Vlog

Recently, I've been watching a lot of youtube videos, and one youtuber caught my eye.  Her name is Jennifer, and she was a Disney Princess years ago.  She started, back in October, a Fitness Weekly Vlog.  I have been having so much trouble keeping motivated to exercise, and while I'm not sure about a vlog, I do think that I might be more motivated if I was to go more public with my goals.

First, I have the diastasis recti, which means I cannot do certain exercises.  However, I haven't even been doing the light exercises that are supposed to help fix the problem (time is my biggest problem here... I'd rather do so many other things).  Also, I've been so focused on finishing the year end for the farm, the GST, doing our personal bookwork, trying to get other things done that exercise has taken a back seat.  Sad, I know.  Also, since I'm nursing, I just want to eat everything.  Still.  It's really bad.  And I haven't measured myself or weighed myself in a while, but last I checked I was still 15lbs heavier than when I got pregnant.  Usually by the time the baby is three months old, I'm within a pound or two of my pre pregnancy weight.  I have been feeling really down about this (because I haven't really had to work at it before, and I was expecting the weight to drop more than it has).  So, I really want to do something more about this.  Like eating healthier, and exercising.  But with any goal, I need to actually define it a little better so I can actually meet it.

I've been thinking of writing down all the foods I'm eating as it has been difficult for me to remember to eat healthy things, and if I write them down it may help.  Also, water.  I need to up my usual 6 cups back to 8.  As for exercise, I want to walk daily.  I'll start with 10 minutes, but I'd love to go up to 20 as I can find more time.  Also would like to do my workout videos again.  20 minutes a day.  Or my dance game for 20 minutes.  That would bring my total time to 30 minutes.  Since I cannot do certain exercises, I'll have to watch out for that.  My core is still really bad... my upper abdominal area is extremely loose and floppy.  I tried on a pair of my old jeans, and while I can button them up (yay!), there is so much loose stuff on top that I get a horrible muffin top (so I refuse to wear them right now until I can loose that muffin top. 

So, I'm wondering.  Should I attempt to do a vlog?  It would better show my physical progress (as long as I remember to wear similar clothing each time).  And I should really start to track my measurements and food.  Any suggestions?  Perhaps a notebook near the table?  Or does anyone have chart ideas that are easily printable?  I'm not sure how to do this.  I've done a chart before (can't track food easily on that as it is not large enough).  What do you do to keep and track your fitness goals?

Cake

This last week was a baby shower for a very special lady, and I was asked to make cake...

 

So I did.

 

 

I'm thrilled with how it turned out, and I hope to do an instructional on what I did later this month (perhaps... if my program will cooperate with me).  And it tasted yummy!  I really would like to find more cake recipes that blend other flavors that I can attempt for making nice cakes, but it needs to be a solid cake (I've tried other recipes that are just not solid enough for decorating... they want to fall apart and crumble too easily).

I was actually thinking that I'd love to do a facebook page with pictures of all the cakes/cookies I've decorated over the years, showing a progression of the decorating over time.  Is that a good idea, or a bad one?  I am NOT looking to do this as a job or anything... I get super stressed each time I need to make a cake for anyone else but my kids (because my kids love it even if it doesn't turn out exactly like I was aiming for).  I really want to start making cakes just for fun... something where I attempt new things for no reason whatsoever... however it is just so busy lately that if I have any time to do anything, I am not wanting to spend it working on cake (because interruptions during anything where one is working with food is not an easy thing to deal with, and when you have a 2 month old, a 2 year old, a 4 year old and a 6 year old, interruptions happen in abundance when you happen to find yourself in the kitchen).

I do really want to do more fun cakes, though.  Especially the flowers.  I love the flowers!  They turned out so well, and I've never done fondant flowers like these!  And the baby was a last minute thought that I put together the morning of the shower.  Made it while working on breakfast.  I was unhappy to see that it squished the head a little when we were driving (the ear squished... sniff), but it still turned out fairly well.  I need to learn more on sculpting babies to make them more realistic... or cute.  I didn't like the lips on this one, but I tried.  :)  It isn't as cartoony as my first fondant baby was... and I ADORE the little feet/bum.  ;)

What do you think?  I see myself making many more cakes in the future (hey, I have 4 kids now that I'll be doing cakes for now!), and I've noticed a lot of progression in my decorating style.

Now if only I could make the fondant smooth on the sides of the cake.  Perhaps I need to take a fondant course like I did with buttercream.