Life Lately

So, I had big plans to blog on Monday, and then that didn't happen. So, I thought I'd blog on Tuesday, and that didn't happen either..... It's Wednesday, and this is the only post I'm writing this week! 

Yesterday, started our weeks of travel. I'm off to Salt Lake City, in fact, I'm here today and heading to gorgeous lavender farms in just a bit! And DJ and the girls are heading to the lake later on this week! Eventually, we will all be back home for a few days and then we're off to Disney World, so my blogging will be pretty sparse coming up! I'm just going to try and make it work and squeeze it in over the next few weeks! 

Today, i'm recapping a little big of our life lately...

Last Friday, we drove halfway and dropped off my cousin who had been staying with us for the week. He's heading to TU this fall and working with DJ in the football video office, so he came up to work the high school football camps. We took him home Friday, and stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way. Their flowers were gorgeous! I loved the pops of pink! 

Saturday, I got out the 4th of July decorations! I don't have a ton, but just a few little touches were necessary for a festive touch. 

Saturday afternoon, I took Gretchen to Target so she could spend some money that had been burning a hole in her piggy bank ;) She picked out a little robotic dog and an activity tracker. She is finally learning how difficult it is to get 10,000 steps a day! 

Our neighborhood had a block party on Saturday night. So we loaded up our picnic blanket, drinks, and a side item and headed to the park. 

A fire truck came and opened the fire hydrant for the kids! We forgot that it was going to be there, so we just let the girls play in their clothes. And they had a ball. 

Adalyn wasn't in to the water, so she sat out with me. 

We made sure to sit far back so we wouldn't get sprayed! 

Sunday morning, the little girls took their weekly picture with John Wesley. DJ had another football camp, so he worked all of Sunday while the girls and I went to church, the gym, and I worked on some laundry and house cleaning. 

Monday morning, we were off to the library. Each of the girls returned the books they had checked out the week before and then picked out new books. They love being able to check them out themselves. 

Gretchen has decided that she's too big to have her picture taken with her little sisters! She just sits back and waits for the little girls. 

After the library, we went to the gym, and then came home for lunch before heading to the pool. 

On Monday, I should have been packing for myself and the girls, but I found the pool a much better way to procrastinate. 

Whew, so that's a bit of life lately for us! 

I'll hopefully be back next week so I can catch y'all up on all things Salt Lake! 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!!!! 

This was our first week of summer with all three girls home (last week, Gretchen was at her Gee's) and it was a doozy! I said earlier that two kids home last week was much easier than having all three of them, and the week proved that point- ha! 

We had some fun sister moments, and some moments, where I sent all of the girls to separate rooms! And, I'm not quite sure how, but this week was busy! 

I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for Friday Favorites.... and I kind of have a random little mess of favorites for you today! 

I started reading OOLA for Women and it's already a favorite! It's a much quicker read that I had anticipated, and I was able to get 80 pages in with my first sitting. It encourages you to live an "OOLA" life with focus on 7 key areas: Faith, Fitness, Finance, Family, Fun, Field, and Friends. I'd really encourage every woman to grab this book and read it for some inspiration! Especially if you're finding that your life isn't as balanced as you'd like for it to be. 

We only had these two girls with us at church on Sunday, and of course, they wanted a photo with John Wesley. 

After church we met my cousin, her son, my mom, and Gretchen for lunch.... My cousin's son is attending TU in the fall, and he'll be working with DJ and the football team! We are so excited to have him here, and he came up this week to work a high school football camp. Anyway, they brought him up, and since Gretchen was at my mom's it was perfect timing to bring her home. 

I took the girls to our local library on Monday, so we could sign them up for the Summer Reading Program! The program only encourages them to read 20 books over the summer and visit the library 4 times, and Megan is already 14 books in! She grabbed everything she could get her hands on that first day and read it all! I'm so proud of how far she's come with reading this year! Anything that encourages the girls to read is my favorite! 

My favorite moisturizing cream........ Sandalwood from Young Living. I've shared about this cream before and my other favorite beauty products from Young Living. But y'all, I've had this jar since January, and I'm thinking i'll be able to stretch it through July! 

We spent our afternoon at the pool on Tuesday! 

And on Wednesday, I took the girls to La Madeleine's for lunch! Their crepes are our favorite! 

And then I declared Tuesday night a girls night since DJ was at football! We snuggled on the coach and watched Moana! 

Easy lunches are a favorite! I love when I have an abundance of fresh fruit and veggies. I fixed three lunches in about three minutes!

A Summer downfall- feeding three kids 100 times a day. 

#theyrealwayshungry

The girls and I made Ningxia Popsicles this week! 

I shared our how to on my Instagram feed! They were easy to make and yummy too! 

After our pool time on Wednesday, I had a little spa night at home. I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated afterwards! And followed it up with a little pedicure..... just apply Rose Ointment on your heels, cover with socks, and you'll have the softest feet! And psst... it's great on your lips too! 

And Thursday, we ran errands most of the day! I made it to the gym and completed 3.5 miles on the elliptical- and y'all, that time may not be impressive to some of you, but it is to me!!! Running is not my favorite, but I'm determined to squeeze in at least 3 miles one day a week, and then 1-2 miles during my regular work out days. If you're interested in my workout routine, you can check out a little bit about it here. 

That's it for Friday Favorites!!!!

I'll be back a little next week before taking a blogging vacation while I'm in Salt Lake City!!!

And, if you have Salt Lake City tips for me, leave them in the comments below!

My Fitness Journey

This seems like a random post to make here, but since January, I've been on a fitness journey, and I've stuck with it! It's been several years since I've worked out.... at least 4 1/2. When Gretchen was a year old, I started working out and got in really good shape. Probably the best shape I had been in in a long time! But, then I got pregnant with Megan, and I've been in and out of a fitness routine since then. 

So, I thought I'd share a little big about my fitness journey today...

In January, I decided that the girls were getting older, and I needed to make time for me. I didn't like the person I was, didn't like how I looked in clothes, having to buy larger sizes, and I just knew that it was time to take care of me again. A gym had finally opened closer to our house, and I knew that I needed to join despite the cost. 

During the school year, working out was difficult. My goal was to make it to the gym 3 days a week. I was able to go on Monday's when DJ came home from work, and then I would squeeze in a walk on Tuesday nights while Megan was at gymnastics. Eventually, I could squeeze in a small workout on Wednesday nights, a yoga class on Thursday, and an occasional Saturday or Sunday workout. 

Now that it's summer, I've been more consistent about finding some time and squeezing time in to workout. Each morning, I put on workout clothes. I make it a point to get to the gym at some point during the day. This week, we've had errands to run in the morning, but we make it to the gym before we head home. 

When I joined a gym, I absolutely knew that it had to have childcare, or I wouldn't go. DJ's schedule is too unpredictable for me to build a workout routine around him.

Now, he would tell me to wake up early in the morning and go workout, but I am NOT a morning person. And, I honestly don't mind an 8 pm workout. Because there was many times during the school year when I couldn't make it to the gym until after 7 or later. 

My gym also has classes. I've tried Body Pump, which is a very difficult class for me, and I've fallen in love with yoga. I try to take a yoga class once a week, but there are some weeks that I miss. 

When I work out on my own, I start with cardio. Cardio is my least favorite! I know that if I don't get it out of the way that I won't get it in. I have always said that I am not a runner, so I mix it up between walking and jogging on the treadmill or I get on the elliptical because it's low impact. I shoot for at least 1.5-3 miles total.

After I complete my cardio, I lift weights. I was pretty comfortable around the weight room from previous workouts, but I've finally learned to change up my weight lifting. 

I came across Amanda Raines on Instagram and I absolutely LOVE her workout videos! They're short, and they give me ideas of different workouts to complete. 

Thanks to some of her videos, I absolutely love working out with kettle bells, and I've been able to challenge myself a little more. 

On Memorial Day of this year, I started a Summer Run Streak. The idea is that you run 1 mile every day beginning Memorial Day and ending on July 4th. I did this two years ago, and knew that I needed to pick it back up this summer. 

So, on Memorial Day, I set out to complete the challenge. There have been a few times that I haven't been able to make it to the gym, so I'll have the girls ride their bikes while I try to keep up! 

And, I finally completed 3 miles on the elliptical the other day!

So far, I've only  missed one day.... I wasn't feeling well on Saturday. But, I've tried to make up the miles on the other days. 

I also started this challenge the same day, but I failed on Day 5.... I plan on picking this back up tomorrow. 

I also had a friend share this Squat Challenge on Instagram, but I haven't started it yet. 

I like to screenshot these, and then use the markup tool on my iphone to cross off the days I've completed. 

A few of my favorite workouts include:

kettle bell squats

leg raises with kettle bells

lat pull down

row machine

row weights

tricep dips (which I use to hate, but I'm getting stronger and enjoy them now)

ballet squats (inner thighs)

leg press

calf raises

Okay, your turn! Share a few of your favorite workouts in the comments below! 

You can also follow my fitness journey on Instagram by searching #weltefitnesschallenge, or you can find my favorite fitness pins on my Pinterest board. 

Weekend Wrap Up: Little Girls Week & Camp Gee

Last week, Gretchen was at my mom's so we had a "little girls week" which was pretty fabulous! 

I have to be a little honest here- two kids are so much easier than three! I mean, our transition from 1 to 2 kids was difficult when they were babies, and the transition from 2 to 3 was easier then, but now 2 kids that are somewhat independent is so much easier than 3 kids that are somewhat independent! 

I really enjoyed my week with the little girls, and there was pretty much zero fighting since they get along so well! 

We started off our week with a Sister Sleepover!!! 

The girls were pumped and fell asleep quickly after our trip to the lake. 

We went to the gym, ran errands, did some shopping, and relaxed at home....... 

Megan had some money from her birthday, so we headed to Target so she could pick out a new toy! 

And we came home with not one, but TWO Baby Alive's!

Is anyone else's child obsessed with Baby Alive???

And Adalyn broke open her piggy bank and bought a carseat for her babies!

Later that evening, DJ, Adalyn, and I were babysitting Megan's new dolls, while she was.... 

riding her new bicycle. 

Wednesday we had the laziest day ever! 

Megan hurt her leg over the weekend (just a scrape) but it was like "the worst thing ever" so we stayed home and cuddled. 

When your 3 year old picks out her outfit....... Adalyn loves wearing skirts !

And later that evening, I went on a run with two little girls pedaling their bicycles beside me. 

After our stay home day on Wednesday, I was itching to get out of the house again. So, we headed to the zoo! 

We ended up purchasing a family membership, so we'll have lots of zoo trips in our future! 

Our first stop was to the chimpanzee exhibit, and you guys, this chimp literally jumped in to the window, which scared the girls, but it was funny because the chimp was watching us watching him. And, I'm not sure about y'all, but as I get older, it breaks my heart that these animals are locked in to cages. 

We watched the chimpanzee's forever. 

and then measured ourselves against the chimpanzees. 

We saw the bear. 

And the girls absolutely loved seeing the geese out. 

We brought a picnic lunch, and afterwards, we headed to see the penguins and sea lions. 

Megan was a HUGE helper! She wanted to push the stroller that we rented because Adalyn's legs "were too tired" to walk. 

We saw the rhino's, and the giraffes, and headed home after seeing the elephants! 

On Friday, we enjoyed our first pool day, which I ended up getting zero pictures of! 

While we were having a little girls week, Gretchen was at "Camp Gee."

She had the best time spending the week with my mom!

They picked blueberries and went to the farmer's market.

 And my mom taught Gretchen how to snap green beans. 

And they baked a ton!!! They made cookies, cake, scones, and more!

I know that Gretchen loved having some special time with just her and Gee!

This week, we're all under the same roof, and I'm planning on keeping the girls busy so they don't drive each other (and me) crazy!