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!?

Green Fun [St. Paddy's Day]

So, I didn't do too much with the whole St. Patrick's Day theme.  I put some Irish music on Pandora and pulled out a few tricks in my back pocked.  I tried a few Pinterest projects yesterday and they didn't really turn out as well as they looked…but she had fun!  Next year we will get into doing fun little tricks with the Leprechaun.

One had cut an apple in half, and then you use that to make a 3 leaf clover.  The other was to tape 3 wine corks together and use that to make a clover.

She just had fun getting messy…

And I had to quickly stop taking photos because she realized it was waaaay more fun to use her hands!

Joe HATES corned beef and cabbage, so I made us ribs [and mac and cheese]

Brooke made a cake.

Stirred in the green!

Poor thing needs her hair cut desperately! But she enjoyed a little frosting.

It wasn't a huge super creative baking project, but she had fun and it was tasty…although she still said it was blue after all that green talk, all day long. Oops.

After dinner we 'split up into teams' as Joe calls it.  He took Brookie to the mall so she could run around and ride the carousel.  I took baby boy to the grocery store, but he woke up while I was trying to look at makeup.  His cute smiles made it worth it.  He was spent by the end of the night.

And so was Daddy.  I asked him to hold the baby while I pumped quickly.  I came back to this.  I think it's funny how I have so many pictures of him sleeping with the babes this little and yet none of me sleeping, EVER!  I'll sleep eventually.

Last night was actually quite good, baby boy only woke up once around 2am and then not again until 7!  Let's hope this continues.  

How was your St. Patrick's Day?  Let me know of any fun activities you do with your kids!

Easter Ready

I am super excited for Spring to get here!!  Even though I am staring at a rather large snow mountain in my backyard, I am confident that by Easter, warm weather and green grass will magically appear!  Now that things are running much smoother in our house, I have had time to do some fun stuff like find coordinating Easter outfits for our babes!  I am still in awe that we have a little boy and a little girl.  This is just too much fun!!

I decided upon these two cuties from Carters 



And of course, little mister needs his first bow tie for the event!! {thanks to Jane and their daily e-mails!}




Since Valentine's Day we just hung around the house, I didn't really dress the kids up, so Easter marks our first "major" holiday as a family of four!  We have been reading Easter books, playing with plastic eggs and doing some small Easter crafts to get Brooke familiar with it.  This worked so well with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I think she's starting to really catch onto everything.

How cute [and easy] do these pancakes look??  I cannot wait to dye eggs with Brookie this year because she will just LOVE it.  Her favorite book is Where are Baby's Easter Eggs--she is obsessed with the flap books.  And, how do we not have any jelly beans up in here?! Oy. I need to get on that stat.

I am hoping that my husband and I can go shopping, just the two of us, and pick up their Easter basket goodies.   I'm thinking some new Spring goodies, like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and maybe gardening tools for Brooke.  For baby boy, I would like to get him some shoes, either mocs or Robeez, since he likes to kick his socks off.  Maybe a teething toy (not that he'll need it soon, but a few more months!) and a bib or two.   Joe will pick out candy, I am sure, but either way, it will be fun to play Easter Bunny and hide her basket this year!  Two is such a fun age.  

Most importantly, we will spend the day with family!! My stepbrother is coming home and we will get to see him and his girlfriend and he will get to meet Bradley finally!  My family hasn't all gotten together like this since Christmas, so we are super excited.  I am hoping we can stop by my in-laws for a coffee before hand too, but we haven't made plans yet ;)

What are your Easter plans?  I cannot believe it is only 3 weeks away!

The Formula Debate

As I sit here watching my 8 week old sleep soundly in front of tired eyes, I am grateful for Science.  It may not be the best choice for everyone, but for me, my son, my husband, my daughter, and even my dog, I believe it is the right choice for us.  I had so many beautiful visions of nursing my son; of us lovingly enjoying long nursing sessions…ones that I would look back on and truly miss.  When I was pregnant, I would day dream of breastfeeding him in the wee morning hours; the sun just poking out behind the clouds and taking over for the moon.

I believe in the power of breast-feeding: I believe that it's natural, and real, and the best option for a baby.  But then, I also believe that it isn't.  What comes easy to some, say my first born daughter and I, does not come easy for another, my son.  These last few weeks I have felt so out of control, like my earth is spinning and I am grasping at every which way for an answer, a solution.  His cries are not that of a normal fussy baby, and yet are that of a wee one in pain.

Tears roll down my cheeks as I stare at his sweet face, and already I know the pain of of panic and not knowing how to fix something when I am unsure what is wrong.  I hate to compare to Brooke, but with your second child it is hard not to!  Sure Brooke woke throughout some nights and cried here or there, but nothing like this one.  Her fussiest times were when she was getting her two year molars just over a year and a half.  She never came into our bed and I distinctly remember one night, as she was a few months old, I had to stop rocking her to sleep…I didn't want to make bedtime a nightmare, so I laid her in her crib awake and she simply just fell asleep.

Maybe I was too cocky, sure of myself, or just assumed all would be pretty much the same with Bradley as with Brooke, but I was certainly wrong.  I told myself I would give things until Friday 3/13 with breastfeeding, but if nothing had improved, I would opt for trying formula.

Well, I made it until Thursday 3/12 and made yet another pediatrician appointment.  The problem was, even with my dietary changes, we still had some pretty rough days/nights.  I would have a good day with him, and then prolonged screaming and crying. More than anything, I was constantly stressing out about what to eat.  What if he has an allergy to something in a baked good?  Was the spinach too much?  OMG I had parm cheese….it was awful.  Plus being extremely sleep deprived and on no caffeine, I really felt like I was in a hole.  It was time to stop the madness.  I was literally drowning in trying to keep up with the baby, Brooke, my husband, dinner, cleaning, and myself.

When we got to the Dr's, we did the normal weigh in etc, and it showed no weight gain. ZERO.  The Dr made me go to the previous scale he had been weighed on to double check, and it did say he gained about 5 oz, but in two weeks time, the Dr felt that was not good.  Last time  (two weeks prior) she was concerned he gained too much weight…being 13 pounds at 6 weeks.  That was because he was so fussy and so I would nurse him to calm him, but that was happening every 1-2 hours. Exhausting.  And making our issues worse.

So, she said that some people are just really bent on breast-feeding and continue to, just kind of deal with the issues at hand.  Others try something else, like formula.  As much as I wanted to nurse for at least 6 months, I was desperate to find a solution and try to help my baby feel better.  She gave us two sample cans of this to try.

Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot describe to you the joy, the amount of sheer and utter bliss this house has been in since we have begun this formula.  No it's not organic.  No, it's not breast milk.  But you know what?   It is helping this little dude SLEEP!  Babies need sleep to grow and be well.  When he was in so much pain and agony, he would be up and fuss all day and night.  Poor thing was exhausted. Now?  He's getting solid 2 hour naps and although not sleeping through the night, he will get up twice to feed and go right back to sleep.  No more hours of trying to console him or rock him forever.

This formula is rather pricey [read upwards: $38 a can] but we cannot put a price on our boy's health and all of our happiness.  I hear we may be able to get a script and get insurance to pay for it…that would be nice!

He was so upset that Thursday I took him in, and the first bottle of this formula he guzzled right down.

And instead of tears, we now get way more of these…

And a lot more of this.

My friend Amie recommended this bottle and it is wonderful!

I was beginning to really doubt my ability to be a mother.  I didn't think it would be easy, but I really knew it should not be so hard.  That mama bear instinct made me get us back to the Dr. though...

I'd be lying if I wasn't excited to add caffeine back into my routine.  A coffee now and then and a daily Spark---I am flying around my house and able to get so much done, WITH a huge smile on my face.

A part of me wishes I had tried the formula sooner, but I am also glad baby boy got at least 2 months of my antibodies and such in my milk.  I cried some major tears, wondering if I am making the right choice.  I questioned if I should just eat chicken and rice and deal with it to see if that would help.  The Dr still claims there is  no evidence to prove that what I eat goes into my milk and affects him, but I am not here to argue that.  I am grateful we have found something that is working (more than working!) and I pray that it continues.

I'm in the process of trying to stop pumping.  I'm still saving the milk in case he can take it later on, and I don't want any more plugged ducts or mastitis again…so that's the only annoying part now is having to still pump when he's taking formula in a bottle.  With Brooke it was a slow and natural process. I supplemented with formula and got her down to just a few nursings, then to one before bed before we stopped our breastfeeding journey. So this is something that is new to me. I know it will all be over soon, and I just feel like a new person, or like I've been given a new chance at life.  Dramatic much, perhaps, but I cannot express how rough some days and nights have been.  Total fog.  But you get to the point in life where you need to make a decision and though it may be tough, you just know when enough is enough.

I want to write all these thoughts out so one day if Bradley's wife or Brooke have issues, I will remember and be able to tell them about this. I think we forget about some of the not so perfect moments because they are so tough, you kind of block them out.  But coming out stronger and happier is what is important.  I believe in turn that makes us healthier too.  Let's keep growing baby boy and give us those giddy smiles that melt our hearts.