additions.

For something completely different, we have decided to try juicing. This has nothing to do with knitting or crafting or anything so I will understand if you stop reading now! I thought I would share some personal thoughts about my weight loss journey since tinytuna was born.

Along with a friend of mine, we are sticking to Weight Watchers quite diligently. I have had some success with it in the past and post-partum, I thought I would sign up again for the online membership. I have lost 5lbs thus far since getting back on the wagon in October. Ideally, I would like to slim back down another 10lbs to my pre-pregnancy weight.

What I really struggle with, though, is fruits and vegetables. I know I should eat them. I love the taste of them – I’m not a picky eater. I really enjoy most all foods except olives. Truly. I’ll be honest: I actually eat very healthfully. My shortcomings happen when I am hungry. Is that the case for most people? I kind of think so. Snack time is the worst for me! Particularly 10am and 4pm. It is just that when I’m hungry, I would way rather eat a piece of bread with jam. Or chips. Or candy. Or just about anything but fruit and veg.

How to overcome this?

There are a couple of reasons I would like to ‘overhaul’ my eating habits (I’m not calling it a diet because this needs to be sustainable forever):

1. We want more children and the idea of heading into my next pregnancy heavier is a bit daunting to me (I think about post-partum the next go round!),
2. I want to feel healthy inside and out, and
3. The food that I love is calorie-rich but nutrient-lacking.

 

I decided to sit down and figure out what my trigger food is – I didn’t actually realise I had one until I was reaching for 72% dark chocolate for the 5th time last week. Who knew? I still have my bars in the fridge but I’ve moved them to a spot I can’t see them every time I open the fridge.

We looked up some recipes online: juicerecipes.com has been a great place to start as you plug in the ingredients you have and it spits out recipes. Also, it details the health benefits of the juice you are making.
 

 

For now, we are going to stick to the slightly more labour intensive blender rather than invest in a juicer. The blender is great for the morning smoothies I make and while it means I have to strain the pulp out of the vegetable juices, I’m willing to do this for now.
 

I have to insert a caveat here: I didn’t think they would be so good. Who knew that a little lemon (fresh squeezed) and apple could sweeten kale, tomato and spinach enough that you almost polish off the glass before remembering to take a photo? Huh.

Do you have any experience with juicing? Has it been successful? A labour of love? Hate it? I’d love to hear the good, the bad and the ugly!

ps. I promised a friend I would include an update about cloth diapering soon and I will. I wanted to take some photos to show you what has worked and not worked. That’s coming soon!

a pledge.

This is a very odd time of the year to be making New Years’ Resolutions but something has been weighing on my mind for quite some time. It is time for action.

Here it is: I have a lot of clothing. Over the past couple of years I have become more acutely aware of this fact. While it is bothering me that I have so many items, what is particularly annoying me is my tendency to continue to buy more. I have managed to accumulate a walk-in closet and two dressers full of clothing, accessories and shoes.

To keep myself accountable, I thought I would share with you some of the damage. Here are some of my cardigans, shirts, dresses and jackets:

Skirts, jeans and kakis:

Only a few of my many pairs of jeans:

My excessive collection of scarves fills two bins (which are overflowing):

My stack of sweaters (mostly handknit so these don’t really count although there are some I have never and will never wear … something I need to tackle in the course of this coming year ahead):

I think the part of this that is not only the hardest but also the worst is my shoes … my lovely but completely unnecessary collection of shoes (and this is only half):

As you can see, when I open the closet door, I am greeted with a lot of stuff. I didn’t bother looking at my drawers of t-shirts, bras, underwear and socks. It was just too much!

There is a huge difference between need & want. Somehow, I need to come to terms with the fact that there will always be things to buy but I don’t have to be so influenced by it all. I would love to go and buy a Patagonia Jacket for this year or a very cool Lululemon Scarf but I don’t need these things – and what’s more … I can make the scarf … and if I’m being really honest, I can make a jacket that would serve more purposes than just camping and casual wear (enter Sewaholic’s Minoru Jacket).

It’s all fine & well to declare that I am not going to buy any new clothes for the next year, but honestly, within a few weeks I’ll have forgotten all about my new-found attempt to clean out my closet and will buy something that I’ve decided I need. What I really need? I need a plan.

First, I am making a pledge to myself regarding my approach to my growing closet.

For the next 12 months, I pledge:

• to abstain from purchasing articles of clothing, accessories and shoes,
• to avoid shopping malls & clothing stores to avoid temptation,
• to hand make any articles of clothing or accessories that I would like to add to my wardrobe (in exchange for something being donated),
• to systematically (throughout the year) whittle down my wardrobe to the essentials (i.e.. most worn &/or loved pieces, and classics), and lastly,
• to journal here about my experience here – both good & bad.

Secondly, I have spent some time thinking about what articles of clothing I would like to have in my wardrobe and work towards ensuring they are there.

1. T-shirts – I wear these all the time in various colours. I have a number of them but I’m not sure how many I need. I’m thinking about 8-10 would be (2 of which being white) more than adequate.
2. Jeans – My favourite. Three everyday pairs that fit well, are comfortable and I can wear with a variety of shoes. Two dressy pairs to wear out in the evening. The rest need to go as they only collect dust. I have one pair of ‘dirty’ jeans to muck around in. My maternity jeans I will put away for next time.
3. Tank tops – Mostly for layering. I’m thinking the same as t-shirts.
4. LBD – Little Black Dress. I have two. I won’t be buying anymore. I wear dresses quite a bit but that said, I wear my favourites over and over. The others remain unworn. This goes for skirts too. I don’t need anymore as I always go back to my favourites.
5. Collared shirt – I have a white one that is my good old standby. When it is worn out, I will replace it. The others I never wear and can go.
6. Slacks – I have a few pairs of these that I wear throughout the winter to go to work-related events and out in the evening. This is more than enough.
7. Jackets – Due to our weather, I actually do need more than one coat. One for rain, one for dressing up and going out. I have one of each. I also have my snowboarding jacket and a windbreaker. I don’t need any more but I would like a new black jacket like the Minoru Jacket so that will hopefully be added this winter with a fleece lining.
8. Ballerina Shoes – Black, brown and fancy gold flats. I wear ‘em all … a lot. Three to five pairs is more that adequate. The rest should be donated.
9. Heels – I have quite a few heels. I actually really do wear them. A lot. I’m going to put them all in the row on the closet floor. Any that are unworn by September 30, 2013, will be donated. I know there are a few that weren’t worn last year … I suspect they will not be worn again this year since I have my favourites.
10. Walkers – I have my favourites. I’ll do the same with these as with my heels. Those unworn will be donated.
11. Sweaters – Cardigans specifically. What is worn will stay, what is not will go regardless of whether it is a handknit.
12. Bras, underwear & socks – When it is worn out, I will replace it if need be. Going forward, I plan to invest in high quality, good fitting and well-made articles that last. Enough said!

Lastly, my goals for this commitment.

• My clothing will fit comfortably (not overflowing!) into the closet space (all hanging, not piled up) and a few drawers of my dresser.
• I will learn which articles of clothing are important to me to own and discard the rest.
• I will again value quality in clothing and shoes rather than quantity.
• I will look for Canadian-made, handmade or ethical clothing when shopping in the future because I will appreciate the labour to make clothing when it is necessary versus just crafting.

This all seems very lofty to me currently but I hope through a weekly journal post about my experience that I will be able to change my thinking and attitude towards my closet! Wish me luck :)

As a final thought, I want to put it out there that if anyone who would like to join me on this venture, I would love the company! We would all be able to keep each other accountable as there will undoubtedly be some hiccups along the way :) If there is interest, I’ll add a widget in the sidebar with a link to your blog so that we can all keep up with how we’re doing. Just reply at the bottom or send me a quick email.

I’m off to sew on the buttons to my test knit of Woodstove Season .. more on that soon.