we’re constantly evolving and growing.  There are so many things I can do to make us more organized and efficient, comfy and creative! 

{aim to start a DIY home improvement project every chance I get!} 

Step six…  Eat healthy, meal plan.

I have found when I plan our meals out, consciously make a decision, then we succeed at eating healthy and on a budget.  JUST DO IT!  It feels really, really good when this is working the way I need it to.  

Cheers to living simply intentional with love~ annette