Whew, that got your attention, didn't it? (:

I'm seriously giggling at how many pageviews this post might get because of the title.  If you know my friends, you know that 35 minutes into the new year I was being asked when I was going to have a baby.  Truth be told, I've been prepping my body for over a year now. 

As many of you know I was suffering from some digestive issues, as well as being diagnosed with adrenal fatigue earlier this past year.  When I began making changes to my diet and lifestyle it was twofold.  First, I obviously wanted to feel better, but I also knew that in the next couple years my husband and I would possibly want to start a family.  It was extremely important to me that I be the strongest, healthiest person I could be BEFORE getting pregnant.

Maybe it's because I'm older and have had an opportunity to watch so many friends and family members have babies, but this is huge.  Someday, God-willing, I will be someone's home for 9 months.  My body will do what it was designed to do, to nuture a life and allow it the opportunity to grow into a beautiful baby.  Right now, even though, we're (my husband and I) aren't quite *there* yet - I'm constantly keeping this in my mind as I make decisions around what I eat.

I truly believe that "food is thy medicine"

I know I have work to do still.  In addition to cleaning up my diet I started seeing a chiropractor and naturopath.  I was put on a number of different hormones to help with my imbalance, and while at first I felt great, I soon started to feel very fatigued and out of sorts.  I just didn't feel like myself.

After starting acupuncture I decided to take myself off of the hormones and just stick to Chinese herbs and acupuncture (in addition to chiropractic care).  It has been about 2 months now, and I feel better already.  I don't feel perfect, but I feel better and more grounded than I have in a long time.  I have had some side effects - which I'm working on, sans medicine.  I have noticed that my skin is much drier than normal (despite the fact I drink a TON of water every day) and my skin isn't the greatest.  To say I look like a preteen going through puberty is an understatement. 

It's embarassing.  But it's worth talking about.  It's real life.

Our bodies are meant to do so much, and for most of us, our bodies do their jobs rather well.  I decided to go back to cleaning up my diet (even more than I have been).  I started a detox/cleanse, etc., call it what you will.  Since January 1st I have had no dairy (with the exception of eggs in one meal - for protein...the first 2 days were rough), no meat, no processed sugar and no alcohol.  I am not following any specific plan, but rather have created one for myself.

I have a calendar pre-set with all of my meals for the next 14 days.  I'm testing this out to see how I feel.  Typically it takes us about 21 days to really begin to see effects from these types of changes.  I decided to start with 14 to see how I felt, and really, to see if I could even do it.

Four days into it and I feel good.  I'm a little hungry, I'm not going to lie.  It's hard to find new sources of protein.  I'm also not someone who snacks very often, so eating in between meals has been difficult for me to plan for (even though I have tons of healthy snacks on hand, I'm not finding that I'm actually eating them).  I am definitely detoxing though....I miss sugar.  I miss alcohol.  I don't miss dairy or meat.  Weird.

The reason for this post is to be honest.  To be real.  To let you know that, certified health coach or not, we all have problems with our health and diet.  We all have areas that need improvement. I could use less stress, more sleep and a better attitude (couldn't we all?). I am constantly learning.  Learning how to listen to my body.  Learning what works best for my body and lifestyle.  Learning how to better myself. 

It is so humbling to get your emails, your posts and your messages.  Your words of encouragement and stories of how this blog is helping you make my heart smile.  This is it, folks.  This is your life.  This is the body you were given. 

Show it some love. 

Join me.  Share with me.  Learn with me.

What are your reasons for bettering yourself?  What is important to you right now or in your future?

Until next time...
XoXo,
Nicole

Laundry
Cleaning the house
Working full time
Cooking healthy meals
Walking the dogs
Trying to start a small business
Blogging
Volunteering
Grocery Shopping
Working out (or trying to)

List look familiar?  With the exception of a few of these, your life is probably just as crazy as mine.  In the midst of all of this, we still need to find time to lend a friend an ear, be a kind and compassionate spouse, spend time with family, etc., etc., etc.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just want a day where everything is done.  There isn't a stitch of dirty laundry, the house is sparkly clean, there is a hot meal on the table and I can have the whole day to tackle my ever growing to-do list.  Not the real to-do list, the fantasy to-do list where I get to finish DIY projects I half started a month ago, or can go through my wedding pictures from over a year ago and actually create the wedding album I've been promising myself.  If I just had a few more hours each day.....

Who am I kidding?  If I had a few more hours each day, I'd probably spend them doing something for someone else instead of myself.  Not because I'm a saint, but because I'm human (and a woman!) (;

This recipe is a result of one of those days.  I had intentions of creating a new dish, but found that I'd let my corn tortillas sit in the fridge too long, and they began to mold (I've been meaning to make this dish for a couple weeks now, gross, I know).  So, I came up with plan B and found a recipe that I'd been meaning to try.  When all else fails, make breakfast for dinner.

And then clean up the kitchen....oye!

Huervos Ranchos
adapted from Deliciously Organic

1 c black beans (I used dried beans that I soaked overnight)
1 piece of kelp
1 clove of garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cumin
juice of a lime

4 eggs, preferably pastured
olive oil

1/4 c salsa, divided
1 avacado, sliced & divided

Bring the beans to a boil and then simmer, after about 30 min add the kelp (can skip all of this and just use a can of black beans, drained).  Add beans, kelp, garlic, salt, cumin, and lime juice to a food processor and puree.  

Heat a little olive oil in a pan.  Cook eggs until whites are set, about 3 min. 

Place beans in a bowl, top with eggs, salsa and avacado.

XoXo,
Nicole

It's amazing how certain things can take you back to a moment in your life as though it were  yesterday.  Songs, places, even old t-shirts have memories that can instantly transport me to a moment in time.  When I was a child, my great-grandmother had a cottage on a lake.  I would spend summers there with my grandparents.  I would swim, watch fireworks, go into town with my grandma each morning, go fishing with grandpa, among many other things.  That lake, that cottage contain so many happy memories, it's hard to put into words.

When I was in middle school we sold her property, and my family stopped going.  It was heartbreaking, but the kids were growing up and no one wanted to take on another property so far from home.   Two years ago I took my husband there for the first time, and he fell in love like I had so many years prior.

I didn't end my birthday month quite the way I had anticipated.  I had lofty goals for the last week in August, but it turned out to be a week of catching up.  I repeated a couple of things I had done earlier in the month (buying coffee for the car behind me in the drivethru....I honestly could do this once a week, it gives me such a high!).  I also hired a cleaning service to come in and give my house a good deep clean once a week.  Those of you who know me, know this is huge for me since I loathe cleaning my house.  Once a month was all I could get the hubs to agree to, but I'll take it.  We also picked up my 3 1/2 year old nephew and took him up north with us, giving my sister and parents a week off!  Then I treated myself to a week of nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.

We rented the cottage right next door to where my great-grandparents once owned (the cottage we stayed in happens to still be in our family, which was neat).  We rented a pontoon boat and had no schedule at all.  It was lovely. 

See for yourself:

Not a bad view to wake up to every morning!  We did so many things, and took so many pictures, it's hard to pick which ones to share with you.  Here are some of my favorites!

What a month it was!  I was able to donate to charity, make a stranger's day, try out some new adventures like paddleboarding and accupuncture, treated myself to a massage, began some new workout classes, got a food dehydrator and started experimenting with raw foods, spent some time camping with my husband, among many other things. 

It's inspired me to continue with this (although, not every day....more like a new thing a month).  On the list: take a photography class, continue to expand my knowledge of new foods and alternative medicine, finally take my scuba diving class, go rock climbing, and much more!

Relaxing at the lake for a week was the perfect way to recharge my batteries and begin to drum up some new creativity. 

I hope you enjoyed my birthday month challenge, and that it inspired you to try new things as well!

XoXo,
Nicole

I know this is going to be hard for some of you to believe, but I have a pottymouth.  It's not something I'm proud of, but it's true.  I try to be respectful when I'm around other people, but I have the tendency to drop some not so lady-like words when I'm driving, when I spill something, when my computer is taking too long, when I stub a toe, when I'm alone, when I'm around people, when I'm tired, when I'm cranky, when I'm excited, as a term of endearment....you get the idea.  I swear a lot.

One of the things I told myself I was going to work on this birthday month was cleaning up my mouth.  This is easier said than done for someone who drops these "bombs" quite a bit throughout each day.  These words have become part of my everyday vocabulary, so using my filter and really thinking about it is difficult.  Case in point, yesterday the dog peed on the floor just as I was about to let him out and I know I said something, but after I was done cleaning it up, could not FOR THE LIFE OF ME remember if I actually swore or not.  I suppose even if I hadn't I was at least regretful, so that counts towards self-improvement, right?

Another thing I decided to clean up was my house (which, ironically, is the cause of many of the swear words that come out of my mouth).  We have wood floors and two dogs.  They track a lot in and out, and I seem to be the only one who knows how to use a vacuum or mop, so it's left to me to clean up after them (yes, that was a little dig on my husband) (:  I figured it was time to treat myself to this handy-dandy Hoover Floormate that my sister-in-law swears (no pun intended) by.  I have to say, I'm impressed.  It took a long time, as I had to vacuum, then wash, then dry each little section of floor but in the end could definitely tell a difference.  I still think I need professional help, which I'll save for another post.

I was also in Florida this weekend visiting some wonderful ladies at the University of Florida and Florida State.  It was a wonderful weekend filled with new friends, fantastic conversation, trying new restaurants, making new connections, etc., etc., etc.  I had a layover in Atlanta, so I did something I've never done before. 

*Source: Xpres Spa
It's not like I've never gotten a mani/pedi before, but I've never gotten one at an airport.  I desparately needed a manicure as my current one was peeling off and was starting to borderline trashy (I depsise chipped nails).  So, I gave in and paid extra to save myself some time and sanity while waiting for my flight.  I have to say, it wasn't bad.  I'd do it again if I was in a pinch.

Finally, my favorite part of my birthday celebratory month so far was when I was invited (since I made a recent donation) to take a tour of our local Ronald McDonald House.  As I mentioned, I'd been there before as a volunteer making dinner for families, but had never really seen much of the facility.  I was amazed at how many people were there volunteering, making quilts, sorting through donations, etc.  I was taken to the "Magic Room", a room where all of the donated toys are housed.  Each child that stays there gets a token they use to enter the room.  They are allowed to pick one toy for their visit, which they are able to take home with them.  I entered into a room that was designed like a circus tent, with brightly colored fabric and white twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling.  There were floor to ceiling shelves filled with toys galore.  It was magical, even for a grown woman. I couldn't imagine being a little kid in there!  That was definitely my warm fuzzy for the week.

Whether it's  your house, mouth or attitude....there's got to be some habits or items in your life that could use a little clean up.  I would encourage you this week to think about what areas you can work on, and then tackle them!  Whatever you do, I hope you find some inspiration this week.

Check back later this week as I will begin to try and get over my fear of drowning, as well as taking some other new steps to connect/network with new people who may be able to shed some insight into how I can work to find new inspirations in my everday life!

Have a beautiful day!
XoXo,
Nicole