WE ARE DEBT FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I AM DEBT-FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (except for our house).

This post has been a long time coming but I wanted to wait until I knew the EXACT amount we paid off so I needed to wait for my tax interest statements because I didn’t keep track of how much we were paying while we did it.  I paid off our last student loan on January 5^th  ….except WAIT.  The student loan company gave me the wrong amount and I had to pay off ANOTHER $28.82 on January 22^nd.  UGH- good riddance you evil companies.

And the grand total of money is……

$103, 616.59

In 3 years and 3 months.

How did we do it?  Check out the “Finances” tab at the top of my blog for the whole story or click on these links:  First Emergency Fund  Debt Snowball  The B Word....Budget

We loosely followed Dave Ramsey’s principles.  We DEFINITELY could have paid it off sooner, but we gave in to a few indulgences along the way.  But we still put $2, 656.84 towards debt each month…. I can hardly wrap my head around that.  It actually makes me sick if I think too much about it and so I’m trying to focus on moving forward.

So what’s next?  Lavish beach vacation, new clothes, new lifestyle?

Nope.

We are going to chip away at putting $9,000 more in our emergency fund so we have a magic number of $10,000.

Then we are going to save up so we can purchase a brand new car WITHOUT a loan (gasp!)

And I tried to buy myself a new Coach tote bag… it was tinier than the Coach purse I already have so I spent $20 to ship it back and bought a $15 tote from Target.

Are we easing up a little bit?  Yes.  We spent an extra $100 at Costco this month outside of our normal grocery budget.  I bought Lucas some new clothes that he really didn’t need.  Mike is letting me earn “prizes” for sticking to my nutrition plan every 10 days. 

But ultimately we have GOALS.  I want to put Lucas through college.  I want to retire early and not have to every worry about money.  I want to be able to give Lucas amazing birthday parties and great life experiences without seeing us stressed out.  And that means that we will give up eating out on a weekly basis.  That means I will continue to do a monthly budget.  That means we will still take out cash every month.  And NO, we aren’t getting cable… yet ;)  

Things I'm Loving Tuesday

I haven't done one of these in awhile so it was time..... 

My mom got me a daily devotion for Christmas.... But it's for teenage girls! However, some of the things are so true! 

Every single day. It tastes so good! It seriously feels like a treat but it is my healthiest meal of the day! 

I love how much Lucas loves fruits and veggies! This is him eating a cucumber over the French fries on his plate. 

But sometimes he loves a big tub of "balls". Thank you Costco. 

The last time I got Project 7 gum it was gross (Birthday Cake flavor is no bueno!) 

But THIS is the perfect thing to contain my sweet tooth.

I have been using coconut oil in my meats and over veggies as part of the Countdown to Competition plan and even though I HATE coconut flavors, I actually don't mind this at all. But spend the extra dollar and buy the refined kind. 

These bags are amazing! I cut up veggies straight into them and put the baggie in the fridge and steam my veggies when I am ready. 

Ok one more and then I am off to bed:

I tried to do Hammer and Chisel without these but I am SO glad I bought them last week! Energize is perfect for drinking right before my workout (tastes like lemonade) and by the time I get to the basement to workout, I can feel it kicking in. It is the ONLY energy product that hasn't given me stomach issues or made me jittery. 

And then recover is my post workout  drink and it tastes like chocolate milk. Hammer and Chisle is HARD! There is no "easy" day and my muscles have felt it. But Recover helps decrease that soreness and it has also decreased my post- workout appetite. 

If you want more details on the performance line, send me a message on my Favebook page, email me at kaylamariedejong@gmail.com or 

visit my Beachbody page. 

Until next time, stay balanced. 

Push- Day 1

I know I have been missing in action as of late and I apologize.  I even have a meal plan post in my draft file but it would literally be my meal plan if I published it right now.  Lucas had the flu for a solid 5 days and work has been a nightmare.  Then this weekend my poor mother fell and broke her hip and had to have surgery so everything hit pause while I took care of my family.  When I hit play again, I had a LOT to catch up on.

But I'm slowly making progress so I wanted to touch base with all of you.

My intention was to start the 30 Day Push by Chalene Johnson a few weeks ago but I am starting it today.  And my library book is due February 3rd so I am doing a condensed version.  I thought it would be interesting to share with you what I did on Day 1.  Personal development is a big part of my life and I am excited to start this.

Brainstorm your priorities-  place a star next to the 5 that are the most important (HA, that was easy- my blog title of course!)
Family (Lucas/Mike)*
Faith*
Friends*
Fitness*
Finance*
   Meaning that my family is financially sound, not that we are rich
Work
Being healthy
Being a kind person
Running, working out
Personal development/time for myself

Now list the 3 that are most important to you
Family/Friends
Faith
Fitness

Rewrite in order of importance..wait, I already did :)

Take priority #1 and answer questions about it:
It's the most important area in my life because without my family, I am nothing.  I will honor my priority by doing my best to keep a balance and if I need to disrupt the balance, making sure they stay in the #1 spot.  The following actions would be inconsistent with my commitment to my top priority: ANYTHING that takes me away from them that is also not a priority, anything that makes me give less of myself to them.  To honor that priority I will limit the following: checking social media, taking my stress out on them.  To honor that priority, I need to do the following: put my phone down. Leave work at work.  Watch my tone of voice.

Write a top priority clarity statement and memorize it (hence why mine is short LOL)
My number one priority is to be actively involved in my family's life and present for the moments. My actions should always make my family feel loved, cherished and honored.  I will not make any decisions that would cause my family to feel "less than" or unloved.

So what is YOUR top priority?  Do you have this kind of statement in your life?  Try this activity out and let me know :)

Until next time, stay balanced.

My story- the cliff notes version

So today we were challenged to share our stories about why we became a coach.  And my first thought was "Hell no".  And my second thought was "Just make something up".  And my third thought was "Just freaking do it already...but give the cliff notes version."

I went from being able to eat whatever I wanted in high school to gaining the Freshman Fifteen-- I'm an overachiever so I went for gaining 20 actually.  Fast forward to getting engaged and going through a series of unhealthy crash diets and restrictive calorie counting to developing full blown orthorexia... Google It.  I would yell at my husband for not using a measuring cup and eyeballing cheese.... Yes, I am dead serious.  I would avoid going out with friends because I'd have to eat something unhealthy.  I would obsess over every calorie I ate and stay awake for HOURS feeling food shame.

Fast forward to my doctor telling me I had to gain 5 pounds if I wanted to get pregnant.. and I remember going home feeling PROUD.  Like I had accomplished something... all I had accomplished was an eating disorder.  Yay me.  Thanks be to God, I got pregnant anyways.  

And everything changed.

My life became Lucas.  My life IS Lucas.  That little boy brought out a side of me that I never knew existed.  What I did know is, my "healthy eating" didn't mean crap anymore if it was taking my focus away from him.  

Enter a friend introducing me to 21 Day Fix.  And that program CHANGED.  MY.  LIFE.  I'm not exaggerating, I'm not trying to sell you something.  It's the truth.  Ask my husband.  

And that's why I decided to become a coach.  Because I want to be the one to change someone else's life.  I don't care about the money.  I care about helping PEOPLE the way I got helped.  I care about changing lives the way my life got changed.

So love the changes you will be seeing to my posts, unfriend me if you hate them, but please respect each chapter of my journey because I am writing a new one.

Meal Plan for the Week

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Pre-Workout/Breakfast	Energize and PB Toast Hydrate	Energize and PB Toast Hydrate	Energize and PB Toast Hydrate	Energize and PB Toast Hydrate	Energize and PB Toast Hydrate	Energize and PB Toast Hydrate	Energize and PB Toast Hydrate
Morning Snack	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit
Lunch	Spaghetti Squash BBQ Chicken Vegetable	Spaghetti Squash BBQ Chicken Vegetable	Spaghetti Squash BBQ Chicken Vegetable	Spaghetti Squash BBQ Chicken Vegetable	Spaghetti Squash BBQ Chicken Vegetable	Spaghetti Squash BBQ Chicken Vegetable	Spaghetti Squash BBQ Chicken Vegetable
Afternoon Snack	Veggie with Hummus Bread with Avocado	Veggie with Hummus Bread with Avocado	Veggie with Hummus Bread with Avocado	Veggie with Hummus Bread with Avocado	Veggie with Hummus Bread with Avocado	Veggie with Hummus Bread with Avocado	Veggie with Hummus Bread with Avocado
Supper	Turkey Wontons-4	Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet	Tacos	Sliders	Chicken Parmesan	Turkey Potatoes	Pizza
Evening Snack	Yogurt Fruit with Teaspoon	Yogurt Fruit with Teaspoon	Yogurt Fruit with Teaspoon	Yogurt Fruit with Teaspoon	Yogurt Fruit with Teaspoon	Yogurt Fruit with Teaspoon	Yogurt Fruit with Teaspoon

This was my meal plan for last week. It's a Plan A (1200-1500) for Hammer and Chisel and 21 Day Fix folks with an extra yellow.

I think if I had been able to do my meal prep I would have been able to stick to this plan better.... Maybe not since it was a really stressful week on the Homefront. But here's to a new week and a new opportunity!

Here are some pics of my meals for the week:

So delicious! Perfect snack.

Lucas helped me hard boil some eggs.... 

I am seriously addicted to the new Cafe Latte Shakeology. I won't let myself have it unless I do my workout. It IS motivating.

Sliders are a weekly staple at our house. So easy to make and entire family likes them!

I always forget how easy this is to make- chicken and green beans! We were out of sesame seeds so I added garlic and soy sauce.

Bacon cheeseburger skillet... A 21 day fix approved delight. Felt like a cheat but it wasn't.

And you need to make these your blue! I found them at Target. 

And that's the highlights. This week I am adding some Countdown to Competition so we will see how that goes! 

A few sites for moms and goal update

Ok so here is one that I have to share for all the moms out there who like to work out
10 Workouts for Busy Moms

http://www.scarymommy.com/10-workouts-for-busy-moms/

And one for the moms of boys, especially the ones with the sensitive souls
10 Things I Want To Teach My Son This Year

I drive my husband nuts with some of the things I let Lucas do but I always tell him I am picking my battles.... Here is one that backs that idea up
Raising Children Battles

As I type this in soaking clothes from bath time....
10 Things Moms of Boys Must Do

Ok so now it's time for me to get honest and real... life has been a struggle lately.  Lucas being sick threw everything off balance as I tried to work hard to take care of him, still get work done, and focus on my goals.  Work has been extremely stressful lately and is in crazy mode until May.  While I know this happens every year, I didn't expect it to start on my first day back from break.

I've also been spending a lot of time in "I wish..." Island.  I wish I had a better house.  I wish my body looked like hers.  I wish I had that many Beachbody coaches signing up with me.  And I Wish Island has its own magical pilot to fly you there... Captain Jealous.  And today I decided that it needs to STOP.

I have so much in my life to be grateful for- I have an amazing support system of family and friends.
I have no debt except my house and we make a good income.
I have an amazing, healthy, happy son.

My starting point is someone else's ending point.

I decided today would be a good time to review my goals and do some reflection and do a little recommitment if you will.

Career- Blog 5 times a day, sign one coach
There's been a few skipped days with Lucas being sick but otherwise I think I've done well with this. I do want to be purposeful in my blog posts and not just post to be posting.
As far as signing one coach, I really am trying to focus right now on how fun it has been to help people through my challenge group.  If the coaches come, that is great but I really truly just want to help other people in their journey.

Marriage- Daily check in, one date a month
We have been doing our fair share of snapping at each other with being tired and stressed, but we have still done a daily check in and talked through it. Need to find a baby sitter for that date this month.  Or maybe we will do a lunch date on Monday because I am off and Lucas is going to daycare... hm, that's a thought.

Physical- Complete one challenge a month, Half Marathon 2.0
I am going strong with Hammer and Chisel and have a love/hate feeling about it every day.  Half Marathon 2.0 training will start when this program is complete.

Mental Health- Meditate every day, read every day
I have been reading every day and already completed a fiction book (see goal below).  Meditating has been about 50/50.  It's definitely one thing I don't feel guilty letting go of.  I meant to do it when I first got to work or before leaving, but with work being so overwhelming there has not been time.

Friendships-Daily check in with a friend, One activity a month with a friend
I have been reaching out to friends daily so that's great and I have an idea on what to do for my monthly activity, just need to set a date.

Faith/Spiritual- Pray every day, do a daily devotion
Check and check.  This has been the easiest!

Personal Development/Intellectual- 6 nonfiction books, listen to a podcast on way to work
Another easy one- I love podcasts!  And I just got Chalene Johnson's book Push today at the library so I will be starting that when I am done typing.

Hobby- One Pinterest activity a week, 6 fiction books
I have failed on the Pinterest activity...  I have used it for ideas for Lucas' birthday party but so far just putting the board together.  I did read a random fiction book... it was cute, but definitely a fluff book.  I just needed something mindless to read.

Family- Call mom and dad weekly, text brothers weekly
Another easy one.

Financial- Be debt free except the house, $10,000 emergency fund
Check and check (I know, I know- what? you never posted that! big post coming soon) and working towards emergency fund

So that's where I'm at.  I've got some areas going strong and some that need work.  But overall, I'm not failing miserably even though it feels like it :)

Might have to do this weekly.

Stay balanced!

Meal Prep Madness

I think this post could also be labeled Monday madness because it's been one of THOSE days. Thankfully Lucas is on the mend but it seems like life is going 100 miles a minute right now and I just want to slow down and relax.

I officially am on week 2 of Hammer and Chisel and am 1 pound down. Yay! It's a tough workout but it's doable. I am capable of carrying myself up the steps but add on Lucas' weight and I'm definitely feeling the burn of spent muscles.

His muscles never wear out.

Alright, on to my meal prep of the week.

I have found its very helpful to write down what I need to do and have a copy of the meal plan in front of me.

Meal prep for this week was relatively short but it was not easy. Lucas decided that he just wanted Mommy's attention so my poor husband had to take over most of the cooking.

I cannot get enough of spaghetti squash- it's like a carb but it's a veggie! I threw a butternut squash in there too. I haven't made one of those in the oven before (previous attempts in microwave have failed) but it turned out to be super easy to scoop it into a green container and it was delicious- no butter added.

I ended up swapping out taco meat for spaghetti sauce and meat for my squash. I saw someone's post on Instagram and it looked too good to pass. So instead of a full purple in my Shake in the morning, I just did half to account for the sauce in my lunch. Besides, Shakeology is good enough on its own ;) 

Do you guys see that pink container in the corner.... It's a different container lid color because it doesn't have meat in it.

Guess what I brought to work today....

Communication in a marriage is key.... The only saving grace my husband had on not getting cursed out is that he's been very helpful the past few days.... I'm not kidding when I say that you wouldn't like me when I am hangry. Note to self: throw pack of Shakeology in your purse. Duh. 

My last exciting news is that Shakeology released their new Cafe Latte flavor today!

I love my flavors but Shakeology plus coffee- you better believe I am ordering some! 

Like my outfit- Lucas was watching Let it Go from Frozen while I got dressed and apparently it inspired me :)

That's all for today- hope your Monday went better!

Meal Plan #2 for 2016

Hey everyone!  I hope you all had a great first week of 2016.  I've been a little quiet lately because Lucas has the stomach flu.  I've already been thrown up on twice so hopefully I don't get it. The Old Kayla would have used that as an excuse to eat junk and quit working out but I am proud to say that I have stuck to the plan and hit "Play" every day, except for my rest day which Autumn Calabrese herself said I had to take ;)

I did take some time today to get my meal plan today because if you "Fail to plan, plan to fail".

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	Peanut Butter Toast	Peanut Butter Toast	Peanut Butter Toast	Peanut Butter Toast	Peanut Butter Toast	Peanut Butter Toast	Peanut Butter Toast
Morning Snack	2 eggs	2 eggs	2 eggs	2 eggs	2 eggs	2 eggs	2 eggs
Lunch	Spaghetti Squash Taco Turkey Apple	Spaghetti Squash Taco Turkey Apple	Spaghetti Squash Taco Turkey Apple	Spaghetti Squash Taco Turkey Apple	Spaghetti Squash Taco Turkey Apple	Spaghetti Squash Taco Turkey Apple	Spaghetti Squash Taco Turkey Apple
Afternoon Snack	Veggie with Hummus	Veggie with Hummus	Veggie with Hummus	Veggie with Hummus	Veggie with Hummus	Veggie with Hummus	Veggie with Hummus
Supper	Sesame Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry Sweet potato	Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Bread Veggie	Creamy Mexican Chicken Tortilla Veggie	Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich Veggie	Sliders with Bun Veggie	Steak Sweet Potato Veggie	Pizza Veggie
Post-Workout	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit	Shakeology with Fruit

This plan is WORKING.  I have lost two pounds already this year and my husband commented today "You can definitely see where your abs are".

If you want to make Beachbody work for you, please do this for yourself and contact me.  I am living my dream helping the girls in my challenge group and I want to help you too!

The account is FREE. Remember this is how you do it:
Go to:http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/5fmylifeand click on "Join" and create an account.
If you already have an account, you need to sign in to your account and go to "Help/FAQ" and email Beachbody and ask them to make Kayla DeJong, Coach ID 917703 your coach


If you have any questions, you can always send me a Facebook message or email me at kaylamariedejong@gmail.com

Stay Balanced everyone.

All of my favorites

 Beachbody has SALES on my favorite products this month so I had to put it all out there for you guys. This is lengthy and I apologize but I wanted to share ALL the information.

So if you.... “Just want to try Shakeology”

Shakeology Sampler- One single serving of each flavor- great way to try out the flavors, this is what I did when I first started With shipping it's $36.90 plus tax

So if you... “Want to order my first bag of Shakeology”

If you order Shakeology, you have option to get a bag of one flavor (30 servings) or a box of a combination of 2-3 flavors (only 24 servings, individually packaged versus scooping out of a bag).  It's $129.95 either way. 

• If you do home delivery (HD), the shipping is waived so it's $129.95 plus tax. This puts you on having Shakeology automatically delivered to you one time a month. You can easily change your flavor that you want each month and you can delay a shipment.
• If you do a one time delivery, it's $144.89 plus tax.

BUT what I would recommend right now is doing a challenge pack because they are all on sale and just a little bit more than just doing Shakeology alone-- you get a workout program, Shakeology, and 30 days access to Beachbody on Demand for workouts.  The workout program and nutrition guide, as well as calendar of workouts, automatically loads to your Beachbody on Demand so within 24-48 hours you will have access to the workout. 

Some of the challenge packs include 3 day refresh which is what I did over the weekend to reset my body after all the damn sugar from Christmas (You can read about my experience here, here and here, which includes my results).

So if you.... "Want to order a challenge pack"

Hammer and Chisel (what I am doing right now for 60 days for my workout and LOVING)- includes the 21 day fix portion control containers which is what I use plus the meal plan guide on how to use them, the workout, Shakeology, and 30 day subscription to Beachbody $160 (Savings of $75!) 

21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme (I LOVE them both, this is where I started)- includes the 21 day fix portion control containers which is what I use plus the meal plan guide on how to use them, the workout, Shakeology, and 30 day subscription to Beachbody on Demand $140 (Savings of $70) 

21 Day Fix Kickstart + Shakeology pack- includes 21 Day Fix and containers, 3 day refresh, Shakeology, and Beachbody $180 (Savings of $95) 

21 Day Fix EXTREME Kickstart + Shakeology pack- includes 21 Day Fix EXTREME and containers, 3 day refresh, Shakeology, and Beachbody $180 (Savings of $95) 

3 Day Refresh + Shakeology pack- includes 3 day refresh and a 30 day supply of Shakeology  and 30 day subscription to Beachbody on Demand $140 (Savings of $70) 

Plus tax and shipping in some situations.

Ok so here is my last pitch

So I want... "To be a regular Shakeology drinker"

If you think that you are going to drink Shakeology on a regular basis, I would actually sign up as a Coach instead of a Customer.  If you buy a challenge pack, your coaching signup fee of $40 is waived.  Then you get a 25% discount on the challenge pack you are ordering and all future purchases.  Which means your monthly Shakeology is 25% off which makes it a lot cheaper.  You can cancel at any time. 

You do have to sell 90 "personal volume or PV" a month to stay an active coach and continue to get the discount.. but Shakeology is conveniently 90 PV so that keeps you an active coach.  There is also a $15 fee for maintaining your web sites but it still results in about a $10 discount off your Shakeology each month.  

PLUS you get a 25% discount on anything else you order.

To order go to:

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/5fmylife

and click on "Join" and create an account and shop away. 

If you already have an account, you need to sign in to your account and go to "Help/FAQ" and email Beachbody and ask them to make Kayla DeJong, Coach ID 917703 your coach (If you already have a coach, contact them).  You will get a confirmation.  Once that goes through, go to the shop and order away.

Let me know if you have questions or want any other information by sending me a Facebook message or emailing me at kaylamariedejong@gmail.com