What I've been up to

I've had bloggers block really bad lately. I just simply don't know what to post about and I don't want to bore you all with a bunch of randoms all the time..although that's probably what I'm about to do right now. There's been quite a bit going on around here so my mind hasn't been thinking about writing much.

Right at this very moment I'm sitting with my feet elevated because I stubbed my pinky toe on a training wheel while pushing my nephew on a battery powered chopper. How's that for a run on sentence!? I'm afraid it needs to be pulled & popped back out but I'm not touching it. Maybe by morning it'll be back to normal. 

Off to bed. I'll finish this in the AM.

Nope. I didn't get a visit from the fairy toe doctor... anyway here's what I've been up to lately besides working out.

Taking selfies with my salad. Because my sister needed proof that I do indeed eat and I'm not" anorexic".
(I'm getting really tired of salad though..)

More proof. I ate almost all of this burrito supreme yesterday. Then I swam my heart out in every effort to burn it off ;-)

Tried out the watermelon GU chews. Pretty tasty..although I don't recommend eating two within twenty minutes...oops. By the time I got to the gym my heart was fluttering a bit. Won't do that again. I tried a gel last week and it made me sick! I can't handle gooey nastiness before or during a workout .

I got a pedicure for the first time in forever. I'm sure you have that song in your head now. :-) my mother in law took me to the Milan Institute Beauty College and I'll be honest, I was nervous. And rightfully so... the girl that did my pedi was doing a good job until my mother in law pushed me to get "French tips". I agreed so the girl went and got the polish. She literally painted the whole tip of my toe! Skin included! I was screaming inside. The whole time I was thinking: get the French tips, she says! It'll be fun, she says!
So I kindly asked her to remove the white because it simply wasn't "me".

Watched the fam ride dirt bikes. Daniel is turning into such a stud! But I'm his mom so of course I think so. Kate finally asked to ride. I'm sure my dad was so proud.

We ended the week with a warm drive in the Stang. Old car, no AC, Windows down, just me and my boys.

So what have you been up to?

Weekly Review #3

Reviewing my third week of workouts already!? We'll, you know what they say: Time flies when you're having fun! ;-)

So, this past week my husband and I tested out the gym. I really enjoyed having all of the different machines to choose from and the option to swim. We live about ten minutes from the gym and I drive a truck that doesn't get very good gas mileage so I probably can't go more than 2-3 times a week. Which is fine because we have plenty of ways to get a good workout in at home.

Monday: 30 minute run, planks, leg exercises with resistance band & 50 calf raises.

Tuesday: First gym visit! Leg day! 12 minute warm up on treadmill, thigh machines (inner & outer thigh w/60#) leg press 80#, 10 minutes on cross trainer/elliptical)

Wednesday: Gym pool-45 minutes with the kiddies. I never realized how much swimming is a total body workout but I loved it and I'll probably spend most of my free 45 days in the pool.

Thursday: 15 minute warm up on treadmill, Bowflex- 100# leg press, 35 (each leg) prone leg curl 60#, 40 (each leg)  standing resisted leg kickbacks 60#, 50 sumo squats w/10#, planks.

Friday: Gym pool -45 minutes. I really enjoy swimming..I think I mentioned that already. I feel like I'm an ok swimmer but I probably look like I'm having a really hard time.. but that's ok because I'm usually by myself or with one or two other women. As long as I get a good workout, I don't care what I look like. Ok maybe I do a little.

Pinterest

Saturday: 43 minute run.

Sunday: Rest day. I really needed this rest day! My lower back has been so sore from swimming so I woke up today thankful it was a rest day!

I had a cheat meal today and it was worth every bite! My husband makes the best clam chowder and even though it was 102 degrees today, it still tasted great! I balanced it out with a salad so it didn't seem so unhealthy.

How was your week? 
Do you like to swim for fun or exercise? 
Do you have a "cheat meal" or treat every now and then? (I think it's important so that you don't feel restricted and end up over indulging)

Have an awesome week everyone! 

So this is what I've been missing out on

We received two 45 day certificates for In Shape City from my mother in law. We redeemed them the other day and I've gone twice so far.

I focused on my legs the first day and today I swam with the kids. I absolutely loved swimming! The kids were great and very respectful of others who wanted to do laps. (We went early so there was only two other people at different times.)

(I had a swimsuit on..underneath my running shirt and skirt ;-))


Now for some random stuff..

Monica @ RunEatRepeat got me craving icy drinks from Sonic. I got a diet green tea with mango. So refreshing!

I had a cheat meal on Monday..it was my first one in about two weeks. We went to the Hibachi Grill Buffet. (Chinese food) these sesame balls are my favorite "sweet treat" when having Chinese. I was good and only had two.
:-)
Confession: I'm usually not a nervous/anxious person but buffet's give me horrible anxiety! I turn into the biggest germaphobe!

My sister is planning her wedding (I'm her maid of honor :-D) and she wants us to hold "ridiculously large" flowers. I found this at Hobby Lobby..she said she loves it! I sent it as a joke... -_-
Whatever the bride-to-be wants!

How's your week going so far? 
Are you a "gym go-er"? 
Have you ever had a sesame ball? 

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!!

Weekly Review #2

It's hard to believe I'm posting my second weekly recap! I'm still going strong with the workouts and clean eating and I feel great!

I kind of got carried away with the collage making again... but it does make posting from my phone a lot easier.

Let's get started!

Monday: I was feeling a bit sluggish and this day happened to be the most humid day so far so I did a 20 minute walk/run on the treadmill. Followed by leg exercises with the resistance band and planks.

Tuesday: Insanity-Pure cardio + legs with resistance band.

Wednesday: 25 minute run + planks

So happy about my plank progress!

Thursday: Leg Day!
A combination of weighted squats, sumo squats and reverse "goddess" squats. + Resistance band workout.

If you follow me on Instagram you know where I got those sweet socks. :-)

Friday: 43 minute run! This was my longest run in a couple months! I think all the cross training is helping my endurance! Lots of foam rolling too!

Our distance is off on our treadmill so I'm not sure how far I ran but my "easy" pace is around 8:45-9 so I probably ran just over 4 miles.

Saturday:

Sunday: Rest/stretch & foam roll

Still going strong and looking forward to my third week! I haven't lost any weight according to the scale but I feel so much healthier. One thing I need to remember is that the number might go up if I'm adding weights to my workouts.. yes, I do struggle with the scale but I'm working on it..

I received my first prize the other day! I've never won anything so it was a nice surprise. Thanks Stephanie (CatLadyRuns) for adding in the GU samples!!

I hope everyone had a great week!
Tomorrow's a new day, let's make the most of it!

How was your week? 
Have you won anything online before?

Kids are peculiar creatures

Disclaimer: if you are not a parent and want to be some day, this post is not intended to scare you into never having kids. :-)

I've been a stay at home mom for almost 6 years. In those six years I have learned quite a few, um, interesting things about children, parenting and privacy. I've learned lots of other things but today's topic revolves around those three things.

You're probably wondering, "what the heck is she getting at?"

I'll tell you.

The first thing I want to talk about is privacy. The moment you become a parent, you no longer have what they call privacy. Example: your child is old enough to crawl and you place them in what you think is a "safe place" so you can run to the bathroom really quick, only to find this as soon as you sit down:

(Photo courtesy of Google)

Privacy is a funny thing. There's a trick to it too. I have found that if you want privacy, leave the door open. It's crazy, as soon as the door closes their supersonic hearing enables and they know you want to be alone. They instantly run to the door and bust in. If you lock the door you'll hear pounding, pushing and jiggling of the handle (and at times screaming) until you either let them in or you come out.
If you leave the door open, they don't even know you left the room (most of the time).
This is true about getting dressed as well. I have a ten year old boy so this isn't a good idea now but it works for my five year old daughter. If I need to get dressed, I have more privacy if I leave the door cracked, listening for footsteps, than if I were to close the door...forget about locking it. Locked door=madness.

Another peculiar thing about children is when they start saying "I'm bored!" It's like they time it or save it until they see that you've changed into your workout clothes to start saying, "I'm bored!"

I find myself begging them, "please just let me get through this 30 minute workout! I promise I'll play a game with you when I'm done." They say ok only to NEED something to drink while I'm holding a plank position, trying to beat yesterday's time. I squeeze out the words: just a minute! Then they stare at me like, is it really that hard to hold yourself up? -_-

(source I do not own this photo)

I don't think I could do that with a five year old...or a ten year old.

Let's talk about that supersonic hearing for a minute. As a parent, all you want from your child(ren) is for them to listen to you. Ok maybe that's not all you want but just go with it for a sec.

As they get older they seem to switch that supersonic hearing to selective hearing. They begin choosing what they hear and what they pretend not to hear. "Hey Dan, it's time to clean your room." .... no response, no movement. He just waits and hopes I'll go away and he'll continue to pretend he didn't hear me.

My husband and I have tested this theory of selective hearing.
He whispers, "spspspspsp ice cream" and both kids jump up and yell, "I want some ice cream!" They hear what they want to hear.

Another thing I've learned is: never tell them where you're planning to take them. But you can't say "it's a surprise" either. Just simply say, "get dressed and be ready to go in ten minutes, you'll find out when we get there."

The reason behind this? If you tell them where you're going, they will be so excited they will drive you nuts the whole way there by telling you everything they want to do and see and buy. If you let their minds wonder a bit, it keeps them quietly thinking about what's to come. (Usually)
Yes this has backfired on us a time or two because kids are kids and very unpredictable. But the less details the better!

I've also learned that your kids aren't the only ones learning. As parents we learn every day how to do things better, be more patient, and how to live in the moment. Kids are wonderful teachers.