Scheels

Good Monday morning!

Yesterday was the perfect relief for the cabin fever blues. 

Although it was super rainy, cold, and dreary, we had a great day. We woke up early, T25-ed it, then went to church.

After church we had my car battery replaced (major thank you to the guy who stood out in the rain to do that) and went out to eat for lunch. 

Then, we headed to Scheels, a new sporting goods store in town. Or at least we thought that is all it was, but this place has so much more than sporting goods.

A ferris wheel, a kids play place, a bowling alley,

multiple photo ops,

a shooting place and more. 

We literally spent 3 hours there and didn’t even do everything. (Don’t mind Dan’s island appearance, that is all-year-despite-the-freezing-rain-uniform.)

Then, we went to Aldi and picked up a $5 pizza for dinner. Now that Dan works every other weekend, we really like to soak up the family time on the weekends he has off work and this one was just great.

I hope you have a fantastic week! <3

Thanksgiving 2015

Good Sunday morning!

I hope you had a great holiday weekend. 

Our's was fantastic. We hosted our first ever Thanksgiving, with our oven being fixed merely hours beforehand. 

Our only mix-up was that we (and by “we” I mean “I”) roasted the turkey with the giblet bag still inside it. Oops. 

However, that didn’t seem to matter because the turkey still tasted great, the rolls raised, the cranberry relish was just tart enough, and the gravy was flowin’. We had enough to feed 17 with plenty of leftovers. 

I have to give a shout-out to Dan, who was a fantastic help and even helped my sister clean the kitchen afterwards AND woke up early the next day to make breakfast. 

We were greeted the next morning with some ice, so we have mostly hunkered down, put up Christmas decorations, participated in Black Friday with a little online shopping, and enjoyed leftovers. Hopefully we can get out of the house today for church and a little grocery shopping. 

I knew I had hung around in my PJs a little too long when I changed into my workout clothes and Ina said “Oooh, Mom, are those your workout clothes? You look FANCY!"

Besides changing out of my PJs before 9 am, here in my plan for the week: 

Food:

• Sunday: chicken fried rice with all the raw veggies left in our crisper drawer
• Monday: meatloaf (from the freezer) with leftover Thanksgiving sides (we ran out of turkey, but the potatoes, salads, and stuffing are still in abundance)
• Tuesday: baked garlic parmesan chicken with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and pasta with red sauce
• Wednesday: Ina’s birthday (out to eat somewhere “fancy”)
• Thursday: taco soup with salad
• Friday: Chipotle (keeping it real)
• Saturday: my nephew Jake’s birthday party!

Fitness: I am having to double up due to my middle of the week “rest” days, although I would argue that cooking all day one day and dragging all the Christmas decorations out of the basement the next definitely kept me active.

• Sunday: T25 Speed 2.0 + Dynamic Core
• Monday: T25 Rip’t Circuit
• Tuesday: T25 Dynamic Core
• Wednesday: T25 Core Cardio
• Thursday: T25 Dynamic Core
• Friday: T25 Speed 2.0 + Upper Focus
• Saturday: REST

I hope you have a wonderful week!

4 Months

Cora turns 4 months old today!

At four months she is an absolute doll. She has really turned a corner from the pretty fussy baby she was to begin with. As soon as I went back to work, her mood started to improve. I don’t know if that was because she grew out of whatever discomfort she was experiencing or she finally accepted the fact that she can’t be held or nursed by me during every waking moment. Either way I will take it. 

Now all she does is smile and giggle and only cries when her sister “accidentally” hugs her too hard or I hand her off to Dan when she really wants some momma cuddles. She smiles so much, in fact, that sometimes I can’t get her to nurse because as soon as her eyes meet mine, she stops eating to smile at me and give me the occasional coo. 

Other 4 month updates:

• She wakes up 1 to 2 times a night to eat, but nurses herself right back to sleep
• Physically, she can’t do much besides hold her head up. Momma is slacking on the tummy time schedule.
• She is starting to show an interest in what we are eating, so I imagine it is going to be a long 2 months of feeling guilty every time the spoon goes in my mouth.
• She finds her thumb a few times a day and sucks on it to put herself to sleep
• She is very interested in her dad’s and sister’s voices and looks for them when she hears them but can’t seem them
• She seems to know her name? I don’t know if this is too early, but I have this song I sing to Ina that starts out with, “I love Ina, I love Ina” and last night after a few verses I switched it to “I love Cora” and she literally squealed. 

The second child syndrome is going strong as far as blog posts are concerned. Ina got multiple posts per month and Cora gets a fraction of a post every few months. This is not for the lack of things to say, but instead the lack of time to say them in. Because, believe me, this baby has stolen my heart just as much as the first. <3

Also:

- My oven stil isn’t fixed, but when it is (today, I have faith) Ina has a solid plan for Thanksgiving.

Isn’t Danielle a genius?

- Remember when I gave myself daily “still pregnant” incentives? My final one was buying a Ninja and as I went 3 days past that day, when I saw that CostCo had them on sale, I proudly and unapologetically put one in my cart. 

When I was unpacking it I told Ina I got a new toy, and she was severely disappointed when all the boxes were empty and there was no “toy” in sight. So far I love it, but will post a full review soon. 

I hope you all have a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving. I am hosting and cooking for the first time in my life, so at the very least things will be interesting over here. 

What a Week

Hey there, hi there, ho there.

Man, what a week. 

On Wednesday night I woke up and thought I didn’t feel quite right and within a few minutes that feeling was confirmed as I ran to the bathroom, which is where I spent the next 12 hours. 

Just as I was starting to feel better on Thursday afternoon, Cora turned into a milk fountain. 

Poor baby girl has kept everything down for the past 24 hours, but she didn't seem to mind the lack of sustained sustenance and was just as smiley as ever. To top all of this off Ina, Cora, and I all have a runny nose/cough/sore throat. 

(Humidifier FTW)

Dan seems to be just fine.

Hmph.

Also, my car battery died on Thursday. Oh, and my oven stopped working, is going to cost $$$ to fix, and we are hosting Thanksgiving.

On a positive note:

- Cora’s dandelion curtains are finished!

Aren’t they beautiful? I am trying to pull the trigger and take her out of our room at night, but I don’t know if I can bear it. Or, let’s be real, I don’t know if I want to get up in the middle of the night and walk all the way to her room to feed her.

-Some of our small group friends brought us some fresh-from-the-cow milk and mozzarella cheese. The milk is ah-ma-zing and I haven’t tasted the cheese yet, but I can’t wait. 

- We got out of the house on Friday night to meet some friends for dinner and I brought this salad, which I am adding to our Thanksgiving menu.

I wish I had a plan for food for the week, but every time I sit down and try to think of something to cook I get really nauseous. I guess the sickness is still with me a little. 

Good thing I made my Thanksgiving plan earlier in the week. I will: 

1. Get my oven fixed.
2. Make the following:

• The turkey - I am trying this method in my electric roaster
• Stuffing- using grandma’s recipe
• Rolls-using grandma’s recipe
• Gravy-using grandma’s recipe
• Brussels sprout salad
• Cranberry relish
• Apple cider sangria
• Cheese plate - to snack on while cooking

As for fitness, I am going to have to repeat last week’s plan for beta T25, because I decided to rest because I was sick. 

I pray you have a lovely, HEALTHY, week. <3

A Birth and a Birthday Party

Hello! A lot has happened since I talked to you last.

First, my sister had a beautiful baby boy on Thursday morning. His name is Bauer Blaine and he is perfect.

Jessie was induced on Wednesday night and I set my alarm super early on Thursday so I could be there just in case something happened. I was the first of the family to arrive at 5 am and she was dilated to a 5. My sister asked if I wanted to stay in the room for the delivery and I couldn’t say yes fast enough. A few hours later she was ready to push and watching that baby come into this world was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. 

Ever.

Then, watching my sister and brother-in-law (who I love) introduce my niece and nephew (who I absolutely adore) to their little brother (who I instantly fell in love with) was such a privilege and I couldn’t stop crying. 

There aren’t many days in life that that day and I want to remember it forever.

Speaking of births, we celebrated Ina’s 3rd birthday yesterday. 

Her birthday technically isn’t until December 2nd, but planning something between Thanksgiving and Christmas is not fun, so I cheated. 

We rented out the same bounce house place as last year and all the kids loved it. I knew I made a good choice when the only time the kids stopped playing was to run to their parents, red faced and sweaty, and ask for a drink.

We had a nacho bar, which was great because it could all be prepped the night before and was a very affordable, yet delicious and customizable, way to feed 60+ people.

(Me: What was your favorite part about your birthday? Ina: The CAKE!)

Ina was spoiled beyond belief with presents and once again we were reminded of how incredibly blessed our family is with loved ones. 

And because it is Sunday, here is my plan for the week:

Food

• Sunday: leftover nachos
• Monday: chicken in sun dried tomato cream sauce with brown rice pasta and roasted broccoli 
• Tuesday: chicken enchilada casserole with roasted brussels sprouts
• Wednesday: oven baked sriracha chicken with cabbage slaw and brown rice
• Thursday: chili
• Friday: out to eat
• Saturday: meatloaf (from the freezer), baked potatoes, and roasted broccoli

Fitness

• Sunday: rest
• Monday: T25 core cardio
• Tuesday: T25 upper focus
• Wednesday: T25 Speed 2.0
• Thursday: T25 Rip’t Circuit
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: T25 Dynamic Core

I hope you have a blessed week!

Update

Good morning!

Ina has had a stomach bug for the past few days and not eaten much, but she woke me up at 5 am and said, “Mom, I want a bagel.” I hope that means she turned a corner.

A few things we have been doing over here, other than trying to keep food in Ina’s stomach:

- T25 with the whole family.

I have been doing my workouts after work, which tends to involve the entire family. Although my workouts might not be as effective, they are definitely more entertaining and mentally challenging as I try to plank walk with a tiny human underneath me.

-Cleaning out my office/coat closet/eBay selling room. Dan is a coat hoarder and I am a used gift bag hoarder, so this is obviously a multi-day process. 

- Kale salads. My FIL bought a huge bag of kale at Sam’s club and I have been taking advantage of it.

- Dinner with family. Look at Cora with her cousin.

- A family walk to the park - even the dog went.

- These breakfast cookies. I made them yesterday morning and there are only three left.

Today is a very special day because my sister is being induced tonight. I hope to meet my newest niece or nephew in the next 48 hours! Have a good one! <3

My Food and Fitness Plan (11/8)

Hello and Happy Sunday! 

I hope you had a lovely fall weekend so far. Things are good over here- I am fully caffeinated and just spent my month’s blow money on Etsy. 

My sister is being induced on Wednesday, so I offered to watch her kids for a few hours yesterday while she ticked some things off her nesting to-do list. 

Having four children around sure does keep things interesting.

Yesterday I also did two T25 videos so that I could have a rest day today, and I sure earned one because I sure am sore. 

Today is looking pretty packed: church, grocery shopping, 31 party, and then small group.

Food

• Sunday: roast with carrots, onions, and the potatoes in the pressure cooker
• Monday: slow cooker zuppa toscana
• Tuesday: chicken fajitas with onions, mushrooms, and peppers and Mexican brown rice
• Wednesday: honey chicken with brown rice and roasted broccoli
• Thursday: leftovers
• Friday: out to eat
• Saturday: lna’s birthday party!

Prepping: hard boiled eggs, peanut butter chia oatmeal breakfast cookies, pumpkin spice coconut oil chocolate

Fitness

• Sunday: rest
• Monday: T25 dynamic core
• Tuesday: T25 core cardio
• Wednesday: T25 Rip’t circuit
• Thursday: T25 upper focus
• Friday: T25 Rip’t circuit + Speed 2.0
• Saturday: rest

Have a great week!

xxoo

Thankful Thursday

Good morning!

Today, I am thankful that Danielle’s husband Kyle was able to hold Ina on his shoulders for the parade. I mean, I’m tough, but I don’t think I would have been able to enjoy the parade while wearing Cora, holding Ina on my shoulders, and making sure Ina didn’t accident’y kick Cora in the face.

I am thankful that I have been able to T25-it in the evening after work the past few days. My in-laws are sleeping in our living room to keep from having to use the stairs, so I can’t exercise before the sun comes up. I am also thankful for the extra sleep I have been getting, which still never seems like enough.

I am thankful that my friend Kim taught me how to “do” my eyebrows and gave me a few make-up brushes that make me feel like an artist every morning, which is so much fun considering I used to put my eyeshadow on with my fingers. So, if you notice I am a little more Mimi-ish, now you know why. 

I am thankful that Cora finally found her thumb. She has been trying to find a way to comfort herself for a few months now, and even though she will sometimes take a binkie, she will actually put herself to sleep when she finds her thumb. (I completely understand I will regret saying that in a year, but right now sleep prevails.)

I am thankful that Ina still has some “baby” moments. She turns three in less than a month, and every day she feels more like a kid and less like a toddler. So yesterday, when she was doing her “math homework” on my CostCo receipt while wearing a tiara and saying, “You can call me Princess Aurora,” I had to giggle when I saw she had a pull-up wedgie. 

I am thankful that my work email comes on my phone and I can correct mistakes I make when I am awake at 2 am feeding Cora. 

I am thankful for CostCo rotisserie chicken. 

I am thankful for all the help I have with the girls. Our support system seems to go on for miles. 

What are you thankful for?

World Champions

And the Kanasas City Royals win the World Series!

That moment - I slept through it. I slept through the fireworks and the postgame interviews and the celebrating. Well, unless you count me waking up to feed Cora an hour later, checking my phone, and yelling, “Dan, we won the World Series!” and then high fiving in bed across a sleeping Ina. 

Although I am sad I missed it, that moment perfectly captures the season I am in right now. Perfectly.

So, you better believe that I wasn’t going to miss the celebratory parade. Poor Dan had to work, but Cora, Ina, and I hitched a ride with Danielle’s family. We decided to skip the bus system, because it sounded too complicated with 4 children, and instead try to find a parking spot. 

We left 3 and a half hours before the parade started, and found a 2 hour parking spot 2 blocks from the parade route. As it turns out, tow trucks were busy towing cars that were left in the middle of the interstate, so we were good to overstay the limit by a few hours.

We found a spot 2nd in line on the street and waited for 3 hours. The kids all did great.

Ina wore a leash and I learned that pistachios are the best snack when entertainment is also needed.

Cora slept almost the entire time in the Ergo.

And it was so completely worth it.

Watching the players with their families.

Hearing Ina yell for Slugger and her boyfriend Eric Hosmer.

Feeling our city come together, by the hundreds of thousands, to celebrate this awesome time in history. 

I feel so blessed that I was able to be a part of it.

Until next year, boys in blue. 

Halloween + My Food and Fitness Plan [11/1]

We had such a great Halloween.

Friday night the girls and I went to my brother’s church for a Truck-or-Treat, which was so much fun.

(They never all look at the same time.)

Then we spent Saturday getting ready for the main event. Our only fail was that we tried to start Trick-or-Treating around 5 and it was still light outside, so there were many people who didn’t answer their door. At first Ina was like, “Um…this isn’t worth it."

But eventually she came around.

Dan and I made chili dogs and hauled our big screen TV out to the garage to show our neighborhood the Royals game while celebrating Halloween. We had a blast and the Royals won!

What an exciting, but exhausting day.

Hopefully today we can re-group and watch the Royals win the World Series!

Here is my plan for the week:

Food:

• Sunday: leftover chili
• Monday: sour cream noodle bake from our freezer and roasted brussels sprouts
• Tuesday: chicken fajitas with lots of veggies
• Wednesday: roast chicken with potatoes and carrots and kale salad
• Thursday: shrimp pad thai
• Friday: out to eat
• Saturday: slow cooker pasta sauce with brown rice pasta roasted brussel sprouts

Fitness: I am sad to say that last week’s workouts didn’t happen like I planned them to, so I hope to just repeat the first week of beta again this week. 

• Sunday: rest
• Monday: T25 core cardio
• Tuesday: T25 speed 2.0
• Wednesday:  T25 rip’t circuit
• Thursday: T25 dynamic core
• Friday: upper focus + core cardio
• Saturday: rest

Have a wonderful week! 

xxoo