Thirteen Thursday

I'm getting calls and texts asking me more about what I've learned in this 30 day challenge I'm doing, so I've compiled some things to share for today's Thirteen Thursday.  {I am by no means an expert...I'm only in the very beginning of this lifestyle change!}

1. Drink a lot of water!  Figure out how many time you'd need to refill your water bottle to get at least 100 oz a day and keep track of it.  For me, I have a dry erase board on my fridge and I keep a tally of how many times I refill it so I make sure to get to five.

2. Adding in weights to my workout routine has made me feel so much stronger in just a few weeks.  Marta (the fitness trainer) wanted us to lift four days a week, so I've used my 10lb weights at home and used the machines at the fitness center for doing things I can't do at home, like my back and legs.

3. Use a program like My Fitness Pal to track your calories.  Realizing portion sizes and exactly how many calories you're taking in is eye opening.

4. You have to think outside the bread :)  I used to eat a lot of wheat apparently.  Now some favorite meals for me are:
Breakfast: Eggs with turkey sausage or Chex cereal (gluten free) with almond milk
Lunch: Nitrate/Nitrite free lunchmeat with hummus rolled up, bell peppers, and fruit or a salad with chicken breast and salsa as my dressing
Snacks: Smoothie with almond milk, a banana, a tbsp of peanut butter and a small handful of spinach (I promise, it doesn't add any taste...just the nutritional value!), carrots with hummus, an apple with peanut butter
Dinner: Turkey burgers (without a bun) and sweet potatoes, chicken fajitas with corn tortillas and rice and beans, or fried rice (using brown rice and lots of veggies)

5. The more you have something, the more likely you are to grow to enjoy it!  We tell the kids that all the time.  The first day I put almond milk in my coffee instead of creamer, I was choking it down.  By the end of the first two weeks, I could easily tolerate it.  I bought peanuts as a snack because it was on her recommended list even though I hate nuts.  I don't love them still, but can get through a small handful to get some good protein and fat in me without making a face now.

6. Find blogs or groups on Facebook that inspire you and educate you.  I really am loving all the sisters at www.fourfitsisters.com.  Marta is the one doing our fitness challenge, but they all do a little variation of it.  Check the blog to find out more about their next ones!  Definitely worth the $30 I paid for this challenge.

7. Drink a large glass of room temperature-warm water with juice from half a lemon as soon as you wake up.  It helps get your metabolism up, as well as gives you a boost of vitamin C and is supposed to help clear your skin, too!

8. Wear a heart rate monitor when you're working out.  I just got a new one and I love wearing it because it is motivating to see the number go up as you're working out.  Sometimes I'll be close to the end of my workout but I'll see I'm at like 268 calories burned and I'll push myself longer so I can get to 300.

9. Skinnytaste.com is one of my favorite websites to get recipes from!

10. Make a Motivation Board.  For me, it's a chalkboard in our bathroom.  I track my weekly weigh-ins, write out what workouts I want to do for the week, have a picture of a bikini I'd love to buy, and add an inspiration quote to it.  I like that Jarrod can see it and can ask me about it - helps keep me accountable when he says, 'How was your ab class today?' etc.

11. Share your goals with someone.  Having a goal buddy is a great way to stay on track.

12. Take measurements and photos of yourself; don't rely on the scale.  Sometimes your body is changing but it isn't reflected on the scale.  Don't get discouraged.

13.  Remember - it's not a diet...it's a lifestyle that will help you get healthier, for yourself and your family!

Taking matters into my own hands

Just before we fell asleep on Friday evening, Jarrod hopped up to check the monitor because he thought he heard one of the kids.  I glanced over, and we quickly realized Gavin was throwing up all over the bed.  Fun stuff.  It was a long night, but by Saturday evening he seemed completely fine!

Sunday comes.  We run some errands and Gavin wants to go out to dinner.  He was obviously feeling better!  Mama Fu's and Yum Yos is always a family favorite here.  Fast forward to after 11pm when we jump out of bed again because Gavin's crying.  This time he has a fever and is coughing like he has croup.  Blah.  I set up camp on the couch and he and I sleep in the living room.  I kept him home from school this morning and while still coughing some, he otherwise seems ok.  Playing with his sister, wanting to eat, etc.  I know he needs to rest, I know he needs to nap!  He looks exhausted and goes in for his nap without arguing.  But, an hour later, he's still awake and wanting to know when he can wake up.  Um, not an option, dear.  You need sleep!  So...I took matters into my own hands.  Literally.  I picked him up and rocked my baby boy to sleep.  Gosh, I love this kid.

Nap {and Mommy!} for the win. 

~I hope he lets me rock him for a long time to come.~

 

Wordless Wednesday

{Taken by Riley}

On Ice!

We had such a great Sunday together as a family.  I just love our weekends...so many great memories made!  This weekend was no different.

First, we hopped in the car after lunch and drove around to look for some open houses.  We love to look at houses, but we don't do it often because it gives Jarrod ideas and all of a sudden he wants to buy a new house.  :)  Usually, we find a house that one of us loves and the other is just so-so about, but on Sunday, we found a house that we both LOVED!  Of course, we can't buy for close to two more years because of the short sale on our Ohio home AND this house was about 75,000 more than we can afford, but you know...we can dream!  It was gorgeous and it was right by Gavin's school.  That's one of my biggest dreams...to be able to walk the kids to school.  I'd LOVE that so much!

Back to the house - it had a gorgeous white kitchen....the more houses I look at the more I fall in love with light, white kitchens.  This house had more than enough room for us.  We most definitely wouldn't outgrow it - four bedrooms AND a gigantic bonus room.  I kept visualizing all the things we could put in that bonus room.  A sleeper sofa for guests with a big TV, all our toys, a sewing/craft station....  The laundry room had built in cubbies with hooks for coats and backpacks, plus a drawer we could use for each person's shoes.  Underneath the stairs was even a little place we could us for a storm shelter. As you can see, I've already moved in inside my head! 

After falling in love with the house, we surprised the kids with their first trip to the ice skating rink.  Unfortunately, the smallest skate size they had was a 9; Riley only wears a 6.  So, they wouldn't let her skate, but she was surprisingly ok with it and Gavin was excited to try it out, so we went!  They were so thoughtful though - they let us pay for one adult and Jarrod and I traded skates so we could each make a couple laps with him while the other entertained Riley. 

He wanted Daddy to go first...
 

 Considering Jarrod and I haven't been on ice skates since we were teenagers, getting back on them ourselves AND trying to help a very wobbly 5 year old was a little challenging.  But, they made a lap around the rink and after a short break, Gavin was ready to go out again!

I honestly thought Gavin would be ready to be done after one lap.  He kept saying it was hurting his hands when Jarrod was trying to hold him up, so he ended up grabbing hold of the side and walking himself around.  The have little walkers for the kids, but they were all being used so we had to make do without.  He really was enjoying it!

 

While Daddy was skating with Gavin, I chased this beauty around while she collected leaves and waved to Gavin through the glass.

Then, instead of saying he was done like I expected, Gavin was ready for me to join him on the ice.  As hard as it was for him, he really seemed to enjoy it!  And, it was nice that a walker got turned in and we were able to try one.  I'm excited for Riley to get bigger so we can go skating as a family (but that probably won't happen for another couple years).

Moving to 'Green'

Gavin ran up to me after school yesterday in the car line, just as he always does, giving me a big hug before hopping up into his seat.  As soon as we started to drive away, he started telling me about his day, how his teacher was gone and they had a new substitute, not his usual one, and she wasn't his 'favorite.'  My mind flashed back to the subs we had in our building - some were amazing, and some you wondered why they even applied to be a sub.  I braced myself, wondering if I was going to hear a story about the latter, but instead he told me that she moved him to green, but he got to go back to the parking lot later.  Of course, he 'couldn't remember' why he had to move to begin with, but I was just proud of him for telling me about it.  The other time he had to move out of the 'parking lot' he never told me; his teacher ended up telling me about it a week later.  So much like me...afraid to tell me because he didn't want to get in trouble or for me to be upset with him!

A few hours later, I got an email from his teacher.  Another teacher had told her he was upset during the day, and she just wanted to check on him.  I told Gavin she was asking about what happened and that I really needed him to remember why he had to move to green so I could tell his teacher what happened.  That's when he shared that he hadn't turned in his morning work on time.  So, I replied to Mrs. R's email and explained what happened, reassuring her that he was fine and no longer upset.  Her response made me smile and I wanted to document it.
"Gavin is such a sweet kid!  He is a clone of a kid I had that is now in 3rd grade.  Super sweet, kind to everyone, super smart, but sometimes takes forever to get work done!"


It's been the only thing we've heard all year that he needs to work on - using his time wisely and finishing tasks.  Our little perfectionist takes forever to do his work!

Learning a lot

Almost two weeks ago, I began a 30 day health/fitness challenge.  My reasoning was simple - I just wanted the motivation and accountability to get back on track and make sure I am in shape for Cancun in a few months.  I did NOT realize, however, that as part of the challenge, we'd be asked to go at least the first 14 days dairy and wheat free.  I thought she was crazy and I did not know how I was going to do it.  But now, 12 days in, I've learned so much. 

I don't want to continue to be dairy and wheat free.  That I know.... I miss my creamer in my coffee, I'm eager for a big pasta dinner with garlic bread, and I'm itching to bake something.  Anything!  But, I sure have realized why she wanted us to do this.  My stomach is flatter than it's ever been {well, since having kids, I should say!}.  The other night, we made lettuce wraps and I used Bayou Bourbon, as always.  I thought I was doing good because I skipped the noodles we serve on the side, but I didn't realize the sauce has wheat in it....and my stomach was so bloated that night.  Crazy.

Jarrod has welcomed some of the changes with me.  We're not eliminating both from our diet, but we both realize now that we should cut back a lot.  We're switching to almond milk, corn tortillas instead of flour (most of the time at least), skipping the cheese, etc.  We've tried new foods over the last two weeks - spaghetti squash and quinoa, to name a couple - and I've started drinking green tea more.  Little changes that will benefit us in the long run, for sure!

On top of the nutrition changes, I'm being held accountable for my workouts.  I started taking yoga (loved my first class!!) and lifting weights.  My heart rate monitor just died, but I'm excited to get a new one because watching the 'calories burned' increase during a workout is so motivating!  I definitely recommend everyone workout with one.

I weighed in at the beginning of the month so I could track my progress, as well as taking my before pictures and measurements.  I'm planning to do more pictures and measurements on Sunday, the end of my dairy/wheat free days, and then again at the end of the 30 days to see what kind of a difference I made in the course of the month, but as of this morning, I have lost 7.2 lbs this month!  Crazy to think that is almost half of what my goal was for the next three months.  Can't wait to buy myself a new bikini for the beaches of Cancun!

Thirteen Thursday

Another attempt to get me back into blogging regularly....bringing back Thirteen Thursday!

Thirteen Things on my To-Do list right now...

1. Organize TS stuff in  closet

2. Clean out the catch-all basket

3. Wipe down the blinds

4. Deliver food kits to Jen and Abbey

5. Send postcards

6. Finish sending team emails for this month

7. Start to tackle the toy room

8. Finish frames for bathroom

9. Make growth chart

10. Renew my license

11. Fill out survey paperwork to send back

12. Start compiling tax papers

13. Schedule Gavin's haircut

Wordless Wednesday

(Feeling nostalgic}

Talking with a Toddler

Looking through my blog books, I remembered some of the different 'series' ideas I once did on the blog, like Talking with a Toddler, where I shared lots of cute things Gavin once said.  I really want to start writing down things Riley says, because sometimes they're so funny.  So, let's start with this one that just happened... 

Me:  Riley, please go to your room to calm down and you can come out when you're happy.

Riley:  Don't tell me what to do mom.  You're making me very mad right now.

{Followed by her slamming her bedroom door...}

Time to get really worried about life in 12 years!  Yikes.

Bring it on, 2014!

2013 is over already?!?!?  Craziness, right there!  Seriously, time goes faster with every added year.  I can't believe it's been about 4 years since Jarrod was asked to come here to Arkansas.  Time can slow down now!  

This year had a lot of memories - visits with my family (including a surprise one from Megan and Kyle!), saying goodbye to all baby related items (no more crib or diapers), a big promotion for me (hello, Sr. Team Manager!), earning a trip to Cancun (hello, Cancun!!), visiting Dallas (first roadtrip in the van), saying goodbye to some of our most favorite people in the whole world (miss you, Amy!), meeting some amazing new friends (hey, other Amy, haha!), Gavin turned 5 (already?!?!), Riley turned 2 (what???), LOTS of sicknesses (stay away this year please), Gavin started kindergarten (and is doing SO well!), Gavin learned to read (making us proud), Riley developed a love of singing and all things princess (mostly Ariel and Cinderella), we became foster pet parents for Emma and Olivia (who knew I'd ever take care of a cat, right?), Jarrod and I still love each other more than ever after 7 years of marriage (and 17 years together!)....  See?  Filled with memories!

I know some people don't do or believe in resolutions, but I really enjoy making them.  It gives me an excuse to focus on things I want to do to be better, and for me, they're just goals.  Goal setting is huge for me...when I write a goal down, I'm more likely to work to make it happen.

My big ones this year:
1. Become a healthier person and role model for my kids - I want to eat 'cleaner' and workout more to be more physically fit.  Getting this started right away will also help me feel better about being bikini ready for our Cancun trip!

2. Spend less on our grocery budget - this one is going to be tough because after making that resolution, I started a 30 Day Health/Fitness challenge and went shopping for some recommended foods and spent a fortune!  So....not sure how this will work out.  But, I'm still going to try.  That means more price matching, more couponing and stockpiling of things I can get cheap, and more time with Jarrod talking about the budget.  If he does grocery shopping, our grocery bills always end up higher.

3. Be a gentler mom and raise my voice less.  I hate to admit it, but the yelling has increased around here thanks to constant bickering and fighting with the kids.  But, as soon as I raise my voice, I regret it and I don't want my kids to grow up thinking of me as a 'yeller.'  So this one is going to be big for me...and I WILL stick to it.

4. Call/text/FaceTime the people I love the most more often, including all the friends I miss so much!  We have awesome technology that let's me stay connected with them since we live so far away but I need to take advantage of it more.


On top of some resolutions, I love to make a 'bucket list' if you will.  I started with my 30 Things to Do While I'm 30 list and there's something really rewarding about crossing things off the list.  So, here's my list this year...14 things to do in 2014!

1. Road trip to Kansas City

2. Read 6+ books

3. Earn the consistency bonus every quarter with my business

4. Learn yoga

5. Run a 5K

6. Make DVDs of my Flip/iPhone videos
7. Overhaul my craft closet

8. Sew something for myself to wear

9. Promote to Team Mentor by the end of 2014
10. Redecorate the playroom

11. Paint something on canvas 
12. Create and implement an allowance system for Gavin
13. Have family photos taken
14. Surprise the kids with a trip somewhere

Date Night!

One more December post before I can move on to 2014...

It was a year ago when I took Gavin on our first mommy/son date to see a play at the Walton Arts Center, so I guess we've made a mommy/son date a December tradition because we headed out in mid-December to see another play this year.

This time, it was a play by the local children's theater, but as soon as I heard they were doing a Christmas performance of Junie B. Jones I knew I had to take my Bug.  We love reading those books together.  Of course, the play was the week of our big winter storm so I was nervous all week that we'd have to miss it, but luckily it was just a cold, rainy evening the night we went.

Despite being freezing, I made him take a quick pic with me before we headed in.  I hope I can steal kisses like this from him for a long time to come!

The play was really cute and we saw a few different friends there.  My favorite part was when he wanted to sit on my lap.... I just sat there taking it all in.  This little guy is growing up so fast and one day he won't fit in my lap anymore...

After our play, we stopped for frozen yogurt at a new(er) place in town.  We both agreed it wasn't our favorite.  Guess we'll just stick to Yum Yos!

 

We headed home rather late (8:30!!) and Gavin fell asleep in the car.  Another perk of mommy/son date night - I got to carry my sleeping boy into the house and lay him down for bed.  That's one way to melt mommy's heart!

 

Unlike last year, Riley was big enough to have a little daddy/daughter date of her own this year.  So, while we were gone, Daddy and Riley snuggled up with pajamas, popcorn and, of course, glass slippers on (just for Riley!) and watched Cinderella together.  Aren't they adorable? :)

Riley was so excited about her Cinderella date that she wore her glass slippers all day!

I'm looking forward to many more mommy/son and daddy/daughter dates in our future!

Santa came!

The first Christmas Eve sleepover was a success.  Gavin started waking up asking for water starting around 5am, and he made it til about 5:40 before he just couldn't take it any longer and wanted to come out.  So, by 5:50, we were all up and ready to see what Santa had brought!

 

I didn't take many pictures on Christmas morning.  We just enjoyed opening gifts and seeing all the exciting things the kids received from Santa.  Riley's big gift was a dollhouse and Gavin was surprised with lots of Legos and a new chair for his Lego table, among other things.

We made our homemade cinnamon rolls, which made a TON and were beyond delicious.  So so so good!  Here's the recipe I used: http://temptingthyme.com/2013/03/31/cake-batter-cinnamon-rolls/  and we used this idea for our frosting: http://servinguplove.blogspot.com/2013/10/serving-up-breakfast-cinnamon-roll.html?m=1

We decided to give the movie theater a shot and take Riley to her first movie.  On our way, we stopped by a fire station to deliver some of those cinnamon rolls because we surely didn't need to keep so many for ourselves!  We saw Frozen, and let me tell you, I think I loved it more than the kids!  I am excited about maybe making both of those things part of our new Christmas Day traditions - delivering cinnamon rolls and a family movie!

The rest of the day was spent playing with all our new toys, watching Christmas movies, and making pizzas.  So much fun and so many wonderful memories.  I love these little ones so much. <3 font="">

The holidays are over...

...time to document our memories!

I know some day I'll be so glad that I have these memories recorded, but I also love that I can share them with our family.  Being away from them at the holidays is tough.  As many of my friends and I have talked about, it's tough when you grow up and the desire to create your own traditions for your children means moving on from the traditions you've had with your own parents and siblings.  I miss my family terribly at Christmas time, but experiencing all the magic of Christmas with Gavin and Riley is what it's all about - baking cookies to leave out for Santa, sprinkling the yard with reindeer food, taking pictures in front of the tree....  I'm so thankful that we get to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in Ohio with our families so that we can make these memories I will treasure forever at Christmas time in our home. 

Christmas Eve Jarrod worked until about 2, so the kids and I decorated cookies for Santa early in the morning, made some new ornaments together, and got some prep work done for Christmas dinner.  Then it was time to get a picture of our two goofballs in front of the tree...you can tell how giddy Gavin was that it was finally Christmas Eve.  I couldn't get the kid to stop being silly!

As soon as Daddy arrived home from work, we posed with the self-timer for our annual Christmas tree picture.  I tried to do it while it was still light out to help with the lighting, but that kind of back fired and the right side of these pictures is a little blown out, but still cute!  I like the pose in the first one best, but it's a little out of focus.  Too bad I couldn't get Riley to put her boots back on for them because we're left looking at her socks in the second one.

Gavin prepared the reindeer food this year at school during his holiday party, so we headed out before dinner to sprinkle it all through the yard.  Definitely need to make sure Santa and his reindeer can find our house!

Considering how bedtime has been taking longer than usual most nights with little Miss Riley, we decided to skip nap on Christmas Eve so that she'd go down easily.  Well...that didn't work out as we had planned.

While we were prepping our amazing pork dinner, she fell asleep on the couch.  :)

 

After dinner and cleaning up the kitchen, it was into our jammies we went and time to open Christmas Eve presents.  We exchange all our gifts from each other on Christmas Eve night.

Gavin wanted to know why we couldn't open presents before dinner, as soon as Jarrod was home.  I had to explain to him that it was just part of the excitement of Christmas Eve!  When I was little, we always had to wait until super late to open gifts, giving everyone a chance to arrive.  Now that it's just the four of us, we don't have anyone we're waiting on, but it still feels like the appropriate way to do things....build up the anticipation all day! 

I always make sure the kids get each other a present.  Gavin really gets the idea of picking out a gift, but not Riley just yet.  I gave her two options and let her pick...obviously she did a good job with the Legos she picked out. 

Daddy gets at least one nutcracker every year, so of course I had to pick up this R2-D2 nutcracker I found at Hobby Lobby.  It's an appropriate addition to his collection.

We spent some time before bed playing with new toys!

Then it was time for a new tradition!  A couple days before Christmas Eve, Gavin asked if he could sleep with Riley.  I knew that could be a complete disaster, but I also thought it would be a really cute tradition for Christmas Eve.  So, I didn't let him that night he asked, but after we read The Night Before Christmas, they did get to have their sleepover for Christmas Eve!

By the time bedtime rolled around, Riley had gotten quite the second wind and was super giggly.  She kept bugging Gavin and it was quite comical to listen to over the monitor.  We heard a lot of 'Rileyyyyyy, stop!  I'm trying to sleep!'  All the while, I sat on the couch getting teary eyed thinking about how big they're getting!  I still can't believe it...

After the kids were in bed, it was time to prep cinnamon rolls for the next morning.  Usually Jarrod and I do this together, but we waited too long and he was exhausted so I did it on my own before crawling into bed around 11:30 while this beautiful tree awaited us...