Thoughts for Tuesday

I got my favorite subscription box last week:

I thought this was one of the best boxes yet (I may say that every time?!)  Again, they're about $50 for a box and over $200 worth of goodies to try and they're usually full sized items, not cheesy little samples!

Temp. Tattoos--I saw these floating around the web and thought they look kinda fun, for summer time. I have no desire for a real tattoo, but I thought these shiny things would be cool and now I get to try them!

Coasters--they are totally my style and really adorable [Paris, London, yes!]  We actually needed more, so that's a win!

Pilates DVDs--I haven't tried them yet, but I am excited to!  3 levels and we all know how I love my at home workouts.

Fancy scarf--I would NEVER pay $42 for a scarf normally, so to get this was a treat! I also go to choose mine since I paid up front the VIP for the year; I went with Watercolor.  It's light weight and will add a pop of fun to any outfit!

Nail treatment and polish- Super pretty, haven't tried it yet, but I will!

Age defying serum--Mama will take any help in the 'stay looking young forever' department!

Makeup brushes--can't have enough of those! They seem to be high quality too.

Snack popcorn--I'll try it after my cleanse.

$40 to Hello Fresh, another food delivery service. I was doing Blue Apron but wanted to get back to my own cooking. I may use this to try this summer

Basil seed--I am a huge cook, so I am probably overly excited about a basil plant.  I run through it like crazy in the summer with all of our meals!  I'll have hubby help with start it since I have a brown thumb.

 Mr Bubs is doing really well--no paparazzi please!

It's rare you will see him without socks on his hands.  Even though I clip his nails, he is always scratching his face if I don't keep those things covered! Of course, then he sucks on them and they quickly become stinky. Oh baby boy, I love you so.

Brookie's Easter shoes---size 9.  She has her mama's feet.

I don't know why, but this is what she does now. Instead of running around for nudey dudey time, she will run around with her minnie towel and say, "It's cold" and ball up on the floor. Kills me.

Sunday she wanted to lay on me and cuddle. Say what?! I don't think she's laid like that since she was Bradley's age, which very well may be why she wanted to lay with me. #jealous  I'll take it!

Rumor has it that the weather may be in the 60's Thursday, but rainy…but if I could crack a window, I will be so happy! I know I sound like a broken record, but bring on the warmth!!  

Happy Tuesday!

Workout & Cleanse Update

I saw this image back when I was a big ol' whale of a pregnant woman.  I loved it and couldn't wait to birth a healthy babe and be able to start really working out again.  So far, so good!

My cleanse is going well [day 7 today!] I haven't stepped on a scale or measured, but I feel a lot tighter and have more energy.  I swear my spare tire is deflated by the minute. My jeans don't fit yet, but I will get there. I am definitely treating this as a marathon and not a sprint.  My overall goal is to just be healthy and fit again like I was prior to pregnancy, and it took me a few months to really get into a nice smooth groove.  Nothing like that happens over night, so I try to stay positive and not get discouraged.  I also haven't been 100% perfect with my clean eating, but the main things for me have been no wine (alcohol) no processed foods, and no sweets -- I have also tightened the reigns on my snacking, and have kept it to 6 small meals a day.

Avo & eggs why you so good?!  Love this combo in the am. I have a small frying pan [so what it may be missing its handle; it's the perfect size!] and I crack one egg and pour some egg whites in there.

Workouts:
(Still sticking to the T 25 calendar)

Monday-Cardio
Tuesday- Total Body Circuit
Weds- Speed 1.0
Thursday- Cardio--but I did Zumba w/ Brooke

Friday- I took a rest day, as my body was spent.  My ankle started hurting a bit..
Saturday- Lower Focus

I won't lie, it was a struggle to put this one down and actual do the workout. But I did!

I was lazy and didn't feel like putting on workout pants, and I won't do that again.  These had no stretch.  But I did get my workout in.   And the muffin top is still present, but I'm working on it!

Sunday- Stretch day

 I have done some super light stretching, but my ankle is KILLING me.  It hurts the most when I am walking down the stairs, so I have been instructed to do the RICE method from my friend Ann who coached a lot.  The ice helps and I just bought a compression band that seems to be helping.  I am going to try and wear my sneakers inside (instead of barefoot) and rest as much as possible which is nearly impossible with a 2 year old and a 2 month old.  So I'm hoping to wake up with no pain tomorrow--please! 

So I figured I'd catch up on a blog while watching my current obsession PLL.  It's a bad bad addiction and I am not proud of it, but I just can't get enough! It's bad because it's on Netflix so I can watch it on the phone, on the iPad, on the computer…#ooc  I swear, if the weather would just warm up I could kick this show watching problem haha!

Thoughts for Thursday

Well, here we are in March and guess what?  It's snowing!! Not only is it snowing, it is sticking.  I seriously just want to feel the sun, the hot burning sun, on my face!!

#diesnow



It's making me so depressed!! Ok not like clinically depressed, but enough to where I am going to fake and bake…before anyone freaks out on me, I don't plan on going in and coming out like a lobster. I'm talking like, 3-4 minutes just to feel warmth in my bones.  We usually get a day here or there, but I don't think we have had a warm (above 55 degrees) day since like November.  Maybe even October??  I dunno.  But this girl aka "summer girl" needs some vitamin D pronto.



No joke, I sent my husband an article about the importance of vitamin D and he responded with a quote from Travelocity for a weekend trip to the Bahamas. Bless his heart!! We wouldn't be able to swing it until the first weekend in May, and by then I am hoping it will be warmer and that's mother's day anyway.  But the fact that he flat out would just whisk me away?  I heart him.  Very. Very. Much.

We were face timing and the screen was all weird and pixel-like:



I was just reading Brooke some Easter books before nap time and he was on his way to meet with some  potential new clients---for his new biz he is starting up. I am just beyond scared, excited, thrilled, and proud.  He works so very hard and has always had big dreams and huge ambitions; I have a feeling we will soon be closer to what we envision for our family and that is pretty awesome!

Meanwhile, I'm wiping butts and the only real "outing" was to the Pediatricians for Mr. B's 2 month checkup.  All is well!! Yayyyyy for this amazing formula to help our baby boy grow, thrive and be well.

I have stuck to my Focus T-25 workout calendar daily---today is cardio, so I think I'm going to try this instead of the cardio dvd it came with because, well Zumba.  It's my favorite. It came in my Fab Fit Fun box for the winter and being super prego, I held off on it.  So I may just give it a whirl!

We are getting our Easter on up in here.  This was the sensory bin for April.  But, Brooke jacked all her toys out of it and I can't tell her no because they're hers!! The last few years all the grandparents spoil her (rightfully so) and I tucked them into a bin for this time of year.  Hooray--I don't know what made me do that, but it was damn smart of me!!  I am so looking forward to family time next Sunday and getting everyone all dressed up in their "Easter best"----awwww.

I got these new oils this month.  Deep Relief = my new favorite.  Since I am pretty sore all the time, this is incredible. My neck gets stiff from carrying the babes or even falling asleep in the glider with the baby.  Lavender is one of my favorite scents and I heard wonderful things about the calming effect of Cedarwood.  We are oily lovers for sure!

In other oily news---these are SOOOOOO darn good!! I am good friends with a TS consultant and she actually shared with me this incredible opportunity to sign up basically as a member and receive a 20% discount until June.  They just launched their Eat Well line and I am hooked---the avocado oil is so mild and wonderful to cook with at a high temp. I used it on my chicken tacos the other night!  I am dreaming of hot weather (duh) and grilling some peaches out back and drizzling these vinegars all over them with a little bit of feta and basil?!  YES please.  I love being in the kitchen and cooking up new/easy/healthy meals for my family.  We don't get out to eat much because, let's be real. A 2 month old and a 2 year old are not the best dinner guests!! ;) So I thought this would be fun to try out some new flavas in the kitchen.

So there ya have it; a pretty random post but that's what popping through my head!! I may have to convince hubby, which won't take much I'm sure, to have some fires over the weekend in our fireplace, since it's gonna be in the thirties.  I know Summer will be here before I know it, but man, I am r-e-a-d-y

Happy Thursday!

Cleanse {Starting Stats}

Some motivation:

I'm letting it all hang out here. Ok not really, but I'm going to be pretty open and honest with my stats.  Why? I hope to inspire someone and I know that I will never be this weight again! [unless by some crazy chance we conceive a third child, but I reallllllly don't see that happening!]  SO as unhappy that my jeans still don't fit, I am not having a pity party--I am taking my health back and getting back on track.  This is what I look like when I don't eat "clean" 80% of the time, don't take products, and don't workout.

9 weeks postpartum, boy my belly just loves hanging onto that baby fat.  And my booty needs some lifting--thank goodness for all the squats!  Crazy thing, is I know I've weighed 155 before I've had kids--but my body did not look like this.  Obviously.  Either way, this is not a happy weight, even though I've already lost 40 pounds of baby weight, I know my body feels best (and fits into clothes nicely) in the 140s.  Before I got pregnant I was 137.  It didn't happen in one challenge--it took several and lots of months of working out, eating well and staying on products.

bust 39
waist 40.5
hips 41
left thigh 23
right thigh 23
right calf 14.5
left calf 14.5
left bicep 12
right bicep 12
neck 12.5 {yes, my neck. I swear I will lose weight there! ha}

Wake up 7:30: Spark, Catty
8:00 Fiber drink and a glass of water

Meal 1:
2eggs w/ spinach and salt free seasoning & fruit

Meal #2: Apple with PB (no pic)
Meal #3: Lettuce wrap w/ shredded pork (no sauce) avocado & brown rice (no pic)
Meal #4: Protein Shake after workout
Meal #5:  Superfood Turkey Meatballs I ate 3 [tricky on mondays/wednesdays because Joe works until 8 and I get hungry around 5/6, so I need to eat something!]

Recipe:
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbs flaxseed
1 tbs low sodium soy sauce (or aminos)
1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
Seasonings--you could use anything really, onion/garlic powder or Mrs. Dash
I personally used Onion Onion and Garlic Garlic from Tastefully Simple {about 2 tbs each, or capful}

Bake for 30 minutes at 350

Brooke loves them!

With my leftover quinoa I had made, I had an opened jar of black bean salsa--threw in some tomatoes and a little mango balsamic vinegar --easy salad to serve.

Meal 6: Whole wheat pasta with red sauce & veggies.  It was late and I didn't have much planned.

It definitely takes me work and prep because Joe can't eat anything I am sharing with you.  He eats a very low fiber diet and nothing whole grain/wheat and very little veggies.  So, again, I am not super hard on myself as long as I am eating the best I can and nothing "white and starchy" I consider that success.  Brooke eats whatever, so I definitely try and get her to eat as much as my food as I can.  She does great!

Everyone coaches differently; some people eat no carbs, some only eat them early on.  If I am trying to get ready for vacation (bikini time) I will eat a little more strictly.  But for now, I am focusing on not snacking for no reason and eliminating all processed junk/candy/cookies/chips/wine.

That takes us to today:

Meal #1-
 2 eggs over easy on wheat sandwich thins.
Cup of water.
Hot water with lemon (it's still in the teens and snow on the ground, mama is chilly!)

2 omegaplex --flush that fat!

After the citrus fiber drink, I am really not starving.  That definitely fills you up more than the peach…and it certainly scrubs your system a lot better too!

Is it perfect? Nope!  But it's what I had to work with, after feeding my family an hour earlier (I had to get my Spark/catty/fiber drink in before I ate) and by then there was no more fruit…I need to grocery shopping again today!  My main goal is to be sure I have protein at each meal and typically a veggie and/or fruit.  Ya win some, ya lose some.

This brings me back to my very first 24 Day challenge.  It taught me so much! I was so upset with myself if I wasn't "perfect" every day…but then I quickly realized, life is TOO crazy to be perfect. In every sense of the word.  What I learned the most was that I don't have to count calories and if I eat as clean as I can, and take my products as directed I will lose the weight and feel amazing.  That simple.

I love the feeling of the cleanse, and I am looking forward to the MNS max phase even more!!

My first 24 Challenge Blogs:

Cleanse Day 3

Day 7

Day 20

Results

Bradley Joseph {2 Months Old}

My dear sweet baby boy.   I am in awe that two months ago, you entered this world.  How is it possible that you're already doing so much at just two months?!

Stats:

You're a little over 14 pounds, not sure of your length.

You are in some 3 month onesies, but mostly 6 month outfits, 3/6 month clothes and all 6 month pjs.  You're a big boy!!  I believe we are starting to settle into a beautiful routine and I can truly say, you fit right into our life.  You are eating every 3 hours; sometimes 2 and then you'll go 4 or 5.  You still like to wake up in the middle of the night twice; usually a 1 or 2 then a 4 or 5.  If I can get you to eat around 11/12, then you'll sleep until 3:30, then get up around 7. I am trying to get you til 6 or 7, because then I could just wake up for the day, but we will get there.  You've had a rough few weeks not feeling your best and so I am just happy to see you eating comfortably and sleeping so well.

Dislikes:
Being hungry
overtired
wet/dirty diaper
carseat until moving
being alone
You let us know right away when you're not happy!


Loves:
Your bottle
Tummy time for about 10 mins
Looking at yourself in a mirror
Mommy, Daddy and big sister talking/singing to you--your smile is captivating!
Music
Binkies
Birdies on your swing and bouncer
Bath time
Stroller rides
Being in the baby carrier/wrap
Swaddled
Falling asleep on our bed


Your little head is always lifted when you're on our shoulders to burp.  You like to headbutt us, or try to, so we have to really be careful of that! Your little legs are rather strong and I can't believe I'll be bringing up the excersaucer sooner than later, and then the doorway swing. AHhhh make time slow down, I know how fast it all goes!!

Since we've figured out that you love formula, you are the boy that I just thought you would be.  Easy going, go with the flow, fall asleep wherever and then sleep through things [dog barking, sister screaming, doorbells, blender].  I look forward to taking you to lots of fun places as we start getting out and about more now that the weather is breaking.

You love little friends/animals.  

Your favorite place seems to be under your toys on your play mat or in the crib watching your mobile friends.

I should probably find the bumbo soon and see if you fit/like it.  You can sit up with some help!

Daddy's blanket. Look at your hair!

Grandma Maria made your little car booties!

You blow little bubbles as you coo.

Holly wanted in on the photo sesh too!

This is how you spend a lot of your time, since I'm in the kitchen quite often! You love to just sit and kick, coo, and look around, and usually fall asleep.

I am SO happy that month two has started off so well and that you're really thriving.  I am excited to see you grow, but sad you're already getting so big! I love you so much little man; Daddy and I are so blessed to be your parents.

Fitness Friday

I like to be pretty transparent and very honest about things on le blog. I love working out, but I only love certain types of workouts.  Unless it's Zumba, I want to spend the least amount of time as possible.  I am a busy mama with two little kids.  We have lots to do and right now, leaving the house just isn't an option.  Heck, I can't even get in some good walks because it won't get past 40 degrees most days!

So, I have been keeping my eyes peeled for what I may want to start with, to jump back into workouts. I hated working out when pregnant because my SPD pain was so bad, it was seriously tough to walk and make it through the day, let alone try to workout.  Now that my body is pretty much back into its original positioning, I am ready to sweat.  Lucky for me, a long time blogging buddy shared what she did workout wise post baby, and it sounded perfect for me!  Checkout Alison's blog for more details. She is a fantastic Beachbody Coach and has helped me find the best workout for me.

Enter---Focus T25

Monday:

I was scared. It had been awhile since I had really moved, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I tried to keep up with the regular people at first, but then succumbed to just doing what the modified chick was doing.  I knew that I didn't want to overdo it and not be able to move, and I know that this program is more of a "marathon" mindset rather than just a quick sprint.  I'm so happy I decided to do that.

I admit I have to wear two bras (as I was nursing and even though I am not breastfeeding any longer, I still have milk and so that is no fun…but it's not an excuse, I just don't jump as high/hard yet…ow!) I also have that post baby bladder, so again, I am not hopping all over the place, quite yet.  I am still sweating my tail off though!

Brooke was fascinated to jump around and move with me…for a few minutes, then she'd run off.  You can see the pink glow to my face/neck after I'm done.  25 minutes may not seem like a lot, but it was just enough for me!  Don't mind my laundry that still needed to be put away…I made no excuses to get that workout in!!

Tuesday:

I decided to pull out the wireless beats and jam some hiphop so that little ears couldn't hear. MUCH better of a workout and THIS was my favorite, so far.

Wednesday:

Still pushed through it, still doing modified…Brooke loves the carpet pulled back.


Thursday-- my least favorite so far.  Probably because it's my weakest body part: abs.  My stomach has always been the hardest to tone and obviously having a baby 8 weeks ago, my core isn't exactly strong.  I made it through and even tried out my new Advo product: O2 Gold.  I seriously felt like I could breathe so much deeper! I have never tried it before.

Friday: 

Lower Focus---WHOA NELLY.  I enjoyed it because I sweat, and didn't jump around a whole lot.  It was really just working on your (duh) lower half and oh, how I felt the burn!

I also got my Nighttime Recovery, so that makes me happy and I know if I push myself a little harder, now I won't be as sore…I can still wash my hair without my arms wanting to fall off!

So Monday I will start my AdvoCare 10 day cleanse and follow it up with my good old friends, Thermo, MNS etc…. I enjoy documenting my journey and and really am happy with this workout I chose! I really wanted something different and to push me out of my comfort zone.  Every time I tell myself, ehhh maybe I won't workout today, I tell myself to shut up!!  I have a calendar to follow and when I take my products, it really makes me want to get my workout in!

I am about 15 pounds away from a 'goal' weight…I say that loosely but I know where my body needs to be to feel great and fit back into my skinnies.  So, here we go! One week down, 9 more to go!

I am sleep deprived and there is always a reason or excuse not to workout, but there are also a million reasons why as well.  Combining my amazing Advo products with this insanely perfect workout, I cannot wait to see what I look and feel like in a few weeks.  I am proud of myself.  I want to be in the best shape possible, really to keep up with my kids, because I have a feeling junior is gonna be even more energetic that Brookie, but also to show them what a healthy lifestyle entails.  

Are you pushing yourself to eat better, workout harder and be healthy? Join me!!

I Couldn't Live Without

I've seen this linkup floating around and I thought it was lighthearted and fun, so here I am, participating!!  Obviously I couldn't live without my family and friends, but for fun, this week I couldn't live without my laptop.  Seriously, one of my favorite possessions…I wish I knew how to operate it some of its features a bit better--like editing a video! Oy, to have more spare time!



It's definitely my favorite "go-to" thing to do.  I'm not huge on TV watching, although I do have a few shows I enjoy.  I just love connecting my thoughts to words on a screen; it's rather therapeutic and there is no better way than doing so on this fancy MacBook.  The sleek black keys and smooth silver surface are just perfect for pouring out my ideas.



More than anything, my husband was sick of me getting viruses on my other laptop all of the time, and with this guy, nothing comes across--knock on wood!--  Joe also insisted that I get this uber snazzy laptop case [which I don't love, but I do think it's useful with two kids and a dog] I told him it looks like an old guy case though, haha.

I really notice how much I can't stand living without this, when Joe has his meetings for his tech startup and he takes it with him.  I'm kind of like a lost puppy, because the kids are finally in bed and I have some "me time" and no computer!  It's not the end of the world, but it's certainly the first thing I would enjoy doing, is catching up on my blog, with any spare time that I have.  I definitely fantasize about having free time to go to a beach house, overlooking a beautiful body of water…and writing.  I don't know what I would write about exactly, but some day when I have more time, I could definitely see myself doing that.  Man, a beach sounds wonderful right now!

There is just something really special about being able to record my thoughts and what my little family is up to…and then going back and reading it!! I can't tell you how many times I have gone back and re-read my blogs when Brooke was a baby--very helpful in comparing how mister B is doing. 

What is something that you couldn't live without!?