Day 20: Cut Down on Takeout

Takeout is rare in my house. It costs too much, it's completely unhealthy. We just don't do it.

I'm not saying that we never do takeout, or fast-food.

Try to keep takeout of fast-food to a 1-2/month limit.

Really addicted? Maybe 1-2/week. Set a reachable goal for yourself.

Tips:

-Pack your own lunch for work. Better yet, pack it the night before so that you don't give yourself the excuse of having too hectic of a morning.

-Make large amounts of a meal and freeze manageable portions for future meals.

-Make dinner preparation a family event. My kids enjoy helping me, so I look forward to cooking with them.

-Not a cooker? Try signing up for a cooking class. You may find out that you love cooking!

Tell me how many times you have takeout/fast-food to be entered into my giveaway!

Day 19: Take the Stairs

This is a no-brainer. We hear it all the time, but I know most of us ignore it.

I'll give you a break if your office is on the 54th floor of your building =P

One of my campuses is 3 stories tall. I take the stairs. It takes less time than waiting for the elevator, and I get a mini-workout by taking the stairs (especially lugging around 50lbs. of books!)

Please take the stairs today!

Day 18: Pass the Honey, Please!

Okay, I don't really have a good excuse for being late on this one. I got home from work last night, and the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. I exhausted myself =p

Anyways, I learned this from my BioChem professor/nutritionist. Try substituting sugar for honey in anything you can. Coffee, cookies, etc.

It's still very high in calories and not great in large amounts, but honey sweetens just as well as sugar, but you also get the added benefit of the vitamins and antioxidant!

Such an easy switch to become healthier, right?

Don't forget to leave me comments to enter the giveaway!

Stamped Tea Towels

This has to be in my top 5 best projects to do with my kids!

I saw this in a parenting magazine, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Supplies

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-pkg of tea cloths (flour sack cloths)

- acrylic paint (in colors matching whatever fruits/veggies you want)

-assorted fruits and veggies (make sure it's hard ones! I.E. oranges are probably a no-go)

-letter stencils

-stenciling brush

-something to protect your surface

Directions

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1. Iron out your cloth.

(I got mine at Younkers)

2. Lay it out on a protected surface.

3. Cut your fruit/veggie exactly in half.

4. Dip the flat side of the fruit/veggie into a paint color that matches (apples=red or green)

5. Stamp the fruit/veggie onto your cloth.

6. Stencil the name of your fruit/veggie somewhere near the stamps.

7. Let it dry.

8. Repeat with other fruits/veggies.

Enjoy your new tea cloths! These cloths are my grandma's favorite. They are super-big. Perfect for throwing over your shoulder as you dry dishes while watching your children play in the backyard (sigh....)

I've got a few other neat projects that I'm doing, but I'm terribly busy for the next 3 days, but I'll try to get them done!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

...and a Happy Birthday to me!

As I promised myself, I tried to be festive this year...

Green wreaths on the cabinets.

Themed cupcakes.

(That ended up being made from scratch because I forgot to buy cake mix and frosting at the store >.<)

This guy hangs out on my bookshelf.

And my little guy made me a cake. We used kiwi as a garnish (hey, it's green right?)

I hope everyone has a fun (and safe!) holiday!