Last year during spring time we were moving to florida, and the year before that Bryce was leaving for Afghanistan, and the year before that we had just moved in together.. so this will be our first spring that we are settled and with Beth now and we are just really looking forward to spending lots of quality time outside.  This past weekend my parents came down for the day and they gave us their old patio furniture set since they are moving to Canada and will not be able to take it with them.  It was such a blessing for us since we have an amazing little sunroom on the back of the house, but nothing to put in it!  We had been using it as storage for Beth’s outdoor toys, and had two Bass Pro Shop folding chairs set up for seating, pretty pathetic, but functional none-the-less!

Sunday I opened all the windows to the sunroom to let in some fresh air and I could not believe the amount of dead bugs and dirt that had piled up in the window tracks, I quickly thought this would be a big challenge for my 30 minutes, 30 days series, I really didn’t believe that I could get the sunroom “spring-ready” in that short amount of time.  But I took it on anyways,  First I vacuumed out the window tracks and then vacuumed the screens to get all the tiny little pieces of debris that were stuck onto them. Then I washed the interior side of the windows.  20 minutes passed!  I got a washcloth with warm water and some homemade anti-bacterial spray that I use on Beth’s cloth diapers and quickly wiped the cushions and spruced up the “new” furniture in my remaining 10 minutes!

I cant believe the transformation this room has taken! It has gone from an awkward, empty, storage room to a beautiful functioning sunroom! I am sure I will be tinkering around with decor and all the little details to really make it cute, but for now I am so happy with it!

It is so relaxing to have a space besides the living room to sit down and relax and read a book or drink a cup of tea.  We have such a large TV that our living room often feels like a place that is for watching television, so I love the idea of a second living space that is TV free and full of light! This project has also really inspired Bryce and I to get into gear and really make the backyard a place that we want to be, (hint – the half completed fire pit and garden in the background)  So expect more posts to come about getting ready for spring!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that we wanted to make a point to spend some family time together outside.  Beth loves exploring and running around and just being free from having to hold our hand, so yesterday we took her to Hammocks Beach State Park.  There wasn’t really a whole lot there, it really is just a pretty place on the water with lots of trees and grass to run around in, but in Beth’s eyes, it was a new place with lots of things to discover.  We waited until after her nap to go, so we ended up spending about 30 minutes at the park before we had to head back home for dinner.  It was such a nice trip, Beth had a blast finding twigs and leaves and bringing them to us.  She ran all around to her hearts content.  She tried climbing trees and we watched the birds and butterflies.  I love seeing the world through her eyes.

It was such a great trip I really was surprised that we were only there for about 30 minutes! exploring a new place is such an awesome way to get in some quality time with your family, I know we made some good memories yesterday.  So I encourage you to get in your car and go someplace new with your loved ones, you may be surprised at what you find!

Yoga is something that I really got into when we lived in Florida, but since I’ve started focusing on my diet so much I have ceased to maintain the motion aspect of weight loss.  I Love yoga because it can allow you to work up to your highest potential, you don’t have to be a yoga master from the get go.  I also like yoga because I can incorporate my daughter into the workouts if I don’t have time to do it before she wakes up or during her nap time.  In Florida I was able to go to classes near my house for 5 dollars a week which I thought was a great deal, but here I haven’t been able to find anything comparable in price so I am just going to do it at home.  I remember enough from the classes that I have enough exercises to fill up 30 minutes, plus just putting on some relaxing music and doing yoga without a dvd is a way different experience than trying to keep your eyes on the television.

So this morning I spent 30 minutes with Beth doing yoga, she would run around for a bit and then every 5 minutes or so she would come over and check out what I was doing, she would mimic my motions as best as she could and it was a really great experience! I realize that the idea of a toddler running around while you are trying to relax at first glance doesn’t seem that appealing, but I have really been finding the joy in watching Beth learn and grow and change everyday, and if I can incorporate some of her learning into my workout, then thats a win in my book.

For those of you who have younger children I really encourage you to check out your local yoga studio or birthing center (many birthing centers offer different types of pre and post-natal classes) because incorporating your baby into your workout will really give you an amazing amount of freedom to workout 5 days a week, 3 days a week, 1 day a week, or however often you prefer.  And if you are like me, and you cant find anything local that fits your needs, there are some mom and baby yoga dvd’s available.  I found this one on amazon, and it seems to have some pretty good reviews.  (click the photo for link)

I hope that you will find, or maybe already have found, your workout niche and begin to incorporate it into your daily life.  For me, I didn’t realize until this morning how much I missed yoga, and it is certainly something that I would like to get back into on a more regular basis.

So basically Im that girl that never goes to the salon.  If I need a haircut I go to great clips, and I have the frequent customer punch card to prove it.  So I decided that I would get my hair cut at a real salon.  So I made an appointment and this morning I went.

oh.my.goodness.

I have been missing out! first off, I was greeted with a mimosa because my stylist was running a bit late. Just what every housewife needs on a thursday morning! Then I was whisked away to the back to get my hair washed and conditioned, and right before rinsing out the conditioner the woman asks me if I would like my head massaged. YES PLEASE.  My head has not received that kind of attention for that long ever, amazing.

Then while she was cutting my hair she told me that I needed to have it thinned out on the bottom. Huh, no stylist at great clips has ever told me this before, but hey, they seem to know what is up around here so I said sure, do what ya want. And so I say again.. amazing.

I cant believe that I have been having my hair cut the wrong way for 25 years.  Today was a very eye opening experience for me!  And if you don’t count the wait time, It only took 30 minutes. So here’s to another day of devoting 30 minutes to self improvement! And for all you devotees of the frequent customer punch card, I really encourage you to make an appointment at your local salon and spend some quality time on you!

ps – check ahead to make sure you find one that gives head massages

Im starting a new series, and I’m calling it 30 minutes, 30 days. its all about setting aside 30 minutes a day to do something that makes you and your life better.  There are always things that get shoved to the bottom of your to-do list and it just never seems like you have time for them. Well I am tired of this! And I, like many of you, do not have a magnificent amount of time on my hands, but I can certainly set aside 30 minutes a day. (most days!)  Some of these will be fun and some of them will be not so fun, but very rewarding.  So folks, please join me in taking the time to do these ever-so neglected tasks! If you have any suggestions please leave a comment on this post, would love to hear from you guys!

Day 1, and I am cleaning out my car.  (well actually I did this on friday, but hey, do it today!)     grab your vacuum and window cleaner and go spend 30 minutes cleaning out your car.  I promise that it will go by fast, and it certainly doesn’t have to be perfect! I spent like a solid 7 minutes on the floor underneath beth’s carseat where the glitter from her favorite shoes falls off and gets stuck in the carpet, only to glance back 10 minutes into the first car ride post-cleaning and see that the glitter pile had returned.  So don’t get all ocd about it, just clean out the trash, wipe out the cup holders, dust off your dashboard, and give it a quick vacuum.

Everyone loves having a clean car.  It motivates you to go places and get off your couch.  It’s way less embarrassing when you give someone a ride, and theres always a direct correlation between the interior state of your vehicle and your life, so if you are anything like me, your car was in desperate need of some TLC and you will be amazed at its 30 minute transformation!