Focusing On Me

Apparently I can't blog and take care of me at the same time. There have been lots of changes of here lately. I am in my 8th (or 9th...lost track) early morning workouts 4 days a week. It has now gone from something I had to drag myself out of bed for to just part of my routine. I love that! I feel great afterwards even though during some of these workouts I have been pretty sure I am going to die! I love that the workout changes everyday and it is never the same thing each day. Just when I think "Oh yeah...I got this" she has us do things that push us beyond our comfort zones. That is good though! I took a Nutrition 101 seminar a few weeks ago. It was done by a local OB/GYN. I brought home a lot of good tips and advice. One thing she said that stuck with me was that when women come to her and say that they are eating well and exercising but the weight is not coming off she asks them how much sleep they are getting. She said that your body needs at least 7 hours of sleep each night to repair and heal properly. So much to my husbands dismay we are going to bed earlier or as he says "when old people do". To get 7 hours of sleep on the night before a workout I need to be in bed by 9:30. We usually head that way around 9. That is pretty much an hour (at least) less then time in the evening than what we had before....so some things have fallen by the waste side....like blogging. I would much rather spend time watching a show with my husband than waiting for pics to upload and thanks to our slower than molasses internet I can't watch Netflix and upload pics at the same time. The funny thing is that since we implemented the earlier bedtime we find ourselves heading to bed early even on the evening we do not need to. Our teenagers think we are crazy! I do feel better in the mornings. I am trying to be more active in the evenings after dinner. If we have nothing else going on I try to take a walk or do a run. I like when my husband joins me because his legs are so much longer than mine I practically have to jog to keep up with him. I am really trying to create a more active lifestyle for all of us because if things go back to the way they were I feel like I am more likely to go back to the way I was. I have been doing way to much sitting around on my laptop seeing what everyone else is up to when I should be out taking care of myself! Each night I have been making a concous effort to get off my laptop and do something else. I have stacks and stacks of books I have picked up from garage sales or paperbackswap.com that I have never read because I have not been making the time. Starting now I am going to stay off my laptop after dinner and read more. Reading makes me happy and FB does not. That is one thing I am learning about myself. More often than not I leave Facebook frustrated and cranky. There is way to much whining and complaining! I just don't want to deal with it anymore but I do like keeping up to date with what family members and good friends are up to. So I am going to check in a few times a day but from dinner on I am going to be done. I need to be up and about moving or doing something that fills my tank up and does not empty it. The teenagers are doing less complaining about the lack of certain processed foods and more fruit/veggies lately. I have not bought any cold cereals except for cherrios in a few weeks. My oldest has started taking large containers of cut up fruit with her to eat on the bus every morning and I love that! I plan on making some homemade granola in the next few days. Took me awhile to find some natural shredded coconut for the recipe I was using. Finally found it at Kroger. We are still not loving brown rice but continue to give it a try. For stir fry nights I am making both brown and white to give the kids the option. I am just living with brown rice. I was really happy to find whole wheat egg noodles for my hamburger corn casserole (a family favorite). I had not seen it before. I started buying unsweetened vanilla almond milk for our smoothies. It is only 35 calories a cup so it decreases the calories of a smoothie big time when compared to milk. One other things I took away from the Nutrition Seminar I took was the advice to take liquid fish oil. It is great for your cardiovascular system, lungs, skin, AND when paired with exercise increases fat loss! It sounds gross but is comes in lemon and orange flavor and I just take it straight and I have had not problems with any fish taste. I have also noticed that I am not burping up fish taste like I have in the paste with fish oil pills. I feel like it is improving my dry heals and I have also noticed less water retention and swelling in my hands and feet since I started taking it. Not sure if that is the cause or just a coincidence. I am proud to say that I have lost 15 pounds to date! I keep checking each week to see if my wedding ring fits! That is going to be one of my biggest rewards the day that happens! I have not been able to wear my wedding ring in years. So sad! Clothes are definitely fitting differently. I have some "fat" jeans that I can't wear anymore because they are falling down. I also have other pairs that are getting loose. I have had to buy new workout clothes because some of the ones I was wearing started getting too loose! Woot woot! I am happy with the changes I am making. I feel better than I have in a long time and I know that the more weight comes off the better I will feel. I love the new friends I have made in my exercise class. It is an incredibly positive and supportive atmosphere. I look forward to walking in the doors every morning. I feel so lucky to have found this group of girls. I love how strong I am getting! We have done two intense cardio recently that I am pretty sure I could not have kept up with when I first started the class. I loved the feeling of accomplishment I had at the end when I realized I did every set without stopping before it was over. It was not easy but I did it! I want to continue to post of meal plans for the week on here so I am going to make an effort to be better about that. I am also going to post updates when I can, but I am not going to go crazy and stress about not posting daily. I need to step away from my laptop. Need to focus on myself and my family. When you make time for workouts and getting healthy something has to give and my family is of course not an option. I am not superwoman and have not desire to try to be!

You Can Find Us Outside!

Sorry! No blogging lately! It has been 80 degrees here in our neck of the woods for 8 days straight! It's March! We are enjoying it to the fullest!

At the playground......

 My handsome young man.

 Jake took his remote control car to the park one day and Jadon had fun chasing it.

 Jadon can finally to this ladder!  It is straight up and down so it was hard for him.  It still takes a lot of work but he can do it!

 We raced hotwheels down the slots in the slide today!

 Love this pic because Righty is holding a car!

 We finally have our fish tank all set up!  I love it!  It is so relaxing to watch the fish!  So glad we got a tank again!

Oh What A Beautiful Day!!

The weather was amazing in our neck of the woods this weekend and today we enjoyed every minute of it!  The kids spent the entire morning outside doing yard chores....well the older kids did chores.....Jadon played like crazy. 

After lunch I did my very first Couch to 5K run/walk.  This first run was for 20 minutes with different intervals of running then walking.  I will do this same run two more times then next week it will be just a little harder.  I got new running shoes yesterday.  Aren't they cute??!!  Super comfy too!

When I got back from my run which I think was about 1 1/2 miles since my average time was a 13 minute mile Matt said that he wanted to take Jadon and go for a hike.  I said that I would go with them.  I love taking hikes in the woods.  We made Shelby join us too.  Jake was at Grandma Cindy's doing yard work for her. 

That hike ended up being about 2 1/2 miles so I ended up doing a total of 4 miles today!  Hope I can walk tomorrow!! 

For dinner we enjoyed a smoked turkey breast, some turnip greens, and sweet potato fries!  Yum!

This Week's Meal Plan

Oops! Where did Monday go? Sorry....Monday was..well...a Monday. I either ate something that made me breakout like a teenager or the new soap I started using on my face a couple of days ago did it. Whatever it was it is not good at all. It started on Sunday. I woke up and my face was fine and by 11 my face was covered in a breakout that has not gone away. I think today it is a little better. Fingers crossed!

As if I needed any other issues I pulled a muscle in my calf during my morning workout yesterday morning. It did not feel good at all. I was frustrated because I do not want any setbacks.  I iced it a couple of times, took ibuprofen, and stretched it as much as I could.  It feels much better today!  In a few more days I am sure it will be healed. Probaby have to modify workout for a few more day though.

Here is what we have been eating and plan to eat the rest of the week!

Saturday:
Casey's Pizza (Matt won a free one in a drawing and we got a second on special for $10! Woot woot!)

Sunday:
Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Source: twopeasandtheirpod.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Pickles

Monday:
Grilled Pork Loin Chops
Roasted Red Potatoes

Source: browneyedbaker.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Broccoli

Tuesday:
Salmon Patties

Source: foodnetwork.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Collard Greens
Corn

Wednesday:
Chicken Philly Sandwiches

Source: food.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Homemade Oven Fries

Thursday:
Taco Salads (Taco meat, lettuce,black beans, avacado, tomatos, and cheese)

Friday:
Eat Out/Grocery Night

Planning on posting some pics from Jadon's fun b-day weekend tomorrow!  Have a great day!

Jadon's 3 yr pics

J-Man turned 3 this weekend! I really don't know where the time has gone! His party was on Saturday and we had his pictures taken on Sunday. I love how they turned out!

Birthday Shirt Done!

I finished Jadon's birthday shirt! Hooray! I am very happy with how it turned out!

Have a couple more shirts in Jadon's size I picked up on sale at Hobby Lobby during a sale one time.  Need to decide what to put on them!  I used Silhouette Lime Green Heat Transfer Vinyl and part of a cute number train on purchased from the digital download shop.  I can't believe how easy this project was!

I did not pin too much this week but here are a few things I found.....

I thought this superhero set was just adorable and so fun!

Source: aestheticoutburst.blogspot.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Love this pretend campfire set!

Source: market.poppytalkhandmade.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Always looking for shredded chicken recipes!  Since we started making our own broth usually have some in the freezer!

Source: momsbyheart.net via Kiana on Pinterest

Love this quote.

Source: google.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Tomorrow is the big birthday party!  Hoping the boy stays healthy.  He continues to be very congested.   Just hoping it does not get any worse!  Cross your fingers for us!

Mr Fix It

Jadon was playing solo today. His buddy John was not here. He plays so well by himself. I turned from doing dishes to find him in the dining room with a remote control car, sitting in a booster seat we sometimes use, wearing shades. When I asked what he was up to he said he was working on his truck.  He is one cool dude!  LOL!

Poor guy continues to have a stuffy nose.  So does Mommy.  Not seeing much improvement.  Getting a little frustrated.  Just want to feel good again!! 

A Mommy's Daybook

Yesterday Jadon requested that we paint. I told him he had to wait until today. He was pretty excited to paint today. We started our letter B activities today so we painted our "B" blue. Once it is dry we will glue our brown bears on it.

Outside My Window-
It is cloudy but for February the temps are pretty good.  Can't complain too much about 40.  Could be much colder.

I Am Thinking-
About Jadon's b-day party, Jadon's three year pics, the fact that I have still not made his b-day shirt.  Darn this sickness!

I Am Wearing-
The usual sweats and long sleeve t-shirt.

From Tot School-
As I said we started our Letter B activities.  We continue to work on counting and number recognition.

I Am Thankful-
For antibiotics!  For my awesome fitness class.  All the ladies are so nice!

From The Kitchen-
I tried out a homemade wheat thins recipe this week so my hubby and I had something to eat some yummy Sundried Tomato Hummus we got on.  They turned out really good.  

Source: emily-malloy.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Matt has a vanilla porter in the carboy doing it's thing.  Lots of bubbling going on over there!  Go yeast go!

I Am Creating-
Not much.....in a funk.  Fingers crossed that I get Jadon's b-day shirt done!


I Am Reading-
Smokin' Seventeen (Stephanie Plum Series) by Janet Evanovich

I Am Hearing-
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 

Around The House-
I am trying to get the house in order for Jadon's party this weekend.  

One Of My Favorite Things-
First thing that came to mind is my Lodge Enamel Coated Cast Iron Dutch Oven.  I have had mine for two years.  It is my favorite pot to cook in.  I used it several times a week.  Mostly on the stove but I love that I have the option to put it in the oven also!  Highly recommend gettting one of these bad boys!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week-
Make a list of things I need to pick up for Jadon's party and then get all that stuff.  Decide what Jadon is going to wear for his three year pics on Sunday.  Make Jadon's three year b-day shirt.

Tonight we are going to look at a 55 gallon fish tank that someone has for sale.  Hoping we like what we see.  We have not had a fish tank in about 8 years at least and Matt and I decided that we really missed having one.  So we have been on the lookout for a used one.  This is the way to go if you find one in good shape because most of the time they come with everything and there is not much left to get but gravel, plants, and fish.   I know Jadon will love it.  The older two kids always loved looking at the fish when they were his age.  We took him to a pet store not long ago to look at fish and he was really loving it.  

Tot School

Today during tot school we spent some time wrapping up our Letter A activities so we can move on the Letter B which I know Jadon is going to love. It is all about bears!

We helped our alligators find their colors.  This was a worksheet with alligators on it.  Each alligator had a color word on it in that color.  So I would point to an alligator and say  "This alligator wants to be pretty but he does not know what color he is supposed to be.  What color is this word?"  Each of the boys would tell me what color the word was.  I tried to connect that the word was the color but not sure the boys understood.

Then because Jadon does not really care for coloring I did my best alligator impression and said "oh thank you for making me *insert color here*.  You are doing such a great job".  Gotta get Jadon's imagination going.  He likes to draw but he does not care to color in pictures for long periods of time.  We got the job done today though.  Gotta stay creative.  Sorry for the blurry cell phone pics.  Jacob is still stealing the camera everyday.

We also colored in some Letter A flashcards....

 And did some cutting practice which Jadon did not have much patience for today. 

 

Tonight we went to one of Jadon's favorite stores only because of the shopping carts.  They have little kids sized shopping carts.  They look just like the adult ones and that is what makes them cool.  He loves to push it around.  Here is he waiting for Daddy to add more stuff to the cart.  

Hoping Jadon sleeps well tonight.  He was pretty congested by the time it was night night time.  Really hoping he is not coming down with something and if he does it is gone by this weekend.  This is his big weekend!  He turns 3!!!

I am still coughing like crazy.  Spent most of last night in our recliner so I would not keep my husband up all night.  Hoping to get some rest tonight since it is a early morning workout day.  Fingers crossed!

Meal Plan Monday

Two doses of antibiotic and steroid down and I am feeling SO much better! Woohoo! My nephew came to play today. They were my only ones since today was President's Day and several of my families had the day off. It was a nice relaxing day. Tried to get Jake to play around with the camera and capture some pics of the boys but he must have not really been into it because none of them turned out really well. Here is J-Man though. Happy as a clam to have his cousin and buddy, Owen, here.

 Now on this weeks meal plan:

Saturday:
Egg Rolls-We used some smoked pork we had frozen in these this time.  They were good.  Not flavors you would expect from an egg roll though.

Sunday:
Whole Chicken cooked on the grill (My husband's job)
Onion Soup Crock Pot Potatoes-basically just 6 potatoes diced up, shake up in a bag with some olive oil and a packet of dry onion soup mix and cook on low for 5 hours or until soft.

Monday:
Seven Layer Tostadas-these were Yummo!!!!!  These may have been on an earlier menu and we ended up making something else.  We do that around here sometimes.....

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Tuesday:
Aunt Brenda's Spicy Potato Soup-will post recipe soon! 

Wednesday:
PW's Mac N Cheese

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Thursday:

Crockpot Italian Turkey Meatballs

Source: skinnytaste.com via Kiana on Pinterest

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Friday:
Night Out-Mom's night off