Getting It Together (and how everyone going back to school inspired me to get more organized)

There is  (a very nerdy) part of me that used to love the start of the school year because it meant I could go shopping for school supplies. Planners and calendars, binders and folders in all sorts of colors and patterns that would help me stay organized and on top of everything. I also loved being a student. If I could I would stay in school forever. I don't know if it was nostalgia that had me caught up in the whole I miss being in school thing or if it was just the fact that I couldn't live with the chaos that has filled my days for the last month. I desperately felt the need to get organized. I am guessing it is because I haven't yet felt like I have it together since moving home and I am constantly running to catch up (ok not guessing -- I know this is the feeling plaguing me.) And I hate that constantly behind on everything feeling. So I did what I do best - I made some lists.

I love lists. I love crossing things off of lists. I love using different colored pens or highlighters to organize my lists. And then my lists started to majorly stress me out.

They were long. I wasn't crossing off quite as many things as I felt I should be. Things were just carrying over to the next day. It just made me feel like I couldn't get anything done. I was interrupted by toddler pedicure time -- all over my living room. Or potty training problems (yes this is still an issue here. Ugh)

After a call from my friend Katy (check out her blog here) I realized I needed more than lists. I needed to stop just trying to get things done and plan the time I was going to get things done. I needed to stop seeing how the day goes by taking that day and making it mine. I am a grown up (even though I don't feel like it) and I am the person who shapes my day. This whole day shaping me thing is not working. So why not change it. I am the boss of me. I can make these authoritative decisions (right?)

With this (tentative) realization I came to the heartbreaking realization that I may have to break up with my planner. I love my planner. I order it every year from PaperSource and it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. It is small enough to tuck in the diaper bag (or purse someday-- am I ever going to get to carry a purse again?) The colors are pretty and muted. The font is clean and well choosen. There is plenty of space for my large, obnoxious (and often illegible) handwriting. It is also spiral bound so I can leave it open to the week we are on so I don't have to flip through pages when I need to check something (and yes this may make me a bit lazy.)

I spent some (ok too much) time searching various places online looking for my perfect replacement planner. It just didn't happen. It took me years to find the one I love now. So I had to come up with another plan. And it hit me that I should just make one. I mean I did go to school for graphic design (among other things much to my husband's dismay) and that all that education just kind of sits there dusty in my brain (until my friends or family get married and then I get to stretch out those design muscles and make some pretty rockin' invitations.) So it's not a wedding but I could do it.

And I loved it. Adobe Illustrator and I get along pretty well and it showed. I have a nice section to plan my day by the hour. Plus I could print out a new schedule for every day, since my days are all very different in terms of where I need to be and what I need to get done. I also added a section to track my meals, my water and other things I need to get better at (like writing here) make it work for me. And this was a major relief.

I am happy writing in what I need to do each day and planning when I can get it done. And when I have a plan like that I am much more likely to follow. Having to stop something I am in the middle of because it is time to move onto something like cleaning my house is going to be a challenge but overall I really think I am going to get more done. And that should make everyone happy.

As I was dancing in my chair, pleased as punch with myself, I also started thinking about how this would be a great tool for those just learning to embrace clean eating. One of the biggest challenges for me was making myself eat smaller meals five to six times a day. Especially when I was busy, running around, chasing a toddler, and organizing 22 high school girls into cheer lines and keeping track of their schedules, plus a million other things that will inevitably crop up -- like baking cookies for the cheer cafe when I get a last minute call they don't have enough stuff and I can't say no (another problem of mine that I am hoping this detailed day planning will help address) or permanent marker on the walls or a runaway dog we have to spend two hours looking for only to come home and find him on my porch with the whole Where have you guys been? I am so thirsty and I have been waiting here for you because I love you. And you are my master and I love you look on his face. 

So why not whip up one for my challenge groups? So not only do you get meal planning (and a weekly meal planner) but a daily organizer as well. I am pretty excited about this and helping other people possibly find the (maybe borderline OCD) level of organization that makes me feel sane and in control. Check out the document below and let me know what you think.

I am kind of really excited about this. And excited to announce my September Challenge groups.

On September 3 I am going to start a 90 day TurboFire challenge group. I am absolutely in love with this workout and with Chalene Johnson. It comes with a 90 day schedule and what's even better is 90 days means it will be ending the Monday before Thanksgiving. What a better way to show up for the holidays than in awesome shape? (And for me it means being excited to be in all the pictures this year!) And to sweeten the deal TurboFire is on sale until the end of August. It is pretty great deal.

For more information on TurboFire check out this post.

I am also going to run a 30 day clean eating and Shakeology group that focuses on clean eating including - recipes, meal planning and how to get it all done.


 For information on either of these groups or to enroll send me a message on Facebook or email me at saractodd@gmail.com

How Jen Lancaster Kept my Mind off New Kids on the Block (and how the Tao of Martha made me want to clean the spice cupboard and make Father's Day Cheesecake)

So it was a rainy Tuesday in Portland. Shocking, right? It seemed like everyone I knew was at the New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees concert in Pittsburgh and I was bummed. Who doesn't want to go relive their childhood with a bunch of middle aged women getting drunk and oogling washed up 90's boy bands?

Instead of mopping and checking facebook like a crazy stalker to watch the newsfeed action, I talked my husband to spending the entire day in Portland so I could see Jen Lancaster. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure, this is an awesome experience. She is funny, down to earth and you can really see how her books are written and how her brain works. Mid topic she will be reminded of something else and you will follow her down the verbal rabbit hole until she gets back to the orginal story ten minutes later. All of her books have had places that made me laugh, tears streaming down my face and trying so hard not to shake the bed as to wake my slumbering husband next to me -- some books more than others. This woman can entertain me with antics of her mis-behaved pets, projects gone awry and pretty much anything she wants to talk about for hours.

I was so excited to see her again (I was able to attend her Portland book signing of Jeneration X last year too.) I always have these big things in mind when I see people who I absolutely love. I want to tell them how their work (be it musical or authoring some of my favorite books) has impacted my life or thoughts or gush about how much I love them. Instead, I just stand there awkwardly and don't know what to say. (Or blurt out strange things that probably make them look into bodyguards or restraining orders.) As I stood in line to have my book signed, I kept trying to think of something witty and adorable to say. Something that would make Jen think I wasn't a crazy stalker and that if the time and place were right (for example not when my toddler is running around Barnes and Noble using the escalators as an amusement park ride) that we would be BFF's and go for cocktails. I too could entertain her with tales of my poorly behaved pups. We could bond over a love of Barbies and booze. She would soon become my mentor and guide me into the publishing world (of course in this scenerio I also have a book of poingant yet hilarious stories that is in pristine edited condition in my handbag to share with her.) We can laugh about our husband's crazy building projects and how yes, John and Fletch would probably be BFF's too. She would invite me to her next soiree and we would all fly to Chicago and B could play in her pool with her lovable and crazy pitt bulls and chase her asshole (her word not mine) cats.

BFF plan fail.

After an hour and a half in line all I could think of to say was are you going to Pittsburgh again this year? So now I am in her head as the idiot Pittsburgh girl who is always in Portland.

She did tell me she is going to Primanti's this year if it kills her and I told her the Colossal Fish Sandwich is the best (there may also have been blabbering about minced meat fish and how gross that is. What I need is a BFF to go with me to this and smack me when I start to ramble about gross and inappropriate things.)

So all in all one of the most exciting (and embarrassing) nights I have spent in the Pacific Northwest (and I know I don't get out much. Most of my nights consist putting a screaming toddler to bed, a drink, the dvr and my husband who falls asleep about 7 1/2 minutes after sitting down on the couch. Needless to say, he no longer holds the rights to the remote.)

I really enjoyed The Tao of Martha but it was in no way what I expected. It was much more an Ode to Maisy. If you read her blog or follow her on social media, this will be a sweet (and yes still funny) and sometimes tearful book. If you have no idea about her life or her dogs, I suggest you don't choose this as the very first Jen Lancaster book you ever read. There were less hilarious escapades and more profound moments than I expected. Spending a year looking to Martha certainly taught her a lot and that is expressed in the book along with all the love she had for her first beloved dog.

I was, however, inspired by the trip to the Container Store and storing everything in my pantry in glass jars with super cute labels. That is some organizing I can get behind. I also love the idea of going above and beyond for every party. This is always what I aspire to do and turn into a crazy ball of stress who can't have any fun because the party is not going the way the party should be going in my head. I run around and snip at everyone until John puts a cocktail (or five) in my hand an suggests (orders) me to drink and calm down because everyone is going to leave and never come back and I might not let you ever host a party again.

Her book made me realize that maybe if I was more organized ala Martha and less let's make two dozen jellyfish out of coffee filters and crepe paper for B's Nemo party for three days, things might come together a little more enjoyably for everyone involved. Maybe I need to get my creative brain in check instead of letting it show up to the party a day or two before and insisting I start a bunch of different arts and crafts projects (or making butter molded into the shape of easter eggs and bunnies) when in reality it is too late for such beautiful details. Can I train my creativity to come out to play earlier than it typically does? Wouldn't that be a crazy and amazing thing to do.

Today is Father's Day and as we are pretty much as far away from family as we could possibly be, I wanted to do something special, especially after reading this book. A little what would Jen as Martha do? so to speak. One of John's favorite things is cheesecake and since I have become a teeny bit obsessed with clean eating/giving up animal products/not eating GMO's sugary treats in this house have been few and far between. 2 hours and $50 worth of organic junk food later, I started mixing and trying to convert and Oreo Cheesecake bar recipe into something that could be made a teensy bit healthier (every little bit counts!)

So I cut the sugar in half. Switched the sour cream out with plain greek yogurt and used flax for the eggs. At least my cheesecake will have protein, probiotics and omega-3's (that is if all those things survive the heat of the oven, which I am not positive they do.) And crossed my fingers it comes out for the best.

The recipe I adapted I found on mybakingaddiciton.com and the link is here (if you are interested in going whole hog.)


This is how I rolled:

For the Crust:

1 package Annie's Bunny Grahams in chocolate

2 TBS Earth Balance Spread (or grass fed butter)

Preheat the oven to 325

Pulverize the poor little bunnies any way you choose. I used the food processor to grind them into fine crumbs.

Melt 2 TBS butter

Add melted butter to graham crumbs and mix well.

Press mix into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan (I like to use a fork for the mixing and the pressing.)

Bake at for 10 minutes - (and start working on the filling)

Leave the oven on when the crust is done

For the Filling:

2 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 flax eggs (or regular eggs at room temp)
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 (or so) coarsely chopped "Oreo" cookies (I used Newman-O's)

Beat the cream cheese until smooth and slowly add sugar. Mix until the sugar is well incorporated into the mix. (So it's all smooth and not gritty)

Add the "eggs" and mix well (If you are using real eggs the original recipe called for them to be added one at a time. I just dumped all my flax eggs in as I made them at the same time in the same cup.)

Add the vanilla and the yogurt. (make sure to keep scraping down the side of the bowl too!)

Once everything is all smooth and dreamy fold in the chopped Oreo or substitute Oreo cookies.

Pour the entire mix over the crust.

Bake at 325 for 40 - 50 minutes (the middle should still be jiggly)

Let them cool for 2 hours.

Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight before serving.

So there was a lot of time involved for cooling and chilling so this isn't for a last minute I need a desert super quick kind of event. (Luckily my last minute this time was in the morning and not the afternoon as I didn't read the entire recipe through before deciding to make it. This is a bad habit I need to fix.)

But they were really good. Not as creamy as real cream cheese but they made my (desert deprived) tummy and husband happy.

Happy Father's Day all!