My new primal way of life.

So two years ago I started making some changes in my life and in my diet.   I started eating whole foods, whole grains, and no processed foods. I started making everything from scratch. I made granola bars for the kids, made homemade bread, ate more fruits and vegis, cut the fats  and did just what you are supposed to do to live a "healthy" life. Or so I thought. In June of 2011 I had some blood work done and found that my cholesterol was sky high. My total cholesterol was 239 while my  LDL was 145 and HDL 36. Now hear comes the shocker , my triglycerides were 352! I was a heart attack waiting to happen. My doctor suggested that I add more whole grains and cut back on fats etc. Just to give a little background I called my 30s my hurty thirties because for ten years I would wake up with a stomachache, I was diagnosed with IBS in high school, diverticulitis and ischemic colitis in my 30s I had 1/2 my thyroid taken out after the birth of my son, I constantly had knee pain. I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune skin disorder called wells syndrome. I always felt awful.

january 2012

Well  I went on another six months after getting those results doing what I had been doing until I went to visit my sister in Arizona.  We had been talking on the phone before my visit and she had mentioned that she cut out grains and cut added sugar from her diet and I thought she had flipped her lid. She said her blood work had come back better and her doctor told her to keep doing what she is doing. How can anyone give up grains and sugar? It can not be possible, at least that was what I thought. Well before I left my sister gave me a book by Gary Taubes called Why we get fat.  I had nothing to do on my flight home so I started reading and reading and reading until I finished it a few days later. It is a tough read with a lot of examples and data showing that carbs are the real reason we get fat and not fat we eat. My sister had also suggested I read a blog called Marksdailyapple.com which I did. I read success story after success story of people who ate according to marks Primal Blueprint diet which is similar to what Gary Taubes suggested in his book.  I decided on april 1 of 2012 to give it a shot. I now avoid all grains except quinoa once a week and cut out almost  all added sugar. I do have 2 pieces of Trader Joe's 72% dark chocolate each day as the benefits of dark chocolate out way the little bit of sugar . I eat whole foods at home and my kids and husband do the same.   We eat a lot of meat and organic eggs, seeds and nuts, lots of fruits and vegis and full fat dairy including whole milk, cheese, yogurt and grass fed butter. I also cook with olive oil and coconut oil and have a few pieces of coconut each day. No bread, no pasta, no rice no crackers.

Friends and Family nearby thought I was crazy, just like I thought my sister was crazy. However after two weeks and a little "carb flu" I was feeling amazing, I was starting to lose weight and my stomachaches and everyday aches and pains went away.  I was starting to feel great.  I started walking and then running and I am back to walking again due to a knee injury.  I only walk or run 2 days a week so I am not going crazy with exercise, but the weight keeps coming off. So now it is November 2012 and I am down 25 lbs. which is great but to top it all  off I recently got my numbers back and my total cholesterol went from 239  to 145, my LDL went from 145 to 100 and my triglycerides went from a whopping 352 down to 53! I have been waiting for my blood work to comeback before I "talked about it" on the blog but I can say 100% now that I suggest this to anyone.

december 2012

Let me know if you have any questions.

Maura

It really is a place where dreams come true!

I just returned back from a ten day trip to Disney World with my husband and two kids. It is my favorite place to vacation. My husband and I thought that after taking the kids to Walt Disney World three times in four years that they would be bored with it or tired of going, but much to our surprise they had as much fun this trip as we did two trips ago.

I put a huge emphasis on planning these trips. I want to enjoy my vacation, but i think if you just show up with no plan your Disney vacation will be a bust. I start by printing out the time schedule for each park and by using Touring Plans park attendance predictor to put together a rough schedule. I always leave wiggle room to change things around. For example, this trip was full of sunny warm days but our first full day in orlando was really warm and sunny so we moved things aroung to allow us to go to the waterpark (Blizzard Beach) instead of epcot.  Typhoon Lagoon was closed for refurbishment. Be sure to check out closures ahead of time so you are not disappointed.

View from our room at the Beach Club

We usually pick a hotel together as I want everyone to feel as though they are a part of the planning.
This trip we stayed at the Beach Club. This is on Disney property and was just a quick 5 minute walk to EPCOT and the Boardwalk area. We could also take a ferry to Hollywood Studios and the bus to Animal Kingdom , Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney and the Water Parks. My kids loved making smores on the beach each night and swimming in the hotel pool. They have a great water slide here.

My kids making smores on the beach

My only issue was some construction at the pool, which made it hard to get from one area to another. We loved eating at Beaches and Cream for dinner, and We had breakfast and dinner at the Cape May Cafe. My husband loved the crab legs at Cape May and even my picky eater found something he liked at the buffets. I really liked the location of this hotel. We have stayed at Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge in the past, and enjoyed each hotel for different reasons.  Based on my kids ages this trip we knew we could keep them up a little later and the EPCOT fireworks were on our to do list. We actually saw the fireworks 3 times as it was so easy to walk over for desert and Illuminations as we had the park hopper option on our tickets.

We packed a lot into our 10 day trip including a side trip to Universal Island of Adventure for my daughter's 12th Bday.  The rides were very intense compared to Disney.  My son who is a short 9 year old could not go on many of the rides at Island of Adventure.  We did enjoy going to Hogsmeade and riding on the Forbidden Journey and the Flight of the Hipogriff. Butter Beer was on our list of things to do in the Wizarding World. The kids loved it but I found it to be very,very sweet. We split one mug between the 4 of us and I think it was plenty.

Mr CC enjoying Butter Beer

 We went on a couple easy going rides at Suess Landing and the Pteradon flyers ride (only for a tween and an adult). We also went on the Spiderman ride and the Bilge rat Barges. We ended the day with the Barges as we were soaked to the bone. We had ponchos on and still all manage to get soaking wet feet and shirts. Over all we had fun but I don't think we would splurge next time for one day at Universal  as it was quite expensive.

We try to stay within our budget and in order to do that I pack one suitcase with snacks, drinks, cereal, bowls, utensils, and I ordered bagels, cheese sticks, fruit, water and milk from a local service called Garden Grocer. It was delivered to our room on the second day and It worked out very well. We ate breakfast in our room most mornings. The kids had some healthy snacks to munch on and we brought our own water to the parks everyday. Waters are about 2$ a piece in the parks so this was a major money saver. I also use the empty suitcase for souvenirs on the trip home. We always fly on Southwest so we don't have to pay any extra fees for the bag.

Well, we really enjoyed our trip, If anyone has any questions about Disney trip planning don't hesitate to ask. Hope everyone is having a nice night!

Maura

The two year tree.

Well, it's that time of year again. The holiday season is upon us and I am proud to say that after two years of working on it I have finally finished my large sequin and beaded christmas tree. Two years ago I worked on two smaller trees, one in silver and one striped in silver and green. I also started on the last and largest of my set. Christmas came and went and I put the tree aside thinking I would work on it the following fall. Well, then came the shoulder surgery and poking pins with little beads and sequins into a foam christmas tree was out of the question.

So when September 2011 rolled around I started back at it. I tried to get 2 or 3 rows done each night while my husband and I watched tv. While I might have missed a night or two here and there, I was totally committed to getting it done. Tonight while at my son's swim practice I finally finished it! The cutest thing happened while I was working on it also. A little girl about 7 came over and I could tell she was watching me. I said hello and she asked me what I was doing. I told her my story of the "two year tree" and she started rooting me on. With each pin I poked in the tree she would get more and more excited. "You're almost done", "just a few more"and "this is the last one and then it will be perfect". It is not perfect, some lines are not straight and some pins are too close, but I love it as though it is perfect. I worked so hard on this tree and my perseverance has finally paid off.  This last tree used up over 3000 pins.  Some might call me crazy for even making a small tree but I absolutely adore the way they all turned out.

I told my kids that someday the two of them will be fighting over who gets moms beaded trees. Remembering me sitting on the couch for months, working on them.  I never gave up and I feel good about that. I hope you all find something to commit to this holiday season. Wether it be a good deed, a project or a loved one. Don't give up on your "Two year tree".
Maura

I need a fresh start!

Waterfall in Bar Harbor Maine 

First of all I had a manipulation done on my shoulder back in march as after my shoulder surgery I ended up with a frozen shoulder. So basically they put you to sleep and wonk on your arm to break up the scar tissue that has built up.  I am happy to say that I am actually going to my last physical therapy appointment in the morning and after 10 months I will be able to get back to my regular routines. I was going to pt 3 times a week for 2 hrs a day.

So my next set back was about 6 weeks ago I got this horrible rash/ welt on my leg. Now 2 years ago I had the same thing and both times my doctor ( and a few other doctors) put me on antibiotic after antibiotic trying to heal it up. Well none of those worked and one even gave me an allergic reaction. Both times I was finally treated with prednisone and the welts cleared up. This time however the on call doctor at my primary care office sent me to see a dermatologist who did a biopsy on my leg. Come to find out I have a rare skin disorder called Well's Syndrome or Eosinophilic Cellulitis. Basically something like a spider bite or a cut or a medication can turn into a large painful itchy cellulitis( to many white blood cells called eosinophils go to the injured area, causing swelling and itching). I guess my body just over reacts to certain triggers.  The treatment is prednisone for now. If it gets worse or more recurrent then we move onto another medication. So my last flare has finally healed (other then my skin being discolored on my leg which goes away in about 8 weeks) and then it happens.

The latest setback started as another spot on my leg and then a spot on my face and then another and another. I went to the dermatologist again thinking my Well's is at it again only to find out I have poison ivy on my leg and face.  I am itching like crazy and a little embarrassed by my blotchy face.

Any how I am turning 40 in December and I have decided that I am due for a fresh start. I had nothing but health problems in my thirties. Shingles, thyroid surgery, GI problems, shoulder surgery, hernia, Wells and poison ivy and I have decided I am ready for the fabulous forties. Please send any and all good karma my way and I promise I will be posting and back to projects asap.  I have decided I need to look into hiring a landscaper so I can avoid spiders and poison ivy for a while! Have a great day.

Maura

It's a bird, It's a plane, No It's an antenna!

So, back in December my husband and I made a New Years Resolution to complete one large project each month.  Our January task was to disconnect our cable and bring our phone and Internet bills down. Not everything worked out as planned.

 We hooked up our Roku mid December to make sure we could live with it. This is a streaming box and we pay under $20  a month for Netflix and Hulu Plus.  We disconnected the cable and I brought the cable boxes back to Comcast mid January. My husband hooked up the antenna, but after many hours of frustration. He was putting up the antenna and dropped a clip (important piece) in the snow. We searched for over an hour and finally asked a neighbor boy if we could use his metal detector to find it. No luck. I then emailed the company who makes the mounting kit to see if I could buy another and they were so kind, Or they thought we were so pathetic and they sent us 2 free ones (just in case). So he finally mounted the antenna and we found out we get 17 local channels. Check out this photo- NO CABLE BOX!  YIPPEE!  Just our tiny little Roku, our dvd player and our radio- for surround sound.

Now here is where things got tricky. We were hoping to change to Verizon for our Internet and phone but my husband was concerned about email accounts. We have had the same ones for about 10 years and he did not want the hassle of contacting everyone we know and every company we have accounts linked to these addresses. So we decided to keep the Internet with comcast which will be $60 a month (highway robbery) and to get an extra cell phone on our family plan for 9.99 a month. We will be using it as our home phone.   Our original plan was to pay $75 for TV, phone and Internet and we only got it to $90 but we are still saving $70 per month.

So on to the next project for February. My daughter wanted to change her bedroom around so we will be giving her room a makeover. Stay tuned for that update.

Thanks for following along with me
Maura

A Shopper's High? No a Savers High!

?

As you may or may not know. I am a semi- extreme couponer. I say semi because I don't want you to think I am as crazy as some couponers you may have seen on tv. I am a normal married mom of two who decided (after meeting with our financial planner a few years ago) that I needed to get my spending in hand. He actually looked at our spending and noticed that a large chunk was being spent at target and grocery stores.  I felt a little embarrassed and a little mad. I decided from that moment on I was going to cut back and find a way to spend less without missing out. So two years later I now thrive on saving money. That same high others get from buying things, I get from saving.

I used to be a regular couponer who would cut a few coupons from the Sunday paper each week and go to the store to buy our weekly groceries and household items. Now I actually take the time to plan a monthly menu based on the items I have in my pantry and freezer . Each week I check my menu and make my shopping list based on what I need to complete meals.  I also buy any stockpile items (items on a really great sale with coupons to match that I can buy and put away in my pantry) I also buy my fruits and vegis based on what is on sale that week.  I have cut my grocery bill from $150 a week to $90  a week (this includes my health and beauty supplies and cleaning supplies).  One week I may go a little over, then the next a little under but $90 is about average for our family of four.

The deals have been a little slim over the past couple months but this week was a jackpot week.  A local grocery store had many staple items like pasta, sauce, peanut butter, canned tomatoes, and cereal on sale with a Catalina. ( a coupon good on your next order -OYNO) If you bought $20 worth of participating items you got a coupon for 10 OYNO.  I actually had my husband do this deal and then I went shopping with a friend and did another transaction.  I am planning on making one more trip this week. So this week I went a little over budget.  I will be spending $120 but I will have 30$ to use next week on meats or fruits and vegis.  I told my husband I was having a Shoppers High and he said "That would make a great blog post". Hence the title of this one.

Oh I should also tell you we completed January's Resolution Project. I will post soon about that!


Have a great Day
Maura

Resolutions

 It is the end of 2010 today and I have made my New Years Resolution for 2011. This year my husband and I are going to try to get one major project done each month of the year.  To start with we are going to try to cut ties with our cable company, well we will still keep our internet but drop cable and phone service. My husband has been asking me how we can get our Comcast bill down. It is one of our largest bills and it just seems to keep rising. So this is what I came up with.

 We bought a Roku about a month ago (set top streaming box) and we signed up for Netflix and Hulu Plus (both free for the first month so you can try it out). So our next step is to buy a roof mount antenna and hope we get in most of the local stations.  If all works well we will be dropping cable and getting an additional cell phone to use at home (for 10$ per month). We figure we will cut our Comcast bill from $160 to $45.  Our cell phone bill will go up $10, our Netflix bill will be 9.99, and Hulu Plus is an additional 7.99 and My husband needs his baseball so MLB tv is 25.00 for the year or approx  $2.10 per month. So our total for tv, phone and internet will now be $75.00 per month which will be a savings of $85.00 per month or $1020.00 per year.

We have had the Roku set up for about 2 weeks now and no one seems to be missing cable.  My husband did use it once to watch football but only because we did not have the local channels yet. I will let you know how this all plays out once the antenna is in place but I am not for seeing any problems. Are you all tired of paying huge cable bills? Let me know what you think.

MAURA

Breakfast Freezer Cooking

This week Collin at Hip2Save is having a holiday Challenge to win some great giveaways. This weeks challenge was freezer cooking breakfast items and since I am having shoulder surgery Monday I am all about getting prepared (for my husbands sake and my own) for the upcoming weeks and months.

You needed to make 3 breakfast items that can be made ahead of time and frozen until you are ready to use them so I chose my 3 and got started this week. I first made pancakes. Now up until recently I always made them from scratch. How ever the last time I visited my mom she made boxed pancakes and my kids raved about them so now I just buy a box, add water, cook, Ziploc, and freeze. Then any morning The kids can pop them into the microwave and have pancakes for breakfast.

Please ignore my disgusting stove!

Next I made a half batch of the Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. Oh my goodness are these great. My family and neighbors can't get enough. You can bake them ahead of time and freeze them for later use. Like Monday mornings when no one wants to get up! I made them, wrapped the pan in saran wrap and then foil. I also make the icing ahead and leave it in the fridge in baggies to use later.

There were more but not all of them made it to the freezer!

Lastly I made banana crumb muffins. I have used this recipe from Allrecipes for a few years. I do tweak the topping recipe by adding oats and a touch more butter to bind. They are so light and airy and have just a little crunch out of the oven. If you freeze them and microwave later they are not quite as crunchy but they are still delicious.

I would recommend trying any one of these fresh out of the oven or frozen for later use. My kids think they are in baked good heaven. Now it is onto other meals. My kids have brown bag lunch for school and that means all I need is to get some dinners pulled together. I make a monthly menu so I just need to plan my menu around my frozen meal items. Let me know if you try any of these recipes! I hope you love them as much as I do!

You don't know what you've got till it's gone.

Como Italy 

Mr colonial cottage is across the ocean in Italy right now.  Hopefully sleeping.  He flew all night to get there this morning. He had a few meeting today and dinner tonight at 8 pm. He sounded so exhausted when I talked to him.  If you can believe it, his first day at his new job was in Como, Italy. Not bad for a first day huh!  I really miss him but I am so glad he found a new job so quickly. He actually took the month of August off and started looking for a new job in September. It took him all of 2 weeks to land a new consulting  job

 I feel pretty tired these days also. I don't know about you all but I do not sleep well when it is just me and the kiddos.   On top of that I am still going to physical therapy for my bum shoulder and I am waking up all night in pain. I had better stop complaining before you all stop reading!


Since I have all this extra time with my husband back to work, I have been trying to get organized for my upcoming neighborhood yard sale. It looks like we will have about 8 families involved and I am planning on putting my family to work that day. My husband and I will man all the goods except toys (the kids are taking care of that.) I even put my mother in law to work, she will be running the coffee/cinnamon roll stand. I am making a few batched in hopes of making a little extra dough ( no pun intended.) I am hoping we will have a pretty good turnout.  The weather has been lousy around here this week and is supposed to be bad for a few more days. I am hoping that mother nature is getting it all out of her system before the big day.

Does anyone have any yardsale tips for me? I could use any help I can get.

Maura

 Disney World Mom's Panel



Have you heard about the Walt Disney World Mom's panel?  I filled out my essays yesterday and would love to be a part of this group. It is a voluntary position. No pay. However you do go to WDW for training and get a trip for 4 to WDW. You also need to be willing to answer 25 questions a week from people planning a trip to Disney World. You must be over 18 and must have traveled to WDW within the last year. There are a few other restrictions you can read about it and apply here.  If you are thinking about applying, do it fast as there are only 20,000 applications accepted and they go fast.

I love, love, love Walt Disney World.  I have been 4 times and I know that many people go every year but I just can not afford to do that.  We have taken the kids twice now and have such an amazing time!  I also love planning my trips. I think you really need to put the effort into planning to get the most enjoyment out of Disney World.

1 in 20,000 are not such great odds but I hope and pray I make it to the second round. Oh did I forget to tell you?  You need to get through 3 rounds to be on the Mom's Panel.  Let me know if you've applied too! Good luck!