Cathy Zielske's Blog, page 222

Sponsor Giveaway: win a spot in TextFX from ReneePearson.com

One blog reader will win a spot in TextFX: A typography and text art class with Tiffany Tillman.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: Type is creative. Type communicates. Type represents you on your scrapbook page. Isn't it time you mastered type? Tiffany Tillman's Text FX takes you on a learning adventure through basic typographic theory to eye-popping title text effects using eight learning objectives and ten title-work projects. At the end of 4 weeks, you'll understand designer nuances of typeface choices, font pairings, and textart creation. Finally, you will walk away confidently knowing how to apply your personal typographic style to anything you create.

This class runs for 4 weeks, from August 22 - September 18. To learn more, click here.

TO ENTER: Leave me a comment today and just for fun, tell me what your favorite font is. A winner will be chosen Sunday evening.

Four things

1. I have re-discovered my bike again. Took me long enough. The snow will be falling here before I know it. Still, biking is good.

2. I am halfway through the final book. I'm sorry, but I'm still in shock after how Book 6 ended. I can't wait to finish this, watch the Part 1 movie, then go to the theater hopefully next week to see the final film. I've never seen a Potter film on the big screen. Could be rather special.

3. I saw Jesus yesterday at Axman on University Avenue. He was taller than I expected.

4. I would love blog readers to check out the "Dishing Up Nutrition" podcast. It is available for free on iTunes. I have mentioned it a few times here, but it has turned my diet and healthy eating notions upside down, in a good way. I'm also learning so much about nutrition. Browse through their shows and pick one that sounds like something you're interested in. Plug in your iPod and go for a walk. Trust me. It's good stuff. Their website is here, and their newly launched Facebook page is here.

You lahk-a tha-smoothie, uh?

One of my goals in finding a healthier way to eat and live for myself, is to continue to upgrade the health and well being of my offspring.

My daughter is a vegetarian who's not really that enamored of vegetables, and my son demonstrates a strong preference for foods with the word "Cheez-It" in the title.

Of course, my own picky eater childhood gave me a great deal of sympathy towards picky eating in general, and I always said, "Food will not be a battleground in my home."

Oh, how that has come back to kick me in the nutritional ass.

Who other than a parent is responsible for how well their child eats? Um, yeah. No one.

I have indulged in giving them a lot of crap snackity goodness over the years in the name of, "Well, they're just kids! They deserve this!" or also in the name of, "I didn't eat X, Y or Z, and look at how I turned out!"

Regret much? You betcha.

To those of you parents who have stuck to your guns on healthy food for your kids, I salute you whole heartedly.

You know how Oprah loves to quote Dr. Maya Angelou, telling her, "When you know better, you do better?" Well that idea resonates profoundly with me these days.

And no, I don't plan to overhaul my kids diet overnight. I think if Cole woke up to find the Cheez-Its replaced with carrot sticks and hummus, he might go into some form of anaphylaxic shock. However, I'm making small changes here and there in the hopes of including more whole foods where ever I can sneak them in.

For example, we now have Smoothie Time.

Remember the smoothie recipe I posted a while back? I've been tweaking it here and there, and serving it to Aidan nearly every afternoon at 3 p.m. Now, she's hooked. And next up, Cole. He said, "Wow, it tastes a lot like yogurt." And guess what? He'll eat yogurt. Victory is mine.

I wanted to share my tweaked recipe which adds a bit more healthy fat into the mix, which is good for brains and for keeping you feeling satiated longer.

Blueberry Protein Smoothie
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt (I use Trader Joe's Organic European-style)
1 scoop whey protein powder, vanilla flavored (I use Show Me the Whey, from Mississippi Market, a local co-op)
1/2 cup of coconut water
1 cup of ice

This will make two large servings, each roughly 140 calories or so. The fact that both my kids will drink this, and one of them even starts to salivate for it around 2:30 in the afternoon, and especially the one who needs a good source of non-soy based protein, makes me very happy.

Makes her happy apparently too.

What are some of your proudest healthy snack or food choices as it relates to both you or your children? Please, by all means, share.

They say there's a first for everything

On Saturday, we headed down to my inlaws' place in Southern Minnesota for their annual Farm Party. I've documented the farm party before. Last year, it was in conjunction with Joan and Dan Sr.'s 50th wedding anniversary.

This year's affair was much less extravagant, seeing the return to an informal gathering of friends and family.

However, one thing that you can count on every year is lots and lots of food. It's a pot luck affair, and there will always be numerous salads, sides, things in crock pots, breads, snacks, and of course, boat loads of tasty desserts. Oh, and did I mention coolers filled with Sprite? Those too.

Last week saw me getting back into a more focused and healthy eating pattern. As of last Friday, I was feeling much more balanced, my energy was good, and I felt like the carb crap fest from the previous week was thankfully over for the time being.

But I knew the Farm Party was looming.

Now I don't want to be that person. Oh, you know her. She's the one who gets so wrapped up in trying to be healthy that she begins to fear, or even avoid social settings in which her better judgement will be tried and tested as it relates to all tempting and tasty sugary or alternately unhealthy carbohydrates. But sometimes, I am that person.

Every time I head down to the farm, the lure of Sprite and the bread basket are often too great too resist. Before I know it, I'm snacking myself into a sugary oblivion, then wonder why on the drive home I'm sleepy and feel like ka-ka.

But this year, I decided to have a plan. First, I planned what I would bring. I put out a call on my Facebook page for new, healthy pot luck ideas, was given tons of great ideas and eventually settled on this Strawberry Balsamic Salad (thank you, Nitza).

Next, I woke up and got a run in, ate a good, filling breakfast of eggs, sprouted grain toast and butter, had a healthy snack of almonds and apples during the midmorning, and then had some more eggs at lunch time. My goal was to have lots of protein in my system before I left to avoid the cravings that so often overtake me when I see the spread at the farm. I also brought lots of filtered water to drink throughout the day. (That farm well water is almost undrinkable, which renders Sprite all the more appealing.)

I should back up and tell you, I have been eating a lot of eggs these days, often a couple a day. I'm trying to get more protein, but not being a huge lover of meat in general, it can be a tricky that. But I digress…

When it came time for the 5 p.m. dinner, I filled my plate with my salad, then a most delicious and simple potato salad, and some succulent roasted turkey breast. I avoided the buns and the pasta salads and found my meal to be just right.

I even tossed in a handful of delicious Wisconsin cheese curds (unfried, mind you) for good measure.

I did have a serving of Dairy Queen ice cream cake, but much less that I usually go for at these affairs.

By the time we packed up and headed out in the early evening, I was completely surprised at the choices I made.

It wasn't about depriving myself of good food. It wasn't about counting points (though I did keep track of what I ate via my Lose It app). It wasn't about being that girl who can't enjoy herself at a party.

It was simply not going overboard and entering into Ye Olde Party Fueled Food Frenzy.

I woke up on Sunday feeling really proud that by making better choices, I felt better throughout the day.

This isn't too say a Crap Fest isn't in my future. I think you all know how that pendulum can swing. It just means it feels pretty good to make better choices on any given day.

 

Updating school albums for another year

Holy krakatoa! Only one more slot for his 6th grade year and this boy's elementary experience is history. Where does the time go?

With Cole's final day of 5th grade being this week, I decided to bust out the old school templates and get busy documenting his 5th grade year.

Let me just start by saying I love this album concept. I wish I could say I invented the idea, but no, that honor goes to my good friend and scrapbooking mentor Stacy Julian, who came up with the School of Life concept in her book, Simple Scrapbooks. I loved the idea of using just a handful of pages to capture the highlights of the year.

I approach this project by opening up iPhoto, gathering a few key photos from each month of the school year, and then plugging them into the the template. The photos don't have to be directly related to school activities. They're just to provide a snapshot of Cole's life in the 5th grade. I include sports stuff and there is a pocket page for report cards and any other memorabilia from the school year.

It took me an hour and a half to crank out the following pages.

I will upload these pages to an online printer (I use ScrapbookPictures.com) and then they'll get tucked safely into Cole's "It's Elementary" album.

The pocket page looks like this:

Switching over to a digital version of Cole's album has really streamlined the process for me.

If you'd like to read my original post where I outline this concept in more detail, and show you the hybrid approach I used for Aidan's album, click here.

Until then, here's to getting the school year scrapped before the new one begins!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUPPLIES:  8.5 x 11 School Album Set (Cathy Zielske) • Just Linens No. 4 (Michelle Martin) • Krafty No. 7 Paper Pack, Notebook Paper Pack (Katie Pertiet) • Avenir font • brads (American Crafts)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My school templates album sets are available in both 8.5 x 11 and 12 x 12.

I also have an add-on word pack with PNG and ABR files to cover 7th through 12th grade, as well as overseas and UK school titles.

Twelve

Well, he's one step closer to teenhood.

Cole turned 12 last Saturday. We celebrated with two baseball tournament games in the sweltering, humid Minnesota heat, then returned home for the official birthday party where the mayhem ensued.

We had a cast of characters.

We had planking.

We had owling.

We had serious kick ball.

We had zebra cakes and pizza and pop.

We had presents, mostly consisting of cash money, the new trend in 12-year-old boy gift giving.

We had the traditional brownie and votive "cake."

And we had a tired, but very happy young man.

Sometimes it truly feels like a blink in time.

For sure.

Happy birthday, Cole. How thankful I am for you.

Move More Eat Less August 2011

Self-portrait, taken on a back-friendly slow walk last weekend.

When life throws you lemons, you better hope and pray you don't have numerous, fresh paper cuts on your fingers.

So begins this month's edition of Move More, Eat Less, a time period which will go down on the record as one of the less than stellar efforts of the past 20 months.

Less than stellar for one glaring reason: the emergence of back pain just over a week ago that threw me for a bit of a loop on the old health and fitness wagon.

I am going to say this now: anyone out there reading who deals with any sort of chronic or recurring pain, you have my sympathy. Completely and fully. I've been so lucky in my life to have gotten by with so few aches and pains issues. Oh sure, a few sprained ankles in my high school sport days. A little plantar fasciitis in my adult onset-athlete years. But honestly, I've not dealt with the kind of pain that truly limits you from doing the things you normally do.

Until a week ago when a tweaked back had me literally flat on said back.

Rest, ice and a few visits to the chiropractor have put me back on the path to feeling much better. And even though I really did try to approach this issue with a very grown-up, life will do what it will do attitude, it sure didn't help the carb pity fest I threw for myself during most of last week.

You know, a box of Cheddar Bunnies here, 4 or 5 glasses of cranberry juice cocktail there. Some mini saltines, some dark chocolate (oh, but it's good for me!). A few nights of dining out. Lots of Sprite. As I said, a veritable crap carb fest.

The thing is, it's so easy to love that food again. It's amazing how on Sunday when I decided to get back to a healthy eating plan of balanced meals, the headache that raged throughout the day was begging me for just one more shot of Sprite.

Last October, I hit my lowest weight during this process, 141 pounds. It's funny how then, I was thinking, "Okay, this is GREAT! Next stop, the 130s!" And here I am up 18 pounds from October, with many bouts of getting back on this horse and riding under my belt.

I've had many steps backwards, and many steps back on.

The best part of all of this is that I keep on trying to Move More and Eat Better. I haven't once thrown the baby completely out with the bathwater. At least not for more than 24 hours at a time.

Of course, I'm still working on the psychological aspects of body image, weight, wellness, and such. This is something that, like getting into shape and staying there, doesn't have an actual end point. It too is a process that continues to take me one step forward, and a few steps back.

As I sit here in my office, with a huge ice pack on my back, I'm still hopeful that this lifestyle is the right one for me. That it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Sure, a few wrenches will get thrown into the works. But I seem to have the know-how to ride them out, and get back to the business of taking care of me.

Here's my page for this month:

LAYOUT SUPPLIES: Move More Eat Less 8.5 x 11 template (Cathy Zielske) • Just Linens No. 1 Paper Pack (Michelle Martin) • a scan of kraft cardstock • Avenir font

JOURNALING READS: It's time to have a little come-to-Jesus talk. Up from 154.5 last month, something has got to give. This month has been, for all intents and purposes, one big pile of dog doo for me. It didn't help that my back went out and I proceeded to drown my sorrows in Cheddar Bunnies and graham crackers. Nope. That didn't help at all. It's funny, because I really did accept this back thing with an adult attitude, accepting that life is going to throw things at you and it's up to you to choose your response. I just wish I hadn't chosen so many mini saltine crackers. But if there's one thing I've learned it's this: self-loathing doesn't make changes happen. Instead, it just makes me feel worse about myself. I realize that I'm still very committed to staying in shape. I'm very committed to Moving More and Eating Better. I have got to work on not equating thinness with success and goodness. This is so ingrained in my psyche though. Dan and I were on a walk over the weekend, and he was asking me if I've always felt I wasn't thin enough, like even back in high school. And I said, "Oh, I was always trying to drop a few here and there. It's been with me all of my life." I think this is a little bit sad, really. All of the time wasted on worrying about a muffin top. And  yet, it's with me every single day.

My goal this month is simply to get my back in form, return to runs, eat well for my body and stay away from the processed shit food. And if runs are going to be out of the picture for awhile, I'm proud to know I have other options for Moving More. It's all part of the continuing journey. Amen.

How was your July? Progress? Pain? Even steven? Let's start the discussion, because Lord knows, it's always one we find we can relate to.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Want to learn more about Move More Eat Less 2011? Click here to learn more about the concept.

I've also started a flickr group for Move More Eat Less. Feel free to start sharing your pages. You will find the group by clicking here.

 

 

Back in Action Soon

On tap for the morning, visit number two to Ye Olde Chiropractor.

It's been a strange and humbling week on the fitness and food front. I'll be posting tomorrow on my monthly check in for Move More, Eat Less.

Hopefully this week will let me sit in a chair for longer stretches of time.

Hopefully this week will also let me steer clear of depression induced Cheddar Bunny feeding frenzies. But now, I digress…

In other news, it did give me time to start reading "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." So back injuries aren't without any plus sides.

Happy Monday.

And the winner is…

The winner of the kit of scrapbooking goodies and a $50 gift certificate at Big Picture Classes is:

Peggy, email me at czdesign@comcast.net and I'll get you hooked up!

Don't forget, the Big Idea Festival is free and it's a great way to get to know the quality of workshops offered by Big Picture Classes.

 

Enter to win a $50 gift certificate from Big Picture Classes + a kit of scrap goodness

One blog reader will win a kit of scrapbooking goodies and a $50 gift certificate at Big Picture Classes.

ABOUT THE KIT: Big Picture Classes has created our first-ever kit to go along with the Big Idea Festival! While the kit is not required to participate, we've designed this kit to make creating your mini album easy and fun. We have created a limited number of kits, and once they're gone, they're gone!

Also, please check out the FREE workshop being offered beginning August 15th at Big Picture Classes, the Big Idea Festival.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: You are invited to a FREE festival packed full of big ideas at Big Picture Classes this August! Join us for 12 fun-filled days featuring 12 of our talented instructors. Each instructor will be giving you a word of the day, which we hope will inspire you, along with a downloadable template (in both printable and digital format) so that you can create a mini layout about that day's word and how you applied it in your life. Finally, each teacher will leave you with an inspirational video message and a preview of the page they created with their word.

If you've ever wanted to see what a Big Picture Classes workshop is all about, now is a great opportunity!

TO ENTER: Leave me a comment and I'll choose the winner of the kit and the gift certifcate on Sunday evening. Good luck!