Resolutions

I never really make resolutions. I used to make them and then forgot about them by the end of the first week of January. This year, however, I'll attempt the following:

• Reduce portion sizes. Currently, I have no self-control. If a dish or dessert is good, I could eat every last morsel in the pan (and it shows on my fat arse). I recently read a tip I'll try: Serve your meals on a smaller plate (small salad plate) and don't go back for seconds.
• Eat more fish. We live on the Portugal coast. Why we don't eat fish on a weekly basis is beyond me and a bit shameful. There are fresh fish markets everywhere. Partially, it's because I don't really know how to cook fish well (I'm determined to take some fish-related cooking classes) and my husband is picky about fish. Especially since living in Alaska and consuming some of the best fish in the world.
• Continue to reduce and eliminate the amount of foods we consume with hydrogenated fat, artificial flavors, preservatives and coloring.
• Do more art and creative projects with my kids. Including building more sandcastles down at the beach!
• Aid my husband in financial management. Currently, Matt manages all the finances and that's really shameful on my part. While finances and investing are passions of his, I need to do more in watching what I spend and being aware of where we are at financially.
• Exercise!! Not easy to do here when all the gyms that have daycare are WAY beyond our budget and our double stroller is WAY too wide for any streets in our neighborhood. But, I am determined to at least get out most days of the week with Lila on my back, Liv in the stroller and walk for a full hour.
• Commit to planning two weeks of meals and stock up at the grocery store twice a month instead of twice a week (this would not include fresh ingredients and fruit).
• LEARN MORE PORTUGUESE!!!! I know enough to somewhat get by. But, it's a beautiful Latin language that I need to commit more time to!
• Spend less time on the internet! I'm blogging and browsing addicted!

What are your resolutions?

Weekend Close to Home

We stayed close to home this weekend because Olivia has been feeling a little under the weather. Olivia never gets sick. She's had one stomach virus in the past three-years and it lasted about four hours. So, I'm a little surprised that this "poop" virus has hung on for three days. She's too cute when she yells, "I threw up in my panties!" Though she's been excellent about making it to the toilet in time, she has had a few minor accidents (no blow-outs, thank goodness). Fortunately, she's so cute about it, that it's impossible to get upset. Aside from occasionally proclaiming her stomach hurts, she's been her normal, happy self. I'm trying to keep her on the BRAT diet, however, I've had to sneak bananas into a few things as they haven't interested her lately. So far, the diet hasn't worked a bit. If anyone has any other suggestions, let me know. This morning, I took the girls to the beach across the street while Matt did some organizing in the office. We made sandcastles and Lila met a lovely, young Romanian woman. She's lived in Portugal three months and speaks nearly fluent Portuguese! Talk about dedication! She also speaks fluent English. Some people just have a knack for picking up languages.

That's it for this weekend's post! Hopefully, no one else will get sick and we'll enjoy the last couple days of having daddy home with us all day!