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Welcome to Week 21 of the Frumpy to Fabulous series this week habit change is to consume starchy carbohydrates with protein at breakfast, with lunch and dinner.

Choose from wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, yam, whole wheat pasta and quinoa. Stagger them at breakfast, lunch and dinner and it will keep your energy and mood elevated throughout the day. You can also add fruits and vegetables into your meals.

Here are some examples of some meals:

• turkey sandwich with an apple
• oatmeal with berries and scrambled eggs whites
• grilled chicken with brown rice and black beans and spinach salad
• lean beef with sweet potato and asparagus
• whole wheat pasta with turkey meatballs
• natural peanut butter, jelly and banana on whole wheat wrap

If you have missed previous weeks you can check out the Frumpy to Fabulous board on Pinterest.

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One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to be more organized. Mess and clutter stresses me out. My daughter started preschool today so it was the perfect opportunity to go through her toys and organize her closet. She used to have a large toy box which worked great to contain her toys but she is short so she couldnt even get to most of her toys unless she got all of the way in it.

Here is her old toy box

I purchased the Circo stackable 9 cube organizer from Target. I love the fact she can see all of her toys and it looks so nice and organized. I also purchase a couple of collapsable bins to hold her small toys.

She has a nice shelf that had her sheets/blankets but they looked messy. So I headed over to my local Goodwill and found these adorable baskets. The little one was $4.38 and the large one was $5.38.  They look super cute and hold all of her blankets and sheets.

I love how her closet turned out . She can reach all of her toys and it looks organized.

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If you are like me one of your New Year’s Resolution is to get more organized. I always loved watching Peter Walsh when he was on Oprah. Here are some great quotes to think about as you are decluttering/organizing:

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I like to workout and always feel better when I do but sometimes it is hard to get motivated. It always help me if I have someone to motivate me or a challenge where you can compete with other people.

I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in a challenge called In A New York Minute from Your Better Life. It was a pilot challenge that had a four week tracker to encourage simple and healthy habits while enjoying sites of the city.  As I moved along the map tourist attractions would pop up.

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Here are the challenges I had to do to get points and move along the challenge

• using the stairs(at least 2 flights) -600 points a day
• desk stretches(at least 15 minutes)-600 points a day
• break time walk(at least 15 minutes)-600 points a day
• motivate a co-worker to go for a break time walk-600 points a day
• drinking 8 glasses of water-600 points a day

I could view my progress for the challenge on the challenge list it shows everyone’s avatar and their points and rank.

The website also has an activity tracker that you could post your activity for each day. It had a spot for the number of steps you took everyday. I wore a pedometer everyday so I could track my steps. It is a great motivator, if you set a goal for yourself everyday on how many steps you want to have by the end of the day.  There was also a spot for any exercise you did (ex. walking, cardio machine, aerobics,cycling,etc)

We received messages in our inbox with tips,motivating ideas, general health tips. Some of the emails we received were sugar crash, workout at work and stay hydrated. I think this is great I can always use any health tips and things to motivate me.

You can also add people to your buddy list and you can motivate and challenge each other along the challenge.

I really enjoyed this challenge. I am really trying to lose weight and eat healthier. It was fun as a team to be in a challenge, it helps to keep you motivated because you want to win the challenge. I really like the idea of the buddy list you and your friends can do the challenge together. The map was fun to use because you  could see all of the people in the challenge along the map, tourist attractions and other great information. Especially with New Years around the corner I am sure a lot of people’s resolution will be to lose weight, a challenge would be a great way to do that.

//
I completed the challenge with Sublime Media Connection .

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Last year I never wrote any of my resolutions down. This year I am going to write them down and tape them to my dresser mirror so I have to see them everyday. I hope I can complete them all and think of some others throughout the year.

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Here are my resolutions/goals for 2013

26 random acts of kindness( for Newtown victims) I plan on doing random acts of kindness throughout the whole year.

read more books

spend more time with friends

go to more movies

exercise more

eat better

go on at least one vacation

have game nights with the kids

read daily affirmations/devotionals

start writing down what I eat

read food labels

organize the whole house

have a garage sale

plant more fruits/vegetables in the garden

track spending

live with more gratitude

bake more

try new recipes

smile more

stay positive

keep negative people out of my life

I would love to hear some of your resolutions/goals for next year.

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I have been thinking a lot lately about my resolutions/goals for next year. I usually make resolutions every year but this year I put more thought into them and also wrote them down.

I love to read and it is relaxing. One of my resolutions/goals for next year is to read more books. Sometimes I borrow books from my local library and some I just buy especially if I hear a lot of good things about it.

I put together a list of some of the books I plan on reading. I hope I can get through these and read even more books.

Here is a little about each book I am going to read:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin-she dedicates a year to a happiness project. She realizes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference.

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin-kiss more,jump more, abandon a project. She focuses on possessions ,marriage, time, and parenthood

Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Lehigh De Moss-appreciating God’s goodness everyday of our lives

Let It Go by Karen Ehman-how to stop running the show and start walking in faith. Let go of your need to control. Provides doable ideas, new thought patterns,and practical tools

Live Your Dash by Linda Ellis-It matters not how much we own, the cars, the house,the cash. what matters most is how we live and love

I am excited to read these books. I have heard great things about all of these books.

I would love to hear about some of your favorite books or books you plan on reading.

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I love to shop and I like getting new items for the house or new clothes but I am overwhelmed and stressed by all of the stuff in my house.

Have you every thought about just getting rid of your stuff, moving into a smaller house to live a less stressful life.

That is just what Tammy Strobel did. She wrote a book called You Can Buy Happiness(and it’s cheap) How one woman radically simplified her life and you can too. It is such a great thought-provoking book. I like everything to stay organized and clean but with a 3 and 6-year-old that is not easy and maybe not realistic. I am so overwhelmed by the stuff I have hired a professional organizer and we are slowly going through closets and rooms making them organized and functional. I  have a hard time letting go of things that I paid a lot for or haven’t used yet. My professional organizer, Maggie always tells me you to stop the influx of stuff or the chaos will never end. She is right and I am working on that.

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Anyway back to the book Chapter 1 is titled Buying Things Will Not Make You Happy. I had to sit down and think about it. The author is right you may feel happy for a little while but then you get bored with the items you buy. Materialism distracts us from being happy and building strong relationships. There are personal stories through the whole book about people’s stories who learned to live with less.

There is also micro actions in the book that you can write down, answer and think about and determine if you want to follow through with. Here are just some of them:

• write down the definition of happiness
• how can you simplify your life
• stay away from the mall
• sort through your stuff slowly
• wait 30 days before buying stuff
• adapt one-in,one-out rule
• do something kind for another person everyday

When you purchase stuff it just puts you in more debt. That can make your feel stuck in a job you don’t like. The author was in that position she had a job that she didn’t like and a long commute everyday. But she couldn’t quit because she felt stuck because of their debt. They wrote all of their expenses down and ultimately decided to move, sell their vehicles and bought a 600 square foot to live a simpler life. Here are some mirco-actions for debt:

• use credit cards sparingly or cut them up
• eliminate non-essential spending
• create a spending plan
• establish an emergency fund

The book also mentions Project 333- you narrow down your wardrobe to 33 pieces of clothing and wear only those items for 3 months. It will make you question how much you really need in your wardrobe.

They also don’t own a TV and takes digital sabbaticals. I know I could not go without a TV, the digital sabbatical I could do but would be hard but good for my family and other relationships.

Relationships matter not things is what Chapter 10 is titled. Living in a smaller house she was able to connect with her husband more and spend more time with family and friends. She didn’t have a huge house to keep clean and a whole bunch of stuff to stress her out.

Focus on life, not stuff. Tammy wrote the book to help cultivate strong relationships and appreciate the pleasures of a life lived more simply.

Everything we possess that is not necessary for life or happiness becomes a burden, and scarcely a day passes that we do not add to it.  ~Robert Brault,

 This book has made me look around and see all of the stuff in my house and it does stress me out. I started a box of stuff to sell at a garage sale this summer and have given some stuff to my family. I don’t plan on moving to a smaller house. I do plan on getting rid of more stuff. I want to fill my house with memories not stuff.

If you are interested in purchasing the book by Tammy Strobel-You Can Buy Happiness(and it’s cheap) you can do so below:

Disclosure: This is an affiliate link.

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Vistaprint is offering 50 of their stylishly designed, totally customizable folded and flat holiday cards for only $15, with shipping and processing included – a special price for those on our “nice” list. It’s easy: just pick a template that you love from our over 3,700 designs and add your own personal touch to your cards with your favorite photos, holiday greetings, and family news. And with seemingly endless options to choose from, there’s a card for everyone!

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I look forward to the holidays, I get to spend time with family and friends and enjoy good food.  One thing I don’t like is traveling with two kids.

I have a 2 and a 5 year old. Ever year a day or two after Christmas we travel 5 hours to South Dakota to spend time with my in-laws. I have to prepare for days before leaving. I usually write lists of everything I need to pack and another of things I want to get done before leaving.

I hate coming home to a dirty house so I always clean the house before I leave and do all of the laundry before we go because I know when we come back we will have at least one suitcase  full of dirty clothes to clean when we get home.

Five hours of sitting in a car is a really long time for kids to sit in one spot and not be able to move around. My son always asks about half hour in are we there yet? I always think to myself this is going to be a really long drive. We usually stop every 2 hours to stretch, sometimes eat and give the kids a little break from sitting for so long.

Then we get back on the road. I try to bring things that will keep them busy. Here are some of the usual items we bring

• books
• ipad
• nintendo DS and games
• snacks
• stuffed animals
• DVD player
• movies

When you travel you want a car with a lot of space throughout the car and especially in the trunk checkout the Kia Sorento’s trunk what a great way to stay organized why you travel and have a lot of space for all of the suitcases and kid’s stuff you need to bring along.

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Kia Motors

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Kia Motors

What are some of the items you bring when you travel with kids to keep them occupied?

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With the holidays approaching everyone is looking for ways to save money. It is hard to find coupons on paper products. Scott Products has a great new program to help you with that.

Scott Shared Values is a great program. When you sign up you get coupons and exclusive deals.  If you have a child in school you can earn e-box tops just for being a member. Plus your school will automatically be entered in for a chance to win 250,000 e-box tops.

Scott’s has a great products they carry bath tissue, flushable moist wipes, towels and napkins.

There will be new coupon offers on the website each month. Share the values with other and you get access to $1.25 coupon.

It is very quick and easy to sign up.

Sign up now.

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Scott. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating and am able to earn additional rewards throughout the campaign.”

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Enter to win a Breaking Dawn Part 2 Prize Package that includes dinner and a movie for four and exciting Twilight merchandise! Refer your friends for more chances to win – for every friend you refer, you will receive an additional entry in the sweepstakes.

Dates: November 5 – November 14

Enter here.

Prize: Four (4) movie tickets to Breaking Dawn Part 2
$400 for dinner for four (4)
Twilight Prize Package:
Breaking Dawn Part 2 Soundtrack $9.99 (Releases Nov 13)
Breaking Dawn Part 2 Movie Poster $6.99
Twilight Saga Four Pack DVD Set $39.99
The Twilight Saga Book Collection $53.30
Breaking Dawn Part 2 T-shirt $22.50

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