I have added a tab to the page. As I muddle along figuring this stuff out, it will look prettier. I will add links (and hopefully pictures) for items I use, like and/or recommend.

My KEY for the page is: This Mom Recommends = I use this, I like this, and I think you will too. This Mom Recommend AF = I use this, I like this, I think you will too, and I get paid if you buy it. This Mom Likes = I like it, but I haven’t used it.

I can’t wait to add lots the products I like. Email me with any recommendations too at whatthismomthinks@gmail.com.

Thanks in advance for shopping!

Kim

*There are links to products on my distributor website.  When you shop, I will make some money.  However, I would not endorse products that I do not use and enjoy!

I have struggled with my weight my whole life.  I have been up and down and way up and part of the way back down, you know yo-yo.  As I approach the birthday that for me defines mid-life, I have started to think about my health.  These thoughts are driven by several factors which have become my whys for making good choices.

Why #1: I feel bad most days.  Well, not terrible.  My joints ache and crack and I feel like I have been run over.  I use caffeine to stay awake and keep going.  I am hungry most of the time.  My gut, well let’s just say it is not “working” well.

Why #2: I have really active kids.  Since I had my first baby at 30, they are hitting their super active stride RIGHT NOW.  I need to keep up. I also have a kid that will need me to help her get around.  In the months after her surgical procedure, I carried her a lot.  My body paid the price.

Why #3: I see the “stuff” medically that my parents are dealing with and I don’t want to deal with those thing.  Also, I have my own medical “stuff” and I need to keep those issues at bay.

I needed a plan to follow.  Also, it needed to be fairly easy and portable.  A friend, or two, introduced me to Advocare products.  They have a full line of products for losing weight, wellness, and health.  I have begun to use the products.  I started with the 24 Day Challenge.  Now I have branched out to other items.  Spark has replaced my buckets of diet soda.  I also have 3 reasons why I like these products.

Why#1: This program is so easy to follow.  There are also tons of resources.  I belong to 2-3 Facebook programs with lots of tips and recipes.  They also have tons of products for whatever your goals are.

Why #2: There are lots of flavors.  The Spark flavors are tasty and there are a ton of them.  Rehydrate is a healthier choice for sports drink and comes in lots of flavors.  The meal replacement shakes are delicious.  There are lots of yummy options.

Why #3: There is a plan to get the products at a discount.  The discount grows as you shop.  Now as a distributor, I am working to get to the 40% discount and help others.

I will continue keeping track of my progress and my use of the plan here.  Message me at whatthismomthinks@gmail.com for more information.

 

 

 

Winter has arrived.  My family is stretched out in several different directions in the evening.  At the end of a long day, I want them to have a nice hot meal.  I hate planning.  I hate hearing the question, “What is for dinner?” when I do not have an answer for them.  I know meal planning is good for my family, our health and our budget.  This is something I have begun to get serious about.  That is why I have added a few tricks to my bag to make this task easier.

I have begun to follow a few blogs.  I love Stephanie O’Dea.  I have a few of her cookbooks.  She loves a Crock Pot.  I love a Crock Pot.  Her recipes and practical, easy and gluten free.  Everything my family needs.  I also follow Lisa Leake.  I am working my family through 100 Days of Real Food.  I know we eat too much processed food and too much sugar.  I also have a subscription to Plan to Eat.  I love this service.  It helps my save all the wonderful recipes I find on Pinterest and while reading blogs.  Then I can set a schedule with those recipes and creates a list.  It is a wonderful service. They have a freezer meal challenge in January that I have joined.  Comes with a Facebook page and I have already been connecting with other subscribers.   I also like Eat at Home.  This service gives you meal plans to choose from and sends you weekly or monthly menu and grocery list.  Super easy.  All downloadable.

My goal for 2017 is 5 meals a week with the other 2 being pizza one night and “hodgepodge”, my families term for leftovers.  Realistically I hope we get 4….  All of these tools will help me.  I will share my results as we go.  I will also share recipe hits and misses.   As always It will be the good, the bad and the ugly.

Christmas is behind us and although we didn’t “overspend”, it does take a toll on the family budget.  I am committed to some goals in 2017.  To achieve them I need to cut the budget.  So this January I am not spending any money on extras.  I will cook meals from the pantry.  No internet shopping.  None of it.  31 days.  Who wants to join me?

Here are my “rules”, but you can modify these to fit your own lifestyle:

1. Grocery budget of $120 a week ($20/person). This will wind up being milk, produce, meat and GF bread (mostly).  Our Pizza Wednesdays will come out of this $120.  We have a well stocked pantry of dry goods.  This gives me the chance to rotate that as well.
2. My amazon order will be the things we need only. The diapers for my special needs daughter and my dog’s food, but not K-cups of hot chocolate for the kids.
3. I am budgeting $100 for Kid #3’s birthday dinner for her friends. We are hosting a dinner for her hockey friends after practice.  Her gift was purchased in December.
4. We can spend holiday gift cards and money during this time as long as the purchases do not exceed the gifted amount.
5. The kids that have a hot lunch option at school can eat hot lunch 2 days a week, if they want, but no more.

I will be presenting this list to the family.  There may be a few more “rules” based on feedback.  I will be checking in once a week here and post to discuss how the No Shopping thing is going.  I would love for you to let me know how it goes for you too.   I will also be on Instagram with #noshopjan with pictures of my progress.

You can join me.

This has been quite a summer/fall.  I have allowed myself to once again get completely booked, scheduled, and overwhelmed.  Add to that a schooling change for Kid #1 and major surgery for Kid #2 and well, blogging once again became lost in a sea of appointments, two-a-day football practices and nights of spelling words.  I will once again relaunch.  This fall more than ever before I have felt some forces tugging me to make some changes.  To prioritize in a way I haven’t and to recommit to happiness.  I hope this blog will help me on that journey and by doing so maybe help others.  So, I am off to develop some content and a direction for this started and stopped blog.  Started to give me a way to chronicle my motherhood, but also to give a voice to others.  I have some ideas.  We will have to see how they go.  Stay tuned. 

I LOVE the Meal Makeover Moms.  I “like” them on Facebook, subscribe to their podcasts, and now I have their cookbook.  This is their second book called No Whine with Dinner.  It has 150 recipes that your family will actually eat!  It also includes 50 tips for getting kids to try foods.  I am proud to say that they selected a tip I suggested (Tip #16 in the book!).  My kids were so excited to see their names in the book although they mentioned that we needed to call The Moms and add kid #4 to the list! 

I came across this list on Sparkpeople.com that is a guide to what you should and don’t necessarily need to buy organically. We first switched our kids to organic dairy, then farm raised meat. We eliminated nitrates in hot dogs and bacon. We also buy organic, local produce whenever possible.

Here is the list:

The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Buy Organic
If you have budget constraints, your money is doing more for your health when you put it towards organic varieties of the following fruits and vegetables (listed in descending order, starting with greatest levels pesticide contamination):

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Imported grapes
11. Carrots
12. Pears

The Clean 15: Save Your Money & Buy Conventional
If going totally organic is too difficult or pricey, play it safe and eat the following conventional produce items to minimize your exposure. These are known to have the least amount of pesticide residue (listed in ascending order, starting with of lowest levels of pesticide contamination):

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangoes
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwis
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomatoes
15. Sweet potatoes

 

Here is the first book I am giving away from my HUGE cookbook collection.  I have copied down the recipes I use from it and am ready for it to have a new home.

This book has wonderful GF/DF recipes.  Kid #1 loves the pancakes.  The all-purpose blend was my go to for a long time.

If you would like this book, leave a comment below.  I will collect comments until Sunday (Mother’s Day) at midnight.  I will notify the winner on Monday.

Want to be entered into the drawing more than once?

• Like What This Mom Thinks on Facebook.
• Follow me on Instagram: momofalekm.
• Subscribe to this blog.
• Once you have done those things, leave me another comment letting me know.

What if you don’t win?  The book is available on Amazon.  Good Luck!

 

 

 

This time is set aside for cleaning out the kitchen pantry.  It was full.  So full we couldn’t get anything else in it.  As in other parts of organization, I set the timer.  It took me 45 minutes to clean out the pantry.Here is what I have decided after cleaning out the pantry.

• We have too much packed in there.  We can not see what we have.
• We eat too much junk food.
• Some things have been in there a LONG time.
• No one puts things away correctly.  Or properly seals a bag.

Much better now!

 

I LOVE books. I LOVE cookbooks. I LOVE self-help books: tips for a clean house, well behaved kids, time management, beating clutter. You name it!

In the spirit of the theme of most of the books, I will be reviewing some of the books in my library and then giving them away. Here is how it will work:

1. I will write a post on Fridays reviewing a book from my library.
2. I will ask for comments through the weekend on the book.
3. The post will close for comment on Sunday at 11:59pm
4. On Monday, I will draw randomly from the comments.
5. I will contact the winner and mail them the book!

If you see a book you are interested in, leave a comment and post away