….and the saga continues

Friday night we got an email saying “HOA Guy” was interested in making an offer.  We haven’t heard anything else from him.  “Late Low ballers” countered OUR counter with 2,000 less than our counter AND they want our fridge.  We had 4 showings Saturday and have one tonight at 5:30.  I am over it ya’ll.  That’s all I got to say about that.

P90 is going much better this week.  Jeremy and I did Kenpo X (I kept calling it Kempo…until I saw the DVD ) on Saturday morning.  I loved it!  It was so much fun!!!  I can’t wait to do it again.  I don’t think Jer feels the same…Yesterday was my second chest and back workout and I did much better this time.  My chest is still tight, my gluteus maximus is still pretty sore but over all I am feeling much better.  This morning I decided to do Plyo first thing before I ate breakfast.  Saturday I did Kenpo first thing and felt so much lighter and had more energy.  So I thought I would try PLYO on an empty tummy.  “They” say that cardio on an empty tummy burns more fat too so….that’s a plus.  It was MUCH easier today.  I didn’t peter out in the end.  I was able to complete most of the exercises, got super sweaty and burned about 100 more calories this week! 

My friend posted this on her Facebook today and I can’t stop laughing at it!

I am so in-love with this program.  Even though I am borrowing it right now, I am planning on buying one for myself.  I think it will be a great tool to use when I am training and counseling.  When your 11 year old says, “Mommy!  Look at your arms!”  “Let me see your abs…..MAN!”, you know the program is legit.

We were so busy this weekend & I wasn’t able to get all my food in but tried my best to stick to the plan.

Friday night I made some ground chicken with homemade taco seasoning.  I served it over 2 cups of spinach and 1 1/2 corn tortilla.

Saturday after Kenpo I made my protein shake, showered and then had to leave because of a showing, so I grabbed a protein bar.  This was DELICIOUS!!!!!  Love it.

Clif Builders Bar

I read that these are a good substitute for the P90X performance bars so I grabbed a couple to try.  Impressed!

Saturday afternoon I took L for a B&N/Ice Cream date.  We hung out looking at books & drinking coffee (don’t freak out…decaf/fat-free/white mocha for him) like hipsters for a few hours before heading to Braum’s for the best ice cream in the world.

He got Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I got Pineapple Almond fro-yo.  Probably the best thing ever……

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Aidan is my little workout buddy.  He hangs in there like a boss most of the time! Yesterday he was lifting this 15lb weight up over his head, making me super nervous!  He also did 40 “push-ups”.  More like 1-2-3-4-567891011123940!  Watch out Arnold!  I have a secret dream that he will be my actual workout/running buddy when he is grown up!

Today after PLYO I made my protein shake.

Later I had a snack of 1.5 oz. avocado, 1 cup cucumbers/carrots, 2 light cheese sticks and my daily vitamins.

about 30 min later……

A Luna protein bar.  YUMS

I am sort of off on my eating schedule today since I didn’t eat breakfast but I am sure I will make up for it later!!!

I have to get going so I can get the house “show ready” *eyeroll*.  I should be thankful for lots of traffic, but look, I am not.  I just want the Lowballers to accept that we aren’t going accept anything less than what we countered with!

On the bright side….I had a game changing conversation with Aidan’s preschool teacher on Sunday.  It was definitely a God thing that we ran into each other and had some time to talk.  What we talked about is possibly why we haven’t accepted an offer yet.

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Speaking of church….As I sat in the service a young lady and her little baby girl (~3 months?) sat a few aisles over and in front of me.  I kept looking at that sweet baby and thinking how beautiful it was to see a young woman holding her little baby.  My womb ached a little.  Then I went to volunteer in the nursery.  I held a crying baby for two hours and changed a poopie diaper….ache no more my friends, this kitchen is closed!!!!

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No Ray of Sunshine

I don’t know how to effectively express the frustration I feel over the selling of this house.  We have been SO close so many times.  Today we had two showings and one of them said they liked ours the best but are now considering building.  Will some one please stick a ^($*&%()#@#@$# fork in my eye now please?  I have had emotional break down after emotional break down, my stomach is in knots over the whole thing and I can’t sleep.  I can’t tell you how many times I have wanted to throw in the towel.  We came VERY close last week after the people wrote a %(*^*&#()%^& offer but backed out last minute……I just feel we are so close and can’t give up now……via

So……give up I shall not…….

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Maybe I will start asking Luke to use the force…..

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Dinner last night was REALLY good.

I picked up a frozen dinner at this little grocery store we like to go to called ALDI.

It’s really hit or miss there but they have a lot of natural foods and are super inexpensive because you bag your own groceries and have to use a quarter to get a basket.  When you return your basket, you get your quarter back.  It’s kind of fun.  What?  Hey….. I said I am a simple girl!

I ate the frozen dinner with some Wheat Thins and some chipotle hummus.  Later I had a  “no sugar added” (whatever that means) fudge pop for dessert.

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All I wanted to do today was lay in bed, watch T.V., read, sleep, watch T.V., sleep.  But no, at 7:30 am I get a phone call from the showing company requesting approval for an appointment at 11am.  I am so thankful we have lots of showings, but on the real…..I am REALLY over it.  Instead of being a complete sloth today I got my house show ready, got myself ready and we left for a few hours in the cold and rain.  Later we got a request for 3-4 so we ended up staying out all afternoon.  We went to Toys R Us to exchange some duplicate gifts, The Children’s Place for some new jeans and then AIDAN got a treat for being so good.  I will choose not to speak about Luke today.  Let’s just say 11 yr. old boys (well MY 11 yr. old boy) would rather clean toilets than go shopping for clothes.  I try to get them things while I am out by myself,  but because he has grown about a foot in the last 4 months, I am not ever sure of his size.  He pretty much hates me at this point in the day.  It’s ok….I have the power to withhold an Itouch until I feel like giving it back.  Right now…..NEVER.  He is darn lucky that Jeremy is the single most patient man IN THE WORLD…..that’s not an exaggeration either.

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Anyway……

Like I said my stomach has been in knots so I haven’t been the best example of a highly nutritious eater as of late…..

Breakfast

I got these for the boys but it’s the only thing that sounded good to me this morning.

Chobani Greek Yogurt bite in Raspberry with Dark Chocolate.  I added a serving of almonds.  It was superb!!!  I have been trying to avoid the Greek yogurts because they are so high in sugar but I love this smaller portion.   It was the perfect thing this morning.

I skipped lunch….don’t judge me…..but brought one of these for when my appetite returned later.

I am queen of the bars lately! This one was REALLY good!  Like a brownie!

Odwalla  Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar

After our horrific afternoon I needed a pick me up…..

A Starbucks Misto to make it all better.

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When I got home I got an itch to make homemade Lara Bars!

I used the recipe from DAMY for the pecan pie Larabar. For the other, I am proud to say I made my own creation and it wasn’t a complete mess.

Using the measurement rules from her site I put together the following:

Peanut Butter Pecan Larabars

1/3 cup pitted chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tbsp. natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

dash of cinnamon

dash of sea salt

Nutritional Info:

Makes 4 bars

170 calories; 13g carbs; 13g fat; 3g fibers; 10g sugars; 3 protein

I ate countless dates, almonds and pecans which was the best part of my experiment as well as tasting the end product.

I am about ready to call it a day.  After sleeping for about zero hours last night PLUS a nightmare…..I am exhausted. 

I thank the Lord for new days

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Returning to normal

Things seem to be returning to normal…. FINALLY!  After Luke getting a touch of the stomach bug and Jeremy coming down with some sort of nasty sinus thing….we are feeling better around here.  I am not going to lie and say I am just thankful we are all better, it could have been worse.  No, it freaking sucked.  We are not sickly people, we are never ever sick and we don’t do sick well.  That being said, I AM glad we are all better.  The sun even shined today and I wasn’t frozen to the core all day.  I am not a fan of the cold weather.  Not at all.  I would much rather it be 110.  Call me crazy…..when I was obese, I enjoyed the cold.  I would open windows when it was 45 degrees out, the colder the better.  Those days are long gone.   The sunshine was much needed today.

So I have gotten my appetite back somewhat, but when I do eat it’s some random thing at some random time.  The other morning I did make a bowl of oatmeal and didn’t get hungry again until later that afternoon.  I have been CRAVING fat & salt.  I can’t get enough peanut butter, almonds and peanuts.  I was craving chips and queso for days.  So, I hope to eat a little more regularly now and keep my goal of no more sugar.  I hate that I have started the New Year on such a crummy note.  But on the bright side, it can only get better!  I am looking forward to returning to my regular workouts next week when the boys finally go back to school!

Ah….oats, my trust old friends.

Being stuck at home for almost a week and a half, a crummy Christmas, no news on the house, everyone sick, not eating right or working out, and the dreary weather was starting to take it’s toll on me emotionally and mentally.  With a suggestion from my sweet Jeremy,  I took a Mommy’s Day Out on Wednesday. It was glorious!!!!!  First stop was the outlet mall.  I found a great deal on some new running shoes from Nike and an outfit from J Crew! Then I hit up my faves…..Marshall’s and Target.  There I found several other things that made me happy.  Shopping = Therapy.  I ended it with a mani/pedi which unfortunately I did not enjoy because she used some sort of lotion that got cold and I was sitting there literally shaking.  I am not sure she was too concerned because she kept laughing.  Brat.

Yesterday I did some serious grocery shopping since I hadn’t been since I went shopping for Christmas dinner!  Well, minus the trips for crackers and Gatorade.

TODAY…..Luke and I broke out of the sick house again and went on a date.  I had intended on taking both boys to a movie yesterday but Aidan reminded me he doesn’t like the movies because “It’s toooooo loud in there”.  Silly boy.  It’s true though, he isn’t a fan of the movies.  I think the theater we go to turns the sound up extra loud.  Why?

First we went to a matinee showing of Rise of the Guardians.

Rise of the Guardians

It was SO GOOD!  I loved it!

Then we fed my craving for chips and queso.

On The Border

We shared a bowl of queso and the lunch portion of the chicken fajitas.  It was perfect!

There was a Cold Stone Creamery right across the street AND I had a coupon!  I thought that was the perfect ending to our date.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!!

I got the “like it” size of sweet cream with snickers mixed in.

L got the “like it”size of chocolate cake batter with Butterfinger mixed in.

His was way better than mine.

We weren’t ready to go home just yet, so I drove him by a few houses that we are looking at, to see what he thought.  Then later while we were having a showing on our house, ALL of us went to look at the houses……We spoke with our realtor today and we just might be getting some good news tomorrow.  I am trying to not get too excited because this has happened before but this time seems to be different…so pray a little prayer for us!  I may or may not have had another complete and total come apart small emotional breakdown Wednesday night…..  I am SO ready to move on with my life!

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READ THIS!  SO good…..trust me it will happen to you.  You should be prepared.

How to be nice to food pushers – Fit Bottomed Girls

T’was a week before Christmas

and I am up to my ears in all things Christmas.  I wouldn’t change a thing but, it is SO important that I don’t get so caught up in the doing that I forget the whying….What?  I don’t know….

Anyway, I thought I would try to check in quickly….to catch up.  I should be wrapping presents. That was on my “to-do” list today and I haven’t gotten to it yet.  I’ve reached that point where I still have so much I didn’t get done today that I have decided to just give up and blog instead. I’ll try again tomorrow!   We’ll see how “quick” I can actually make this!!

So…..where do I start?

Tuesday

Tuesday was Luke’s first Orchestra concert.  I was so proud.  I mean, let’s be honest, they are 11 year olds who have been playing for 3 months. I was prepared to have my ears bleed.  But NO!  They were fantastic!!!  The 6th graders played Canon in D which is my all time favorite song probably EVER.  I was sold.  It made me want to go to a big time show.  I am trying to get Jer to buy tickets to the Dallas Symphony for us….like every show.  Isn’t that season tickets or something?  Yes please!

Aidan and The Giant Nutcracker.  He is obsessed with them.  Every time we see one it’s the same thing.  “Mommy!  A Nutcracker! LOOK!”  Plays with the handle, sticks his fingers in the mouth, pretends its eating him, laughs hysterically…..

After the concert we stopped at CFA for dinner.

Oh no, they don’t belong to each other AT ALL!

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Wednesday

Wednesday was our Date Day.  We finished up our Christmas shopping FINALLY! I don’t know how families with more than two children do it. Much respect. We had planned on going to see Silver Linings (Bradley Cooper? Yes please!) but the only showing was at 1:50 so that was a no-go.  We also ended up looking for a new desk….. for the office I will have eventually have…… in our new house…..when ever we actually sell our house!  Don’t get me started on that…..it will happen….it will happen….it will happen……

Lets change the subject and look at some cute things….

This little brat is too much.

He hates that cat…..but she sure does love him!

I was feeling a little sassy on my Date Day so I wore my “Sassy Pants”.  I rarely wear these.  I have to be in just the right mood to pull them off.

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Top and Sweater: Ross

Hot Pink Sassy Pants: Honestly I can’t remember the name but it’s a store in the mall.   It’s like Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe.

Boots: Payless

We ate lunch at Corner Bakery again and I got my special Starbucks treat.  Perfect Day with my love.

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Thursday

I don’t remember Thursday…..is that bad or what?

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Friday

Ugh, Friday….not a good day.  I woke up feeling absolutely terrible with a number of unrelated ailments that kept me in bed all day.  The only thing good about days like that are being able to catch up on some reading and Dr. Oz.  I was also glued to Fox News with tissues.  I was going to post that day but felt it was highly irrelevant.  I don’t even have words to describe how heartbroken I was.  I couldn’t keep my mind from going to those dark places that only a parent knows about.  It was all I could do to not walk….no run over to the school and get my kids.  I cried as I saw them walking up the steps and hugged them in a way I have never hugged them before.  There are so many opinions out there that I agree & disagree with to an extent.  But all I am going to say is God help us all.

This was Friday night.  If it weren’t for Jeremy saying nay, I would have had a slumber party with two little precious babies.  I didn’t want them even a foot from me.

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Saturday

I woke up Saturday morning with such a heavy HEAVY heart.  I was reminded of how I felt after 9-11.  I felt this vague sense of guilt as though I had an obligation to mourn with those who lost their children.  An obligation to watch the news for hours on end. To cry until I had no tears left.  But after reading a post by someone who I can’t remember now, I realized that I absolutely can not do that.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

I was reminded to lift those who mourn up to God in prayer, pray constantly for all those involved and to live my precious life not in mourning or in fear, but in love and in power and in self control.  We never ever know when will be our last moments here in this earth.

*******

After all that deep spiritual stuff,  I had some power shopping to do…..grocery shopping that is.  Am I the only who has a love hate relationship with grocery shopping?  I love a full pantry and fridge, but I hate actually going to get the stuff.

After grocery shopping pretty much all day,  I prepped some food for Jeremy to take to work this week.  Since he is gone for 15 hours a day, he has to pack a snack, lunch, snack and more snacks….actually they are small meals for most people.  He can stop drinking cokes and lose weight.  I have to basically eat spinach all day in order to lose .5 lb. Yes, I might hate him a little for that.  Anyway…..I was buying him frozen meals like Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisines….but it killed me inside a little each week to do that.  The man needs food, like real food, like a lot of food.  But he is also health conscience.  Therein lies the conundrum.  Healthy food with a lot of good fats and calories…..He is also on board with me to nix the sugar and excess carbs in our diet.  So during lunch on our Date Day we brainstormed and came up with the most obvious solution.  I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this before! I would make him homemade Lean Cuisines!!!!  I decided I would make a one dish each Saturday just for him to take for his lunches the next week.  When I make dinner for the family, we eat the leftovers until they are gone in order to stretch our grocery budget out.  So there are no leftovers for him to take to work.  I am thinking casseroles, a batch of veggies, brown rice, fish, chicken, turkey burgers ect.  Something that will make 3-4 servings.

This week I baked some fish with lemon pepper seasoning, roasted some frozen veggies and cooked up a batch of brown rice.

I packed them in some containers.  3 for the 3 days he works this week.

And stacked them in the fridge for easy access and visibility at 5am.

I felt 100% better about his fuel for the week.

I also made some “Quick Energy Bites” for him to replace his Clif Bars.

There are several variations of these all over the internet. I’ll post the one I use with my variations sometime this week!

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Sunday

So that brings us to today…..finally.  I woke up feeling pretty terrible with those same “ailments” as Friday.  I was feeling better on Saturday but they came back today.  I was scheduled to serve in the nursery this morning at church but I just couldn’t get myself together, let alone two children and the house picked up in case of a last minute showing.  So I had to call in.  I was so sad.  I SO look forward to my “baby fix” each week.  As the morning went on I started to feel better and got out and about this afternoon while The Boys were at a birthday party.  I went to the library in search for a particular book I have been wanting to read.  Couldn’t find it there so I went to Garden Ridge (I saw it there once) Target, Barnes & Noble, then Walmart.  I must REALLY want this book if I (person who would rather go to the dentist than be in a crowd of people) braved the mall 11 days before Christmas.  I couldn’t get in OR out of there!  Parking was MAD!  But….after all that, sadly I still can’t find my book.  Fortunately my mother-in-law has it!  Too bad she lives 300 miles away!  She is bringing it to me on Friday when they come for Christmas!

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Well, that took much longer than thought…..so alas I must bid you adieu….Hopefully it won’t be another week before I post again!

7 Stiches

The good thing about having 7 stiches on my hip is that I get to catch up on all my DVR’d shows, all the latest and greatest Pins, and all the health articles I have book-marked to read when I have time <—-(Never) The bad thing is, well, it hurts and I can’t really move around much.

But it’s gone and I am so thankful.  I get to go back in two weeks to have the stiches removed and then two weeks later so she can biopsy another spot that looks suspect.  I may or may not have held back a few tears.

If you live in the Arlington/Mansfield/Forth Worth area, Mansfield Dermatology is the place to go! Obviously, I highly recommend going in for a full body skin check!

So enough of that depressing stuff…..lets focus on the good!  TODAY is the “exciting news” meeting!  I can’t wait.

I also made two yummy things this week.  Unfortunately, my attempt at an “Aidan friendly” menu didn’t go over very well.

I don’t know what his deal is.

For the Frito Pie I really wanted to make homemade chili in a crock pot but I just didn’t have that kind of time this week.  So I just used canned chili.  We all (minus Aidan of course) loved the Frito Pie but it would be so much yummier and healthier with homemade chili.

I recreated my favorite meal right now. The Sweet Crisp Spinach Salad with Tomato Soup from Corner Bakery.  I have been eating this pretty much everyday!  Yesterday after my appointment, Jeremy picked up the real thing for me from the restaurant and I must say I think I did a good job of copy catting it!  I couldn’t find pomegranate vinaigrette so I used raspberry instead.  I really didn’t notice a difference.   I also added some honey roasted peanuts just because I thought it would be yummy.  The soup I made wasn’t good.  I won’t even talk about it…..

One of Luke’s favorite things to eat before Mommy went all health crazy was Bagel Bites.

I had a coupon for $1 off Bagel Bites and thought, hmmmm, well, they can’t be THAT bad for you.  Yeah….they are that bad (what’s in them anyway?) and WAY over priced.  So I thought I might be able to easily recreate them!  They aren’t perfectly clean but better than the frozen kind and they taste better too.  Luke helped me make them and thought we had made the best meal ever.  I forgot the veggies on the side but I don’t think anyone but me missed them!

Do you think Aidan liked these?

Surely he would….one of the few things he eats voluntarily is Little Caesar’s Pizza.

“These are yucky.”

Brat.

Amanda’s Pizza Bagels

100 calories per pizza

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

I split Mini Bagels (120 calories each) in half and topped them with 1 tablespoon pizza sauce, 1 tablespoon Italian Cheese Blend and 2 turkey pepperonis (quartered).

They were so delicious!!!

Yesterday afternoon I heard some beautiful music coming from somewhere in the house.  At first I thought it was a commercial or something.  It went on and on and then I thought wait….is Luke using his bow?  He’s only been plucking the strings and working on learning the parts of it so far.  I slowly got up and hobbled into the living room. I saw my sweet boy in the dining room doing this.

I know my nerves are shot right now but I may have gotten a little pheklempt!

He also brought his “graded papers” folder home yesterday.  There were 10 papers in the folder.  The top one was an 86 that his math teacher wrote a note on.  “We went over this in class?”  Which I found funny because I could just see her doing the same thing I do.  “Luke what is this?  You can do better than this.  I expect more from you.”   All the others were a perfect 100.  I may or may not have teared up a little then too.

As a parent, you do so much correcting and disciplining.  You feel like a big ol’ rotten meanie britches most of the time. You just want the best for your kids. Hearing him play the violin and seeing those 100’s was one of those rare & precious little gifts that comes along just when you need it most.   Little moments like these warm my heart like nothing else.  There is no better feeling in the world to me than seeing my boys do something they are proud of.

What I love about….

Luke:

He makes little gems like this.

Target:

They give away Starbucks K-Cups

The Rain:

That rainbows follow it.

I am SO grateful for my new BFF, my bodybugg.  I was incredibly hungry all day on Saturday.  Like every two hours hungry.  I knew it was coming at some point since last week seemed to be the one week out of the month that I am not ravenous.  I didn’t get the workout done on Saturday like I had planned so I didn’t have the extra calories to play with like I usually do. That’s where my new best friend came into play.  Since the Bodybugg measures calories burned, I was able to see how many calories I had burned at any given time and eat appropriately.  Without it….Saturday would have been a disaster.  Instead I remained in control the entire day.  I even ended up with a good size deficit and my hard work all week didn’t end up in the toilet.  Bodybugg fan for life!

Saturday afternoon I made a recipe form the latest issue of Taste of Home’s Healthy Cooking magazine.

It’s Pizza Pasta!

The guys ate it all weekend!  Minus Aidan…..that’s a blog post in itself…. He has become quite the picky eater and that is an understatement.  Frustration doesn’t even cover the feelings I have when I try to get him to eat.  I am forced to go against every belief I have when it comes to feeding my children…..I am becoming a short order cook and I hate that.  But the child is skin and bones and has lost weight he didn’t have to lose.  I have resorted to letting him eat peanut butter out of the jar because its fun for him…..and one of the only things he will eat voluntarily.  I am on the search for every tip, trick and recipe I can find for picky eaters, as well as encouragement that this too shall pass.

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I was sad to see the weekend go but was ready to get back to my beloved routine.

Breakfast:

Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt, 14 almonds and cinnamon.

I jogged for an hour in the park this morning.  It was lovely as usual!

My new favorite thing to have after a long workout is Vitamin Water.  It makes me feel so much better.

I also had an apple and some almonds a little later after a long shower.

Lunch was so yummy today!

Orowheat Sandwich Thin with ham, guacamole, and provolone cheese pressed in my Panini maker, carrots and more guacamole!

I better start meal planning for next week.  I am hoping to have Aidan search recipes with me.  Maybe, if I am lucky and he can sit still for 2 minutes, we will find something!

Good Luck to ME!

Dessert for Dinner? Yes please!

After Luke got his hair cut last night (isn’t he handsome?) we went to Carino’s for dessert.

Carino’s Italian Chocolate Cake (we shared of course)

This was my dinner last night.  I must say, eating dessert for dinner is the only way to go.  First of all, you are able to eat all the dessert instead of just a few bites because you are too full from dinner.  Secondly, you save calories by not eating dinner, only the dessert!  How’s that for some justification?

I think I will be having dessert for dinner at least once a month.  I was in SUGAR COMA after this.  But wow, was it worth it.

My snacks yesterday afternoon included a Clif Kid Z- Bar and two pieces of protein bread with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter.

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Today started early at 5am.  I was going to sleep in a little but our gym was having a “Family Fun” day so I wanted to be sure to get there earlier than I had planned.

Breakfast

I promise there is oatmeal under there!

After chores and getting ready we were off to see what all the fun was about.

There were local businesses there with free stuff galore.

My Cuties

Bounce Houses

I SERIOUSLY need one of these for my back yard.

There were two of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders there, but Luke refused to go anywhere near them. 

I MADE IT TO YOGA and it was glorious.

Minus the cramp I got doing this business….

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When we got home we surveyed all of the goodies we got!

Snacks

The Elf Grahams and the Post Great Grains cereal were snacks from the gym and I also had an orange at home.  The cookies and cereal were delicious!

Lunch

White corn tortillas, the soy crumble/tomato mixture from the Skinny Mexican Pizza and 1 tablespoon of cheese on top of each taco.

Dessert

Cinnamon Swirl Protein Bread w/ 1 tsp of peanut butter on top of each.

I got our mess cleaned up and laid down on the couch to read Catching Fire then proceeded to take a coma nap for 2 hours. It’s been a long week.   My children are so freaking perfect?  Oh no, they get to play video games as long as they are quiet.  It’s bribery at it’s finest!  Mother of the Year right here!

I need to spend what’s left of the day getting our clothes and stuff ready for church tomorrow and also getting a crock pot meal prepped so I can just throw it together in the morning!

Hope all are having a beautiful Saturday!

Finding Rhythm

As a new blogger I am trying different things (for lack of better terms) to “find my mojo” in the blogging world.  One is to find my rhythm.  I have said before that while I LOVE to share about fitness and nutrition, about my boys and life in general…it takes time and commitment.  Time away from my responsibilities, my other loves like my sweet boys, reading, quiet time, baking, cooking, working out.  Lately things seem to be a tad out of balance again.  I have spent the past two days catching up on things that have fallen by the wayside.…..So, in trying to find a new rhythm I am going to try posting in the afternoons instead of the mornings.  Mornings are …….chaotic.  Afternoons are……well less chaotic….for a few hours anyway.  So hopefully posting in the afternoons/evenings will work out better.  If not, I’ll try something else!

This evening,  I would like to catch up for yesterday and today and then hopefully by tomorrow I can start posting a little differently.

Yesterday

Breakfast

Coffee, Oats

Workout

Not gonna lie here, it totally sucked.  I did 15 on the treadmill, trying desperately to get my heart rate up.  Even did some crazy intervals….no go.    So I switched to the elliptical.  I was able to get a good burn on there but by that time I was just grumpy britches so I ended it at 15 mins.  I went over to the weights and had a much better time over there.

2 sets of 10 push-ups on toes

1 set of 10 push-ups in knees

2 sets of 25 bench dips

The shoulder part of my upper body workout

3 sets of 15 bicep curls w/ 8lb weights

Then I did my ab challenge and a stretch out.

Over all,  I think it was a good workout, but it didn’t FEEL like one.  I think I need to officially break up with my heart rate monitor.  We took a break a while ago but I think it needs to be official this time.  It’s ruining my workout mojo.  It was great while it lasted.  It REALLY helped me get over some humps and I would recommend the use of one to everyone,  but for me…..it’s time to go.  I really wanted that pink one too.  I’ll have to splurge on another fitness accessory instead….

Lunch

I made Hungry Girl’s White Pizza with Flatout flatbread.  It was SUPER yummy.  The only thing I didn’t like was that the bread didn’t get very crispy.   I could have rolled it up into a wrap, which would have been yummy as well, but not what I was going for.  I should have baked the bread for a while first to make it a little more crispy.

I had several snacks through the day.  An apple, orange, some protein bread, I think a of couple granola bars…..Snacky Day for sure.

Aidan and I planted some flowers and collected bugs…..*shiver*

It’s a start!  Hopefully the Texas sun won’t annihilate them.

Dinner was leftover baked ziti.

It was much better the second day!  Casseroles always are!

Today

Breakfast

I made my oats pretty much the same, just less of them.

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tsp. Jif natural peanut butter

1 tbsp. chia seed

sprinkle of cinnamon.

SO YUM!

Workout

BOB

It was hard, it was intense and once again my first thought was…

Today, I tried a few of the supplements I got over the weekend.

First was this

The name of it made me laugh.

Beast Mode by Beast Sports Nutrition was good!  I liked it a lot.  I don’t think it gave me that edge they speak of during the workout, Bob was hard as ever (TWSS).  I was feeling a little sluggish before I drank it. Then I had a big burst of energy and my mind was much more alert about 30 min after drinking it.  The flavor was yummy and fruity!  The only thing that was weird and I will have to find out why this was but, I had this pins and needles feeling in my face, hands and legs for a few hours.  Not pleasant.

After my workout I drank this

Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator

I was nervous since the last time I tried a Vega product, I was sadly disappointed.  But this was pretty good!  It was a bit grainy and earthy tasting but I poured it over ice and that made it better.  It reminded me of a V-8.  After today’s workout I was toast.  I drank this immediately after and it made me feel incredible!  I mopped the floors as well as vacuum plus a lot of other cleaning type stuff.  I did some mental tasks like ordering birth certificates,  finding coupons and recipes.  I haven’t felt the least bit tired physically or mentally today.  Both products seemed to have an appetite suppressing effect too.

I didn’t get hungry until around 1:30 so I grabbed a quick snack I could eat on the way to get Aidan from school.

Lunch Part I

Banana and 1 serving of Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds

That seemed to kick start my appetite and I was hungry for “lunch” around 2:30 when we got back.

Lunch Part 2

Turkey and Provolone Panini on a Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin.

Jamie’s bread + 1 tsp. PB.

Since I ate lunch pretty late I wasn’t very hungry for a big dinner.  I’d love to be able to eat most of my calories during the day then have a light dinner.  A new goal to work on I guess!

Dinner

Dannon Greek Yogurt with 1 serving of protein bread on top.

I am alarmed by the lack of vegetables in my diet the past several days.  I definitely need to work on that!

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Here are some interesting internet finds!

Take a Rest Day, or 2 – Greatist

Lose weight without losing your social life – Fitness Magazine.

I better go before my children burn the house down!

…..but one last thing….I found this while cleaning my sweet Luke’s room this afternoon.

We got him a little journal as one of his baptism gifts and this is what he is writing in it.   Not comics, or stories about beyblades or pokemons…..He is such a little thinker.  It’s hard to tell what’s going on in his mind most of the time as he is very introverted.  But times like this I am reminded that beneath that seemingly tough exterior is a soft vulnerable heart.  Precious boy.  God bless & keep Luke.

A Day to Remember

April 18th 2012 will be a day my little family will always remember.  It was a glorious and beautiful Spring day.

I got my 5 mile run in and stopped to smell the roses bluebonnets along the way.  Then I did the Tone it Up Girls Lean Arms Pyramid and a long stretching session.

My breakfast, snack and lunch were the exact same as Tuesday.  I’ll spare the documentation….ya seen one bowl of oatmeal, apple, orange, protein bar, and smoothie, ya seen ‘em all!

I received two coupons for a free Zone Perfect Bar in the mail so I picked them up while grocery shopping yesterday.  My smoothie kept me satiated for quite a while but I was getting hungry again.   I knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat dinner until well after 7:30 maybe even 8pm.  This little bar was perfect.  I ate it on the way home from the store, around 4:45, and I was surprised that it held me over all the way until I was able to eat dinner.  It was really tasty.  It really tasted like a candy bar to me, except not addictively sweet and hyper-palatable.  The Zone Diet works by having you eat a balance of carbs-fat-protein so that you decrease cellular inflammation, which it says is why we are fat.  It claims that by eating this “perfect” equation you will not get hungry for hours.   While I don’t endorse the diet by any means, I do endorse these little bars!  Yummmmm.  The bars claim to have the perfect carbs-fat-protein ratio making it the perfect “Zone” mini-meal.   It WAS the perfect mini-meal!    It kept my hunger at bay for several hours.  This would not be the case if I had chosen a Larabar or a Luna Bar.  I would have been ravenous within two hours. 

Zone Perfect Chocolate Caramel Cluster

We were off to church pretty much as soon as I got home and got the groceries put away.  It was a big night.

There are moments in my life that I will remember forever. I will always have a vivid image of those moments. The moment I felt the warmth of my first son born after he was delivered.  The first moment I laid eyes on the 19 year old kid I’d spend the rest of my life with, hanging up cell phone accessories in Circuit City.  The moment in the Bellagio Chapel when he promised me he would never leave me, for better or for worse. The hard moments. The moment Jeremy sat at the edge of our bed and told me his brother had been killed.  The moment I watched my 2 week old baby boy being wheeled through the double doors of the hospital for surgery.

And this moment

On April 18th 2012 my son Luke accepted Jesus into his heart and was baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The story on how this came to be can only be described as a total God thing.  There are times in our lives when we just rely on pure faith that the Lord is working for our good.  You don’t always feel it, it’s not always tangible, it’s not always this ooey gooey feeling of peace and love and joy.  Most of the time it’s like “Um, hello???? God, are you even there?  Can’t you see I need a little help?”  But then…..there are moments when He reveals Himself in such a magnificent way, you can’t believe you ever doubted his presence.  Times when He works in your life specifically to strengthen your faith.

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Times you are reminded that He is sovereign.

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We stopped by our favorite, Chick-Fil-A, for dinner and I got something I have never tried before.

The Chargrilled & Fruit Salad

This was SO yummy!  I am pretty sure this will be my new usual.  I used the Berry Vinaigrette, and it was good, but next time I will get the fat free honey mustard I normally have.

I ate all the yummy stuff off and left the nutritious stuff like a 5 yr. old. What? I was full!

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Today is DATE DAY!   I We have a few things planned.  Starbucks. The Container Store, for those items I can’t stop thinking about.  Lifeway & B&N for a baptism gift for Luke.  Lunch, not sure where & of course, Pinkberry.  Maybe I will be able to dragggggggg Jeremy into Ulta for some Mother’s Day help and to pick up a free gift with the coupon they sent me because I spent too much money a certain dollar amount in there over the last few months.

“There is no such thing as natural beauty” – Truvy

Betcha couldn’t have guessed this is my favorite movie of ALL TIME.  I have watched it hundreds if not thousands of times (<—— Blatant lie) and will never ever tire of it.  It’s the only movie I can quote word for word and also use the dialogue from pretty much daily……However, I either turn it off or fast forward right before Shelby collapses on the back porch.  I just can’t take it.  I will sob every.single.time.

Questions of the day:

What moments (good or bad) are ingrained in your life?

What movie can you quote line for line?

Blogging Vacation

The past weekend was lovely!  I loved spending time with my family.  They live so far away and we rarely get to visit anymore because of crazy schedules and the fact that we are 5 hrs. away from them.  I envy people who live close to their families….. Count yourselves lucky ok?!

By the time the weekend was over I realized I was so unplugged, enjoying my time with them, that I did not take a single picture!  I love blogging.  It is such a creative outlet for me and a space where I can go on and on about healthy living and nutrition, without making my friends and family crazy!  With that said, it was very nice to have a little break.

If I was in Blogger Mode this weekend, you would have lovely pictures of the following:

Friday:

The arrival of my Sister-in-Love and my Mother-in-Love

The Soup I made Friday, which they LOVED and asked for the recipe.  I must say it was pretty good.  I sunk the chicken down into the mixture this time and it made for a much more flavorful and moist chicken.

The Easter cupcakes I saved from last week for dessert.

Saturday:

Strawberry Muffins & coffee at breakfast, sandwiches and chips for lunch.

Aidan’s last soccer game and the unbelievable wind that came along with it.  I teased the girls that they brought the West Texas wind to Dallas!

My first trip to The Container Store.

Oh my word was this a place of glory!

I only bought a few items, but will be going back this week for more items that will make my life all the better!

Gala (MIL) and I were talking while I was getting ready and I proposed to her a girls-only trip to The Container Store and Pinkberry.  She was ALL for it.  I told her I had been wanting to go, but there was no way on God’s green earth I was taking the boys, nor would I make Jeremy endure the unspeakable torture of looking at endless items of organization.  After going and knowing that he is almost as twisted as I am about things being neat and clean, I think he may actually enjoy it.  It’s really not as big as I had thought so we are going to spend our Date Day stop in on Thursday after lunch.

My first trip to Pinkberry where I got the salted caramel and chocolate swirl with toasted almonds, brownie bites and cinnamon streusel toppings.  I took one bite and then before I knew it, it was all gone.  It was so incredibly flavorful and creamy.  The flavor was intense and the toppings were fresh and very homemade tasting.   I immediately informed J that this was our destination for our next date!  I think I may have become a frozen yogurt snob after that trip.  Regular Fro-Yo will never taste the same again.

We picked up some pizza for dinner Saturday night.  I wasn’t hungry after my yogurt so I skipped dinner and had an apple and an orange a few hours later.

Sunday:

My family left early and I planned on going to church.  I left my umbrella in Jeremy’s car and as we were about to leave, it started pouring down rain.  We tried to go to the last service but it was still raining.

We spent the rest of the afternoon going to various stores including Ulta, which they actually enjoyed!  I was quite nervous but they liked helping me pick out a new scent.

Then we went to T.J. Maxx and Barnes & Noble.  They bought a few books and Aidan, that kid, let me tell you is the sweetest thing.  He had already picked out several books when I found my favorite book from when I was a little girl.

Miss Nelson is Missing

I said “Oh Aidan look!  This was one of my absolute favorites when I was little!”  He looked at it, and then looked at his collection of books.  He said, “Ok, I will put back Curious George and we can get this one.” I said “Oh A.J. why?”  His response,  “Because it was your favorite!”  I swear, he melts me to the core.  He wanted me to read it to him that very night and I think it might be one of his new favorites too!

You also won’t see a picture of the argument Luke and I had over the books he wanted to buy or a picture of Aidan being Aidan, falling over and knocking a book out of a nice gentlemen’s hand who was passing by.

You won’t see the migraine I began to get from listening to the bickering and arguing between those two little cherubs and you won’t see a picture of the 50% off Easter candy I bought and ate out of stress.  It wasn’t my finest moment.

Luke asked me why I bought the candy.  I said “because ya’ll are stressin a sistah out!”  Ever the gentleman and polite, he said “I’m sorry we got into an argument at Barnes & Noble, but thank you for the candy.”    I said, “It’s ok and you’re welcome, but please let this be an example of what not to do when you are stressed out, M’Kay?”  “Ok.”

Last night I purged the pantry and freezer of all things sweet, salty and crunchy.   Of anything I felt could be a trigger food.  Most of it ended up in Jeremy’s lunch box since the man can’t seem to gain weight even when he tries.  True story.  I have got to refocus or my size 4’s are going to be busting at the seams. I have definitely been eating past the point of comfortable over the past few weeks and I am not sure why.  I think I have been stressed out and falling back into old habits.  They die hard ya’ know?  The number one principal in intuitive eating is to honor your hunger but ALSO and more importantly respect your fullness.  It’s ok to throw half your plate of food in the trash or put it away for later.   This will ALWAYS be a battle for me.  I am so thankful that I am fully aware of what it takes to stay healthy and on track.  So if you notice I am a little more strict in what I am eating and I am kicking the exercise up a notch, just realize I am in full DAMAGE CONTROL!

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My goals for the week:

Seriously stay away from the sweets.  On the REAL this time.

Make working out a priority, everyday this week.

Do yoga one of those days.

Drink at least 64 oz. of water each day.

Go to church Wednesday night.

Meal plan for next week, trying at least two new recipes.

Sleep.

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“When I slipped up, I pulled myself together, and got right back on track”