Decisions, decisions

I recently ordered these wall panels from The Container Store in black and had the chance to hang them this weekend in our front room.

I love the way they look but I'm not completely sold on the black. They are plastic so it would be easy peasy to spray paint them if I decide to change the color but I thought I would get some opinions first. More than likely I would go for a pale green or white if I painted them but I am open to suggestions. Tell me what you think.

A New Toy

Andy and I decided to splurge and replace my dying laptop with an iPad. At first I was super hesitant because it feels like a toy to me and not a computer. However, once I realized that the majority of my computer use is web browsing I figured what the heck. I still have my laptop if I really need to type out a document or access my files, the only issue is the charging port is wonky so I need to have the charging cord just so in order for it to work. Basically it's kind of a pain to browse on so we decided my laptop will go into my office and the iPad will be my new living room toy. We got it Wednesday and I'm fairly impressed with it so far, in fact I'm blogging from it right now as a test and it is passing with flying colors. Any other iPad users out there? What are your favorite apps?

Shape up!

One of our goals for this year was to get our butts in shape. Andy and I have fallen prey to the if-you-are-happy-then-you-eat-more/gain-weight-stereotype that I have heard many people in happy relationships do. So we decided to start taking better care of ourselves. Andy already was a pretty healthy eater but I am a lover of carbs, snacks, and junk food, I would eat mashed potatoes and ice cream every night for dinner if I could. So my first goal was to start eating healthier before anything else. I took out the book The Women's Health Diet: 27 Days to Sculpted Abs, Hotter Curves, & a Sexier, Healthier You! and read it cover to cover in a few days. I really liked the book but I wouldn't really call it a diet; it's just eating better. I sort of adopted the eating habits they cover in the book and slightly modified the way they distribute the calories through the day since I work more nights. I am really simplifying this but basically the book says (read it if you are looking for a good diet book) more protein, whole grains, fruits and veggies, less sugar, carbs and processed food. I have to say I have probably cut my carb consumption in half, which is incredible for me and I've also really increased my protein intake which is a feat for me because I have never been a big fan of meat. I probably eat just as much now as I did before but I eat a lot healthier. I'll be honest I haven't been sticking to it as much as I should but I have got the hang of it and I am going to be a little more strict now since we are getting closer to vacation.

Being 70 some days out from our vacation I realized I needed to do more than just watch what I eat, it was time to start working out. Ugh. I hate working out. Every time I get started I end up crashing after a week or two because I just resent it. So I decided to try something new this time. I broke down and bought Zumba for the Wii and I love it! I have been doing it for about a week now and it's been great, I've combined it with some light weight lifting and ab work outs and I have to say that I think I found a something I can stick with. What's nice is that I can mix it up if I need to. There are classes in our area I can hit up if I need the extra motivation but when I don't feel like going out I can do it in my living room. The best part is the workouts are only 20 minutes so there is no reason for me not to do it, 20 minutes is nothing! Plus I can do more if I feel like it.

I'm really excited and really motivated to get myself healthy by the time we go on vacation in May!

Anyone have any tips for staying motivated and sticking with a diet?

Adventures in Adulthood

I very rarely feel like an adult, usually I feel about 16, but a really awesome 16 year old who lives with her BFF and has expendable income. Anyway, I sometimes get a wake up call and realize I have grown up. One of those wake up calls happened the other day when we decided to go shopping for tile and I got excited. Like freak-out-OMG-YAY excited. Yes, I got that excited about tile. WTH happened to me? I remember hating going to home improvement stores as a kid but now I love it. It's moments like that one that make me realize I am a little bit of a grown up. Only a little.

Anywho, more on the tile later. Yay!