Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style Yumminess!

I've been trying to up my veggie intake lately. I kinda dig spaghetti squash - I'll just put some good seasoning on it and yummo! Although that makes for a really nice side dish, it doesn't have the satisfying factor that a main dish requires. I was on a mission -

This bake is easy, yummy and you can add whatever meat you want or leave it as is (I added a few meatballs to mine). Oh and the whole thing is 12 SmartPoints (for those that do WW). I originally planned on eating half of it for dinner but when I added a few meatballs, I only needed to eat about 1/3 to feel satisfied. How great is that? I'm excited to add 1/2 lb of cooked ground turkey next time :) Let me know what you think! Oh and apologies for the picture of just squash lol- as I was making it, I was also making a separate not so healthy dish for my family (just in case my dinner sucked) lol sooo there are no cute pictures. Trust me- it's delish :)

Spaghetti Squash Bake

• 1 large spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Italian seasoning, garlic... low calorie flavor (to taste)
• 1 can tomato sauce

Put squash in an 8x8 casserole dish. in a small bowl mix cottage cheese, egg and seasonings. Add mixture to squash and stir. Add tomato sauce and stir. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 450 (drain juices as needed). Add mozzarella and cook for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

WAKE UP!

Previously I mentioned how I use to sleep a LOT. When I became a stay at home mom I took full advantage of the fact that I no longer had to wake up at 6:30 to get ready and go to work. I would let my kid be the alarm. If he slept in, so did I- it was glorious! :)
Then came baby #2. With a new little one, you NEED to get your sleep. You take naps whenever you can sneak them in because you don't know if you'll get 8 or 2 hours of sleep the next night. After my kids start sleeping through the night (usually around 6 months) that's when I can function again.
After baby #2 was a year old, I was consistently waking up at 6am to have a little 'me' time before the hubby left me home all day. He leaves for a work a little after 7, so I could get up, head to the gym and be home in time for a quick shower before 7:15.... and I LIKED it. It wasn't what I did in that hour that made my time so enjoyable- it was that I HAD an hour to myself. I'm sure if I would have spent the time giving myself a pedicure, or grocery shopping (I LOVE shopping by myself) or any old thing I would have enjoyed it. I was ALONE for 1 hour each day and it allowed me to recharge and get ready for the day. How can you get ready for a day when it's your child that peels your eyelids open in the morning? No one, and I mean NO ONE wakes ups READY to embrace all the wonderful and not so wonderful aspects of staying at home with their kids. You NEED time to yourself, to take care of yourself. Working out for me was therapy AND it helped me feel better in my clothes, so it was a win/win.

Sideways selfie of me feeling strong one morning 

However baby #3 has been tricky on me. She WAS sleeping through the night, then she got a cold... then she got a tooth. Then we discovered she has sensitivities to scents in her lotion and laundry products. (waking up at night crying and scratching). I do believe another cold and tooth situation came about as well. So now I'm looking at a baby who is almost 11 months old and I still don't know if I'm going to get a full nights rest. I crave sleep... I think about it.. a lot. If I thought about another man the way I think about sleep, I'd be on the verge of divorce. bahaha- but seriously, I LOVE sleep.
Last night baby #3 slept the whole night, and it was AMAZING! Don't get me wrong- I've got 3 kids and I know that SOMEONE is going to wake me up most nights. However, there is a difference between comforting a child over a bad dream and trying to rock a baby for 20 minutes that just wants to crawl around.
I'm excited. I miss the structure of waking up before my little ones. I miss the way I feel after I've had that hour to myself. I'll list some benefits that I've noticed when I work out in the morning on a consistent basis (3-5 days a week)

• I have more patience for my children throughout the day
• I'm more productive during the day
• I've already worked-out, showered AND have clean clothes on by 7:15am!! (such a great feeling)
• The cramping from my periods are less and sometimes non-existent 
• I've had time to think about my goals (short and long term) and feel more focused
• I get out of the house!!! (for all my sahm friends with little kids, you get it lol)
• I get to see and sometimes socialize with other adults!
• I eat better during the day
• My clothes fit better over time

So I guess here's my point. If you're crabby and slightly bitter and perhaps a few tads frustrated that your kids are waking you up in the morning and you don't have any time for YOU- then YOU need to turn off Facebook and turn off the TV and go to bed earlier so that you can wake up earlier. It needs to be said. You WILL be happier if you do. Oh and I talked to your kids, they want their happy momma back ;)

Listen to them- even when they're not talking

My little angel showing off her pigtails

My daughter is 21 months old and is JUST starting to talk. Let me rephrase that- She is JUST starting to be understood when she talks :) She has recently figured out that she can reach for my hand and lead me to whatever it is that she wants. When she wants something to drink, she drags me into the kitchen. When she wants something out of her crib, she guides me to her bedroom.

There are days when she wants to drag me places and I am simply at my wits end and don't go. Other times I just pick her up and guess what she wants. Yesterday I told her that I had to go to the bathroom (we were reading books and I didn't want her to think that I was just leaving her there). She stood up with me and reached for my hand. I followed her and she brought me to the bathroom.

There was something wonderfully calm and almost spiritual that I noticed as I held her hand. This sweet little girl wanted to tell me something and she knew I would understand. She didn't yell or make a fuss, simply took me by the hand and guided me. This made me think about the Holy Ghost and how often I feel prompted to do something. Sometimes I let the spirit guide me and other times I'm not 'in the mood' to be dragged around.

When I listen and let the spirit guide me, I am always blessed. Always.

Yesterday my little girl went potty in the toilet. If I wouldn't have been 'in the mood' to be dragged around the house, I would have missed this wonderful opportunity. I am a busy mom with many responsibilities. This was a beautiful reminder that I will always be busy and I need to stop and make a choice to LISTEN and BE THERE for my children.

322 days into my 90 day challenge

So I completely forgot I had a blog...
Yeah, I tend to start things and not finish them- it's kind of my M.O.  - well WAS my M.O. ;)

In order to really understand how far I've come, I first must paint the picture of where I started. I clearly remember when I was writing my first entry I was eating Doritos and drinking a Mt Dew that I had stolen from my husbands stash. I was sitting on my bum and dreaming of a better life. As I type I'm chewing a fresh blackberry and in between bursts of sweetness I'm sipping a raspberry Neuro. Don't get me wrong- if a Dorito slapped me in the face I just might have to eat it, but I'm not fishing through the cupboards on a daily basis hunting them down either.

my snacky snack

When I started I was wearing 16/18 jeans - depending on the brand. I was trying to get to the gym a few days a week. (I started at the gym in mid Jan. Before that, I would let the kids wake me up. If they slept till 9, so did I). On days I didn't go to the gym, I still would let my kids wake me. For those of you that do this- I UNDERSTAND. I really do. I will talk more about that in another post perhaps... even though I was sleeping in I almost always took a nap as well. Emme was 10 months old when I started my first 90 Day Challenge and had been sleeping through the night for a while. Did I need a nap? No. Did I really want a nap? YES! :)

Now I wake up 5 days a week and workout before my husband goes to work. He has to leave at 7, so I'm up anytime between 430-545. I've learned that 515 is about the perfect time for me to get my workout in, shower and be ready for my day before he leaves. Do I nap? Yeah sometimes I do. It is amazing! :) The big difference with my napping now is that before I would get too much sleep at night, be groggy all day and eat junk that wasn't nutritious. Now I get about 7 hours of sleep, workout for an hour every day and fill my body with good food that doesn't make me tired. When I chose to nap it's not because I'm bored, depressed or lazy- it's because I've earned it ;)

I'm currently doing P90X - a workout program that I had only dreamed of doing... 6 days a week for at least an hour. My husband is doing it with me. It's a cool feeling to get healthy with the one you love. Both my children know how to lift weights and my son loves exercising with me. I have the opportunity for my children to only know a mom who is healthy, fit and active.

I don't want my children to see me 'diet'. I want them to see me LIVE!

I'm sure there are time when people find me annoying... All my facebook posts about Body by Vi, or my workout... I've thought about it though- and I don't care. I know how I use to be and I have no intention of ever going back. My new goal/mission is to take as many people out of that world as possible. Being tired all time, craving junk food, nothing in your closet fits so you get sad and you eat junk food and take a nap... Pretty sure the delivery guy for the Chinese place in Iowa City knew my name.

I'm not sure if this will help anyone- but it helped me. Helped me see how far I've come and helped me realize that I do want to add a few more posts to this blog :)