2 "Off Days"

Thursday and Friday have not been the best days for me. I was super excited about working out at the beginning of the week, and managed to go three days in a row. Which, may have burned me out quick.

I knew that Thursday would be my day off, but I had a meeting cancelled, and some extra time, so I could have gone to the gym. I know I could have squeezed it in, but I didn't. I should have.

I started to get down in the dumps Thursday evening. To be honest, I'm overwhelmed. I like to be busy; just ask my husband. He'll tell you that I cannot sit down in the evenings and just relax. My mind constantly swirls with everything else that I should be doing instead. And Thursday night was no exception, but I was exhausted and much of it did not get done. (Which I know is ok.)

I woke up today (Friday), and had my mind set that today would be better, but I think my mind was still exhausted, and after I was dressed, I just wasn't motivated. I took MC to daycare, saw my three speech kiddos (as G calls them) and went home. That was my plan all along; go home, eat lunch, and then head to the gym, before picking up MC. But, after I got home, I was still not motivated. However, I went anyway. I forced myself to go, and I reminded myself of something I saw on Pinterest. "The hardest step of a runner, is the first step out the door." I kept telling myself that and repeating it to myself. Once I arrived at the gym, I completed Week 2 Day 3 of Couch to 5K, and I almost convinced myself to lift some weights when I was done with that, but at the end, I changed my mind.

I'm glad that I went to the gym, but it sucked. This was probably the hardest day so far, because I was just exhausted.

I won't be able to go on Saturday, because DJ is gone this weekend. I'm not even sure if I'll get to go on Sunday, because he'll be at work in the afternoon. But, i'm okay with that. I've told myself that i'll try to do some ab work here at home, and maybe attempt a few weights. (I have a dumbbell- yes, just one.)

Here's what I've had to eat the last two days (which isn't very good either)

Thursday:

breakfast- a bowl of Cascadian Farms cinnamon crunch cereal w/ skim milk

lunch- we had lunch with G at school to celebrate Thanksgiving. I will say the portion sizes were child size. Turkey, roll, peach cobbler, dressing, mashed potatoes, salad.

snack- apple chips, grapes

dinner- Pizza rolls w/ dipping sauce, a few handfuls of chocolate chips

snack- 4 oreo cookies and milk (I know, I gave into weakness)

Friday:

breakfast- a bowl of Cascadian Farms cinnamon crunch cereal w/ skim milk

snack- banana

lunch- 1/2 whole grain pita w/ 1 slice turkey, 3 cucumbers, 2 bell pepper strips, 1 slice swiss cheese, pita chips, grapes (In retrospect, I should not have eaten so much before working out) and 2 handfuls of chocolate chips (oops!)

snack- apple chips

dinner- pb & j sandwich, potato chips, 4 oreo cookies

I hope I can pick myself up and do a little better eating this weekend. I think that because I've been a bit down in the dumps, my eating has reflected that.

If you have 'off' days, what helps you to get back on track?

Loose It: The Excuses

I know many of us have our excuses for not getting our rears to the gym. Over the past year and a half, I came up with many. I was too tired, too pregnant, living with my husband 12 hours away, a mom to a 3 year old, working full time, and then I was too busy with two kids. The excuses go on and on.

Then, I realized, I needed to buck up and loose the excuses. I have to force myself to go to the gym, because I can think of a million other things to do, but once I get there. I never regret it.

I started my day by dropping off the girls at their respective daycares, and then I saw 4 speech kids. DJ and went to lunch, and my plan was to then go feed MC for her afternoon feeding, and then go to the gym, while she stayed at daycare. MC has ways to ruin every single plan I make. I'm not sure how she does it at 5 months old, but she does. I had planned to arrive at 2:00 to feed her, but she did not go down for her nap until 1:30. I was home from lunch by 1:00, and planned to do a little bit of cleaning before going to feed her. But, when I realized that it would still be another hour or more before she woke up, I went ahead to the gym knowing that I may not get in a full workout.

At that moment, I made a decision. The decision to go, and risk not getting in that full workout, but I knew that something was better than nothing.

I was able to complete Week 2 Day 2 of Couch to 5 K, as well as 3 reps of arm exercises before I got the text that MC was awake from her nap and ready to eat. I was a bit disappointed, because I had not finished my workout. So, I left and went to feed her and again, I made another decision. After she finished eating, I went back to the gym. I'm thankful, that the gym is less than 2 minutes from MC's daycare, but still another excuse I had to overcome.

I went back and managed to do another set of 3 reps of arm exercises followed by 300 ab exercises. I've managed to increase those by 100 every day this week.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Bowl of Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch (about 100 calories) with skim milk

Snack: 1 Banana and a serving of the apple cinnamon chips I made yesterday

Lunch: Country Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl from McCalister's Deli with a Coke (about 700 calories)- this was my fail b/c it was a lot of carbs.

Snack: Apple Slices

Dinner: 1 whole grain pita stuffed with 1 slice of swiss cheese, 1 slice of turkey breast, 2 bell pepper strips, 3 cucumber, and spring salad mix, along with a serving of pita chips. 2 hand fulls of chocolate chips (I'm a chocaholic!)

Snack: Grapes

Water: 3-4 glasses

Looking back, I need to increase my water, increase my protein, and decrease my carbs.

I also would like a few new ab exercises, and may try to work my abs using the machine weights available. I need to vary my arm exercises as well and try to incorporate the machines more.

Thursday is my busy day at work, so it will be my day off at the gym, unless I decide to go late when DJ gets home from work. (I know, there's another excuse I could loose).

Rest of today's food + a Snack Recipe!

After I blogged about my breakfast and lunch, I headed out the door to the gym. Unfortunately, I wasn't there long, because I had a baby that needed to be fed. I'm very thankful that I found a gym that is less than 5 minutes from MC's daycare, and I try to get there by 2:00 every day, so I don't have to pump again.

At the gym, I did a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill. Then, I grabbed a bosu ball and worked on my abs. I did 50 crunches, followed by 20 obliques, and then repeated, until I completed 200 total. Next, I worked on my lower abs, with the bosu, and finally did a 1 minute plank on the floor. I do recommend the plank when working on abs; it's hard, but it's effective. The entire minute, I keep repeating "hawaii" to myself, and picture myself on the beach!

I was then able to work on my legs a little bit, doing the abduction and adduction machines, and finally a leg press. But, then I got the text that MC was awake, and I had to leave.

As a bonus, after I picked her up, I carried her in the bjorn while grocery shopping- so that must count for something!

Once we got home, I washed and chopped fruits and veggies. I purchased oranges, bananas, apples, grapes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, and zucchini.

I did snack on a few grapes while I was washing and chopping.

For dinner, I cooked a chicken breast with fajita seasoning (that I won't be purchasing again, even though DJ thought it was good, because it has MSG). I added corn, black beans, and bell pepper to the chicken and served with shredded cheese and chips.

I also started taking apple cider vinegar today. ACV is suppose to help with a variety of things including, sinus infections, metabolism, and acne. I'll try to post more about this later, but you are suppose to take 2 tsp. two times a day. You can dilute it in a glass of water, but I promise, that doesn't make it any easier to actually go down.

This evening, I also made apple chips that I had found on Pinterest. You simply core the apples, and slice into thin strips. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees. I'm hoping these will be an easy snack on the go while I'm driving between buildings in the mornings.

So, that sums up day 1.

Tomorrow, I plan on completing Week 2 Day 2 of Couch to 5 K, followed by a 7 minute relaxation in the tanning bed, so long as MC doesn't need to eat!

You are What You Eat

I know that in order to keep up with my goal of loosing 20 lbs. I'm going to have to record what I eat. And, knowing myself, and that I will cheat, and that I will not be honest if myself if it's not written down, i'm doing it here. Or at least i'm going to try to do it here. I'll update throughout, and readers may want to skip these posts, although I'll try to post some tips, recipes, etc. throughout.

I'm going to be honest and say today hasn't been fantastic, but i'm going to the grocery store after my workout today. Our house is bare on food, so I could only eat what we had.

Breakfast:

Kashi Mixed Berry Cereal- this is my "kid" version of cereal, and I try to make myself feel better about eating it because it's Kashi.

Lunch:

Hot Dog (1oo calories) on a wheat bun, and 9 pita chips (about 140 calories). I need to tell y'all about these pita chips in a later post, they are super yummy!

Snack:

Skinny Cow peanut butter bar (110 calories) because that hot dog and chips did not feel me up.

And, I've only had 1 glass of water, but i'm working on that, and I usually drink a ton of water in the evening.

Now, i'm going to hit the gym!

Guest Post: Cook With Your Children

Dan Gilbert, from Primrose Schools approached me last week about featuring one of his posts to my readers. I think that teaching your kids is one of the most important jobs as a parent, and I'm always looking for fun ways to help G grow and develop. One of her new favorite ways is to help in the kitchen, and Dan sums up how you can incorporate your kids helping you cook! Thanks Dan, for writing this post!

Cook With Your Children: A Recipe for Fun in the Kitchen

Offered by Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools; a safe preschool environment where children receive a balanced education allowing them to flourish in all aspects of life.

With pots and pans clanging, appliances whirring and timers ringing all coupled with the wonderful aromas filling the home from the kitchen it is absolutely no wonder children often find some way of expressing interest as to what goes on in the making of dinner. While it might be so very intriguing to children it can also be quite intimidating, but with a little encouragement and proper supervision children can be brought into the cooking experience and the result can be both rewarding and educational, not to mention delicious.

So, how can parents bring children into the kitchen safely while still keeping it fun? Follow this simple recipe:

1. First things first—set some ground rules. Educate your child regarding general kitchen safety and procedures for safe food handling. Teach children to always turn pot and pan handles toward the center of the stove to avoid accidentally spilling hot liquids or food. Make sure they know what is safe to touch and what is absolutely off limits, such as knife blades and burners or other hot surfaces. Also, let children know what foods are safe for them to handle, and reinforce surface and hand washing to avoid cross-contamination and the spreading of germs. The most important rule, however, is just for parents: children must be supervised at all times in the kitchen.

2. Establish independence. It is important to get children involved in duties, which they can handle, by themselves. Mashing potatoes, mixing batter and separating lettuce are just a few of the duties children can easily do. Not only does this foster both self confidence and a sense of independence but it can really let them know that they are truly helping out in the process.

3. Connect the dots. Parallels can be drawn between skills used in the kitchen and those being learned in school. Counting out ingredients, measuring liquids and keeping track of cooking times are just some of the real-life applications of skills with direct correlation to those being learned at school. As older children spend more time in the kitchen they can begin to take part in activities which can challenge their coordination skills more, such as cutting soft ingredients like cheeses, vegetables and some fruit.

4. Finally, and most importantly, strive to keep the entire process fun. With so many demands being placed on parents' time, and distractions so readily available for children nowadays, quality time in the kitchen can be a great way to revive a sense of family. Keep in mind that cooking is not always a tidy affair, so focus first and foremost on safety and enjoyment, and address cleaning up as you go—it need not be a chore saved for later if treated as simply a part of the process of preparing a great meal.

To wrap up the process, parents should praise and thank their newly crowned sous chefs for their help, perhaps even letting them try the first bite. Parents can further engage children by asking them what they liked about the meal they helped create, and ask for menu suggestions for next time.

My Journey to Loose the Baby Weight

I have been waiting several weeks to write this post. Mostly, because it's super embarrassing. But, I know that I need to go forward with it, in order to kick my butt in gear.

I had a baby 5 1/2 months ago. I still have about 10-15 lbs. of baby weight, and 20 lbs. total, that I would like to loose. So, I finally did something about it, and I hope to blog and share my journey with y'all in order to hold myself accountable, and maybe to motivate someone else.

So, here I am. Yuck. And yes, it gets worse....

Obviously, I need to tone my abs. I also want to work on my back. But, I also know that my arms and thighs need some work as well. Let me tell y'all, that i've always hated my thighs.

I'm probably like many other women who have major body issues, and when I look in the mirror, i'm not sure if everyone else see's what I see, but I don't like what I see.

So, here's what I've done about it so far. I've joined a gym. It's been 9 days, and I've gone 4 times. I think I might have been 5, but I sort of lost count. I also started the couch to 5 K program, and purchased the app for my iPhone. For the record, I have always hated running. Seriously, it's torture. Today, I finished Week 2 Day 1, and so far, I do think that it's a great program, and it hasn't been as bad as I feared.

I have also been doing crunches- a total of 100 forwards, and 50 obliques. Although, I would like to up the abs to 150-200 soon.

I know that my diet, is going to play a huge part, and thanks to Pinterest and my kitchen-aid birthday present, I've been baking a lot! I plan on going grocery shopping tomorrow, so I hope that will help. Also, I travel with my current job, so I eat out almost every day- bad! I'd like to pack some quick snacks that I can snack on in the car, and hopefully, I will start making my lunch a few times a week. I'm also going to try to keep track of what I've eaten. And, because I treated G to ice cream today- I won't be starting today!

I'm using our possible upcoming bowl football game as motivation. There are a few places of where we could play, and one of them is Hawaii. So, when I run, I picture myself in Hawaii, and that I want to look and feel good while i'm there. Also, the gym does have tanning, and while I know that fake baking is awful, it's also serving as my reward once a week, if I have good workouts. I've always said that tan fat is better than white fat, so at least I could have a tan in these winter months!

If you're currently on a weight loss journey of your own, I'd love to know! I need some motivation, and would love to know that I'm not going through this alone right now!

Another Family Visit

Last weekend, I convinced my mom that she needed to come and visit us. She convinced my step-dad, and they both convinced my brother, sister-in-law, and my niece. I was so excited that they decided to come & see us, and we had a great weekend together!MC and A enjoyed playing together, although MC is the little bully, and punched her cousin in the face! (just kidding)
They really were happy to hang out.
And, I got picked on by my brother. I really am thankful for him. We definitely, had our fights when we were younger, but I know now that I can rely on him for anything.
G loved snuggling with her Gee, while we watched football.
My step-dad is really good with all of his granddaughters. I know he wants to spoil them, although he tries not to! He was taking MC on a motorcycle ride in this picture- blowing "wind" in her face! I'm not so sure she enjoyed it!
I'm pretty sure she thought he was crazy!
And, G got a little jealous, so she had to come over for a picture too!
Here's Gee with all of her granddaughters. I don't think she could be any happier to have three girls to shop for and spoil! And, she's taking us all to Branson right after Thanksgiving! Those stores better watch out!

Fancy Nancy & a Baby Z Visit

A few weeks ago, G had her very first friends birthday party here in T-town. She was invited by a boy in her class for his 4th birthday, and the theme, was adequately, a costume party, since it was close to Halloween!

At this time, I had not started, um, finished, G's real Halloween costume, so I made her choose something from her dress up.
She decided that she wanted to be Fancy Nancy.
We teased her hair in crazy pigtails, added bows, butterfly pins, and a crown to complete the look.

She had a blast, and to be honest, it was kind of torture for me until I convinced DJ to show up! And, we have another school friends birthday this weekend, so hopefully it'll be a bit more tolerable.

To be honest, I want to go because I want to try to meet other mom's of kids in her class, but it's also so hard for me to open up and actually strike up a conversation with them! And, DJ can't save me, because he'll be at the football game. Wish me luck!

The next day, DJ's mom, sister, brother in law, and our new nephew came to visit! We went to a football game, and then enjoyed a yummy dinner at Las Cabos, and finally snapped a few pictures that evening!
Here are all of the cousins (minus the 3 in Florida). Baby Z is about 3 months younger than MC, and he just seemed so tiny! It reminded me that the girls grow up so fast!

And, we can finally see that MC actually does look like her daddy's family! I think my girls honestly get their hair from him, even though it's dark like mine. And, it also appears that Z and MC have the same nose.
It was fun to snuggle with baby Z!
And, Aunt Vanessa, got to play with MC for the first time!
Here's nana with three of her grandkids nestled up before nap time.
And, the next morning, we threw on some clothes and went to brunch. Here's G and MC before we headed out!

It was so much fun to have them visit us, and we look forward to a return visit!

Trick or Treat!

It was so much fun to take the girls' trick-or-treating this year! I must say, that out of the three years we've taken G trick or treating, that this year, may be my most favorite costume yet!

She started out wanting to be Alice from Alice in Wonderland, but I couldn't really decide on a matching costume for MC. Then, we went with Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and MC would be the lion. Then, we talked about Strawberry Shortcake with MC being a strawberry. But, we soon after discussed the possibility of Little Miss Muffet and her spider!

With the help of my mom, we came up with the apron (which is made from a bed sheet) and a bonnet. I purchased a long sleeve pink leotard, that G could also use for dance classes this winter, and she wore her pink dance tights for warmth. I also purchased a pair of pink & cream stripe leg warmers for her, and made her a pink tutu. She had pigtail hair bows that I made, but because the hat was a little large, I clipped them on to her apron. I picked up a spider bag from the $1.00 section at Target, because our plan was for her to wear the costume at school, but I later decided I didn't want to risk her getting it dirty during her party, lunch, or on the playground.
I added a little blush to her cheeks to make them rosey.
And, here's the two of them together!
MC wore a tutu dress, made of black and purple tulle. I also added marabou as the 'legs', and she wore black leggings, and a black turtleneck underneath. We just so happened to have a pair of purple 'shoe' socks, and a purple kufi hat. I made her hair piece from a $2.00 foam spider web I found at Target, and purchased a polymer clay spider from a seller on Etsy. I also added marabou on the underneath side of the web, and attached an alligator clip, which easily clipped on to her kufi hat.
I must say, that she's the cutest spider I've ever seen! And, I wouldn't squish this one :)
Here are the girls & I before we headed out.
We walked to neighborhood with our neighbor, P, who is 7, and went as a cat.
MC rode along in our bjorn carrier, and was very happy either sucking on her paci or trying to chew on her tutu!
P allowed G to ring the doorbell, and G would follow knocking, and yelling, "Is anybody home?!" She was also very polite and remembered to say thank you and Happy Halloween to everyone.

She ended up filling her candy bucket three times! And, I was glad that we made a 'tuffet' in our wagon using a pillow with pink pillowcase and pink blanket. We had to actually dump the candy in to her pillowcase, so she'd have room for more!
We finally made it home and turned on our porch lights to hand out the candy we had purchased. G cried on her first halloween when we gave out candy- she did not understand why we were giving it all away! But, this year, she was so excited to share & hand out our goodies. She stood by the door and would exclaim, "somebody's coming!" We had the door open at one point and we could hear people walking, but could not see them. And, we were anticipating they'd be in our yard at any minute. But, we soon heard car doors closing and the car driving away. We explained to G that they drove away, and she ran out the door and into our driveway yelling, "you forgot your candy!" ..... Those kids sure did miss out!
Here's G with all of the candy she received! She was very good at letting DJ and I pick out the 'bad' stuff, and I promise it's not because we wanted to eat all of it! The bad stuff is all the crud that sticks to your teeth that's hard to get off!

Although, I will admit i've already had my fair share of her treats, which is completely ruining the diet I had planned to start this week!

G's Halloween Class Party

I was so excited to be able to go to G's Halloween class party at her preschool yesterday. It made feel so blessed to have the job that I have, and that I was able to take part in these memories with her.

We made 'mummies' to give out to each of her friends. G helped place on all of their eyes. I found the idea on pintrest, and used king size Hershey bars at $1.00 each, white crepe paper (which I just taped in place) and found googly eyes, that were stickers.
Her class had tons of food to snack on! And, her teacher was smart to not request cookies and cupcakes. In fact, they mostly had cheese and fruit, along with some ham & pepperoni (God bless the lady that made it Turkey pepperoni!) And, only had fruit snacks and oreos as their 'junk'.
I also got to watch her class sing & dance, and it was fun to hear the entire song of some of the songs G comes home singing.
They even had face painting, and since G was a puppy dog at school, she got polk a dots on her face.
Her school also had a 'pumpkin patch' and G was able to pick out a pumpkin to bring home with her.
And, she got her picture made with the angry birds!

After I left her class had a parade and went trick or treating around the school!

We had so much fun, and she said her favorite part was trick or treating to the other classrooms!