A decision has been made

I have been in a bit of a funk lately.

Not working out like I should.

It has all been since the tornado.

I just cant get my weight to go back down to where I was pre-tornado.

And damn it. I really want a flat stomach. But seeing me stuck on the scale has given my confidence a jab and has left me with a sort of "F" it attitude.

I have tried the Jillian Michaels thing and my muscles took a major hit. Dont get me wrong- this dvd is great. And on days I cant get to the gym, I will probably do Jillian and P90X. The dvd wont get dusty. LOL

BUT...

Time to go back to what was working for me.

Next week when Xavier starts school and it is just Landry and I, I will be starting P90X up again.

I NEED more than cardio.

My body WANTS the weight training.

And P90X is what was giving me the big change.

So....it begins. I am going to start on Labor Day.

This is only an obstacle. I can get thru this.

I am also going to be really altering my diet. I have let the snacking take control.

I eat great during the day, but come evening, it is bad, bad, bad snacking.

I can't get back down doing that, and it is something I reverted to once the tornado hit. Comfort eating of sorts.

Friday nights will still be considered my splurge nights, but I really, REALLY have to control myself when eating with family and things arent what I would normally have. That is where I get into trouble too.

And come November, while I am doing P90X, I will be starting with Eric, my personal trainer, as well. I should be working out with him hopefully on Tuesdays and Thursdays on my cardio days of P90X. And I should be into my 3rd month of P90X by then too and hopefully seeing some great results.

Final change...

I am skeptical, but I am thinking about trying a couple products from the wraps company. I am thinking about trying their greens product and putting it in with some orange juice during the day and also trying their fat fighter for my splurge days like Fridays. To be able to get a ton of fruits and veggies all at once has great appeal to me.

I may also continue with the wrap now that I will be doing major weight lifting to try to get the skin flatter, quicker. We shall see.

I can do this. I can be back down to where I was pre tornado.

I just need to get back into that frame of mind. The tornado took something out of me that I desperately need to get back.

Time to kick it people.

That being said, today may not be a kicking it day for me. LOL. Well as far as zumba CLASS is concerned.

I HAVE to finish my shopping for the tornado claim and submit my receipts on Tuesday. SO this morning is the mall and this afternoon is IKEA. K is going with me to IKEA and I dont know if I will be back in time to go to zumba. SO if I am not, I plan on working out at home before the last concert of the summer tonight. Its FETA BREAD FRIDAY!!

Today is the day I sign up for my half marathon the end of October. I am getting ready to do it as soon as I am done with this post. I had to dig out my passport because we will be running into Canada. How cool to say I ran in a different country even if it is just Canada.

So off I go to sign up. And to start getting ready for a shopping spree. I should be able to burn some calories doing that huh? LOL.

Have a great Friday everyone!!
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EDITED:

I just went to sign up for the half marathon because we just got paid so I had to wait. Registration is CLOSED and I cannot late register the day of the race. So bummed!! I am just gonna have to find something else to run.
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Tip of the Day:

Moving Up

Today is moving day!

Well, not for me but for my aunt, uncle and cousin.

So I just wanted to give you a quick shout out before I take off to help them move.

Last night I actually got my zumba cardio dvd done! A huge woo hoo! I was surprised that it is only 45 minutes though. For whatever reason, it must be the strength one that is 55. So I might do the strength tonight depending what time we get back from moving.

Calories burned for zumba cardio: 412 calories. Not shabby at all.

I was down to 176.5 this morning.

Today I am going to get the kids some breakfast, and run downstairs and lift some weights to get the metabolism going. I dont want to get sweaty by doing cardio because I am already dressed to go (tennis skirt and running shirt).

Luckily we have movers today so I shouldnt be needing to do much heavy lifting. Mostly unpacking.

We shall see how the food choices go today being limited while we move. There was talk about pizza for lunch. There is this fantastic italian bakery by their new house that K showed me and today is buy one get one free day for their pizza.My uncle prides himself on his italian food that he makes. This little bakery has all sorts of ingredients, fresh made food, and a little coffee shop where these little men talk in italian and argue. It is too funny. In telling my aunt about it, she wants me to show it to my uncle.

And on a funny note...I think I mentioned that K's parents are moving literally just a few blocks from where my aunt and uncle are moving. Ironic huh? Even more ironic is TODAY is the day they are moving. No fooling! So K and I might meet up over there. How funny! I just love her to death.

Tonight we might be going back to their old house to swim. Not sure yet. They are keeping their old house and my cousin is living in it with some friends. He is 22 so he is definitely old enough to live on his own.

Ok everyone. I have our swimsuits packed and I am off to pump some iron and blow this popstand.

Have a great Thursday everyone!
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Tip of the Day:

Not gonna lie...

I am not going to lie. I have a weakness for beer.

And not just ANY beer.

Fat Tire Amber Ale.

The first time I had it was when we moved to Arizona. It was our very first time there and Aaron and I were newly married. And I mean NEWLY. Just over a week.

We were exploring the area by our apartment and there was this restaurant we tried almost as soon as we rolled into town.

Funny that I dont remember the name of the restaurant, but I remember the name of the beer that captured my heart. LOL.

When we moved back to Michigan I was devastated to find out that my beloved beer was not sold here. I thought that was really funny because if you look at the bottles, it shows a 10 cent return. LOL.

Anyways...

After bugging different liquor stores, and continually asking about it, I finally had some music to my ears. Fat Tire was going to be available in Michigan in April or May this year. Oh Joy!

WELLLLLL.....

It didnt really happen. Dont know why it was delayed but it was. I used to have to get my Fat Tire fix when we visited Chicago. I would always pick up a couple cases and ration them out.

Then...

My mom texted me.

Fat Tire was going to be sold at Meijer on Monday.

So I sent Aaron out to get some.

Apparently the only kind they had in the store was 40oz ones. So he picked one up.

Last night I had MOST of it.

And this morning...

I gained 2 lbs!!!

Damn water retention!

177.5.

Oh well. That amber goodness was too much to resist forever. At least I know that now I can get it anytime I want, it will be easier to resist and become less of a treat that I overindulge in.

Plus I didnt get to walk or run last night. I was supposed to go with K but she called me because her face started going numb. Not kidding. Think about how your face feels when you go to the dentist and have work done on one side. That is how it was feeling for her. She went to the ER but there was a 5 hour wait. No thanks. So I called a different hospital and we were going to go there.

But then her Dr called. Apparently this could be a side affect of the migraines she gets. How wonderful huh? So she didnt go to the hospital. Just went to bed and was going to go see the doctor this morning.

I talked to her this morning and the numbness went away about 1am. That is a good thing.
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So I did my 20 minute zumba this morning.

Today is my last day of sitting the neighbor kids. I think they are all tired. They are lounging on the living room floor surrounded by pillows watching tv. LOL.

Tonight is Xaviers school open house where we get to meet the teacher. It is only for an hour so I want to get there right on time. Should be interesting. I still cant believe he is starting school!

Then I think I am going to come home and do zumba. My hour long one. I know I keep saying that but I really want to do it. Usually I end up going to K's house and if I can do the zumba right at 7, I can still either walk or help her unpack.

So that is my plan for the day...

What is your plan?

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

A quick entry

Yesterday was a great day.

Right now I am watching two neighbor kids and they all got along great. I even got the house cleaned, and chocolate banana muffins (healthy) made.

I did my 20 minute zumba.

I stuck to my food plan.

I went to K's house last night (after 8:30) and helped her unpack.

This morning I was back down to 175.5. Lost a pound. Good.

Today is more kidlet watching. I did my 20 minute zumba already. I plan on making some healthy pumpkin banana muffins. Can you tell I had a lot of ripe bananas?

Tonight K and I are going to go walking and unpack her more.

And I will be having more of the same tomorrow. LOL.

I am just trying to stay active and sane. It is gonna be a VERY busy week!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

A lost weekend

Friday night was a great night. Zumba was awesome. I also ran 4.35 miles. In just under two hours I burned 1101 calories at the gym.

That night K picked me up her in fun little convertible and we went to the concert in the park where our friend C found us.

After the concert was over we headed to Aubreys for feta bread, and I had wings. I also had two prickly pear margaritas which were my calorie undoing. LOL. No sweat. Life is for living.

Saturday I took the boys up to my sisters house for overnight. During the day we took the kids to a wading pool and to the park. It was a lot of fun.

That night my sisters friend came over and we were up until 2am drinking and talking. LOL. The boys didnt sleep well that night. They kept falling out of the bed. LOL. I slept on the floor by them incase they fell out again but every time I moved, they woke up. So Sunday I was exhausted.

We had an early start in coming home because Aaron had picked up mulch for me and I wanted to get it down. Surprise, surprise, when I got home Aaron had the majority of it down already.

However, I really didnt want him to put it down because some of the old weed barrier was ripping so I had to put down new barrier before the mulch. So while the boys napped, we scrapped up the areas that were ripping, put down new and put down new mulch. We still need about another 1/2 yard of mulch but it looks really nice.

I gained 1.5 lbs this weekend. Up to 176.5. But I really didnt get to exercise at all except for the bit of yardwork.

K and I were supposed to go out last night but she had a really bad migraine. She said the weather pressure affects her and sure enough, last night it started to rain. She is a regular weather barometer!

So for the next 3 days I am babysitting my next door neighbors two kids while they move back in. I will be watching them from 8am-5pm. They are pretty easy. Their youngest is Xaviers age and their oldest is going into 5th grade. Pretty self sufficient.

It kinks my working out a bit...not bad. I did my 20 minute zumba while the kids were playing in the basement. Tonight if it stops raining, I plan on walking with K. If not, it will be zumba cardio party for me.

Tomorrow which is normally my long day will be 20 minute zumba again and probably elliptical or zumba or walking.

Same with Wed.

Thursday we are helping move my aunt (and family) all day so it will be an active day. I may wear my HRM to see how many calories get burned.

All in all a busy week and I will be ready for girls night by Friday.

And on a final note...I am thinking about starting P90X up again once the kids start to school. Landry will be going to school two days a week so I can work out while he is there. I saw the best results from that. Plus I need to be running and training regularly for my half. So the gym classes will be cut back so I can work on running. 

Have a great Monday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

Scapegoats and Sacred Cows- a friend of mine.

A couple quick notes before I get into the meat/meet of my Friday blog.

First...

It's FRIDAY! Woo Hoo! K and I are going tonight to the concert in the park then to Aubreys. Of course, running and zumba are before that. P is hopefully joining us at Aubreys for a cocktail. :)

Next...

I stayed on track yesterday and maintained my weight at 174.5.

I did my zumba yesterday, jumped on the trampoline (which surprisingly in 10 minutes, I burned 69 calories!), then helped K unbox. I didnt get over there until after 9pm and was there til about 11 so only 204 calories were burned there.

I also did another wrap. Dont know that I am seeing many results with it but I will take a couple pictures to compare with my other "before" shots. Figured I would do a couple wraps to see if there are dramatic results.

Today I did zumba again. I couldnt remember if I had done the HRM for calories for it, so I turned it on today. In less than 20 minutes, 162 calories are burned. Really pretty good I thought.
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So onto the title of my blog for today.

Scapegoats and Sacred Cows

This is the title of my friend P's blog. I am sure I have mentioned her on here a few times.

I would like to introduce you all to her.

Her name is Penni Jones.

She is a good friend of mine, a neighbor, and a Friday night Ladies of Dexter frequenter.

She has a great sense of humor and sarcasm, is intelligent, and is from the South with her cute little southern accent (but we dont hold that against her LOL). She is married, and has two kids the same age as my kids. According to her, she also "drinks too much coffee and eats too much sugar" but hey- dont we all?

She is also an excellent writer. While I am good with paint, she is great at writing and painting pictures on paper with words. I really envy that. She has one book currently on the market that she self published and is working on another one.

Need a good book to read?

Check out her first book-

If the name of the book doesn't have you intrigued about what this is about, it starts off about a woman who gets a letter saying her mother is sick. She goes to visit her mom and finds out it is just a guise to get her back to the religious cult compound where she and two of her friends grew up- until the leader of the cult was murdered, that is. The current leader is out for blood and wants to avenge his father who was murdered by the girls all those years ago while also preparing his followers for a predicted Holy War.

Twists and turns ensue while the three friends come back to the compound for one reason or another and then try to escape (alive) for the second time in their lives. I literally couldnt put the book down. I read it in a day and a half.

It was also the first book that I read on the Kindle app on my phone. I fought it and fought it, but after reading the preview pages for the book, I had to have the book in my hands NOW. So I am no longer a Kindle virgin.

I am sure that I didnt do the review justice so here is the link to Amazon. It is also available on Nook, Sony Reader and iBooks. Take a sneak peak at the book and read the first few pages. It hooked me.

While this book is a bit dark in exploring the inner workings of a cult (all fictional), Penni's sense of humor and sarcasm shines thru on her blog. If I am having a bad day, or the kids are bugging me, or I am out of Xanax (just kidding), I check out her blog. Always makes me laugh.

So check out Scapegoats and Sacred Cows and let me know what you think!

And have a great Friday (and weekend) everyone!
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Tip of the Day:

Soothing sore muscles and a fun question

So yesterday and today my neck was way too sore to do the Ripped workout. I am really disappointed because I wanted to see it the whole way thru. I will probably have to wait another couple days until my neck unknots to pick it back up.

That being said, I didnt NOT do a workout yesterday. I think I mentioned that I did the 20 minute zumba dvd because I am going to become an instructor. Good practice and I truly love zumba more than any other exercise.

Then last night I went to K's house and we literally unpacked close to 100 boxes. Today her countertop is getting installed (as we speak) so we can unpack some kitchen boxes and unpack another load that the movers are bringing.

Aaron was a sweetheart and brought me heating packs and icy hot for my neck last night. The heat pack didnt like to stay on so that was a bust but the icy hot has been fantastic. I just keep slathering the stuff on.

So with the minimal amount of exercise I did yesterday, I was surprised to see 174.5 today. A half pound loss and I will take it!!

Tonight I think I am going to wear my heart rate monitor to see how many calories we burn just out of morbid curiosity. We did a lot of heavy lifting. The gal has a huge library of books!

So this morning, no Ripped for me again. I did the 20 minute zumba again. This afternoon when the boys nap, I am hoping to do the cardio party. We shall see if it happens. Tonight- more boxes. :)
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My sore neck leads me to some tips that I found in an online article: Thought I would share.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/newsletters/nl_508.do#article1

Recovery Done Right- 8 Ways to Prevent Muscle Soreness

1. Stretch (duh)
2. Eat for rapid recovery- have a postworkout drink with between a 3:1 to 5:1 carb-to-protein ratio reduced muscle damage and improved recovery times
3. Ice it- immediately after a workout
4. Change your diet- add foods that are rich in omega-3's to your diet
5. Massage sore spots- a favorite tip of mine if you can get a significant other to do it for you
6. Get heated- after your muscles have returned to "resting" temperature
7. Move it- Dont skip your next workout because of soreness
8. Pop a painkiller- if you MUST. 
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Now onto a more fun topic that my husband informed me about the other day.
You will understand why He knew about it and not Me when I tell you...

So Jenny McCarthy is 39, almost 40 and she has announced that she is going to be on the cover of Playboy. I say- YOU GO GIRL! It is how she got her start afterall.

Here is her current cover:

Here is her debut cover (1993):

I used to think she was a ditz way back when, but now I really like her. She has become a great role model and public activist for autism.

Anyways, I digress. 

Kudos to her. She looks great. She isnt anorexic looking. She has curves. She even said that she didnt want to diet. She just wanted to tone up. My husband said he finds her more attractive now then when she was younger. Which led him to asking me...

If you were to pose for Playboy, would it be your younger self, your current self, or your future self?

My answer was easy. It would be my current self. I dont know what my future self looks like. If I have a flat stomach etc and my younger self looks no where as good as my current self does.  

What about you? Would your younger self pose, your current self pose, or your future self pose?

What do you think about her posing for Playboy at 39?

Have a great Thursday everyone!
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Tip of the Day:

Painting and a occupation change

First....

Here is my finished painting. I love how it turned out.

It only took me 3 days to do from start to finish. Not too bad.

And I think it goes rather well in the room and adds a lot of color to the top of the fireplace AND goes nicely with my chair which was sort of the inspiration for the piece.

See the chair under the tv? I LOVE that chair. My sister thinks it looks old lady. I dont. What do you think? Old Lady or no?

Yesterday for the gym I ended up doing a little less than expected. I got there and ran 3 miles on the treadmill but my legs were sore. I pushed thru.

Then I did CX and some of the ab work hurt so bad that I couldnt hold the pose for as long as you should. Good and bad. Good because it hurt not from under use but because my muscles had already trained there for the day.

So once I was done with CX, I cut out. I was going to lift weights but I am having problems with the muscles on each side of my neck. I will get to that more in a couple minutes.

So instead I came home and went for a walk with S and her daughter. We did the same 3.6 mile loop that K and I did the night before. So in total I got in another 6.6 miles.

Calories at the gym: 792
Calories on our walk: 349

1141 calories burned. And that doesnt take into account the calories I burned doing Ripped yesterday morning.

Weight this morning: 175.0

Oh well. I am gonna say I am gaining muscle from all the running. LOL. (Didnt gain yesterday though. I maintained)

This morning when I woke up my neck hurt SO bad. To the point where I cant really turn it from side to side. It is the small muscle on each side that is inflamed.

Now I know it is from Ripped. Jillian really works out your back and shoulders REALLY well. And apparently the stretching that we do at the end doesnt really get all the kinks out.

So today I took a break from Ripped. Aaron is bringing me home some muscle cream and hopefully he will massage that into my neck tonight.

Instead I did my 20 minute zumba express.

I really need to start practicing zumba.

Why???

Because I have decided that come October, I am going to take a class to become a Zumba Instructor!!

Dexter Village just broke ground on a brand new state of the art fitness center that should be done next year. I would love to be closer to home for working out and why not make some money at the same time I am doing my work out??

I messaged my Zumba instructor at the gym I go to about me getting certified and she is more than willing to help me out and talk about things. So I think we are going to meet on Monday for breakfast. I am VERY excited!

Zumba is what started me on this entire weight loss journey so it seems appropriate that I get my certification in it first.

If all goes well, and I can find out who is in charge of the gym, I am hoping I can stake my claim and become an instructor. PLUS I want to take some other zumba certification classes like zumba toning.

My instructor told me that I will be able to teach with her (her daughter that she teaches with on Friday nights is on maternity leave) and even sub for her. How cool!

So that is my news of the day. Today K is getting some contents delivered to her house. I told her I would come over and help put things away. She was thinking last night that it will be mostly furniture but we will see.

If it is, I will probably go for another run tonight. Maybe the 3.6 mile loop. Then end of the loop is a great hill that will be good for working on my endurance.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

I thought this chart was interesting when I saw it yesterday. It shows the percentage of americans that are obese per state. My state (Michigan) is over 30% obese. How sad is that? I used to be in that range too! Where are you with your goal? How does your state stack up to others?

I work out and I work out...

Dont take this as waving the white flag....

I am not.

But a gal can only take SO much...

Seriously.

So yesterday I did Ripped.

I had my normal lunch. Some baby carrots, hummus, roast beef, two hard boiled eggs and an english muffin with some natural peanut butter.

Then that night I went for a 4 mile run before going for a walk with K. Then K and I went for a 3.6 mile walk SO that makes for a total of 7.6 miles for me yesterday. Calories burned on my run/walk: 1022

When I got home I took a hot shower, drank a lot of water, had some whole wheat saltine crackers with my homemade salsa and a little bit more roast beef and hummus.

I also did another wrap last night too which is why I was drinking all the water.

This morning I gained a half pound!! (Bangs head on table)

Seriously? Seriously?

I am HOPING this is "bloat" from the wrap. I didnt take pictures this morning of my stomach because I figured I would wait 3 days and take a final picture. Plus I really didnt see too much change.

But how can I work out, eat clean and still gain a half pound?

Maybe it is muscle bloat too from the running. Or swelling I should say. I am VERY sore today. It has been a while since I have run. And I have to start running to prepare for the upcoming half marathon in October.

But I am still very frustrated.

I know I shouldnt let the scale dictate how I feel. But it still does. Not as much as it USED to, but it does.

I did pick myself up and headed to the basement to do my Ripped for the day.

Now I am enjoying some warm oats for breakfast.

And tonight I will take out my anger at the gym.

Running. CX. Body Flow. RPM.

I am going to make my body HURT.

And we will just have to wait until tomorrow to see what the scale has to say about that.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!
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Tip of the day: 

Monday, oh Monday

So first, I want to admit that I totally just stole this from Krystal at SkinnyJeansDreams. Saw it, and loved it. Thanks Krystal!

So yesterday was a great work out day with some not so great evening choices. LOL. Such is life.

I did Ripped and then I went for an evening walk with S. K wanted to go but was tired after seeing her daughter at college. Her intentions were there but the body was weak. She isnt getting out of it today though (wink).

Anyways...S and I went for a walk thru the neighborhood and burned 261 calories. Nice huh?

Then I got home and it sort of fell apart. I had some pita chips and hummus. Hummus is good, pita chips arent. And I made a lime vodka and sierra mist drink. Really yummy. And I had a little corner of my slutty brownie. After I ate it, I regretted it. It just wasnt what I was looking for. Dont think I will make that same mistake again. Oh well.

This morning my scale said 174.5. So not horrible. A 1/2 pound gain.
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Yesterday I went and bought a HUGE canvas. 30"x48". 2'-6"x4'. Big!

I need a project to keep me busy in the evenings so I dont snack.

So I am going to paint a picture for above our fireplace. Not sure how it is going to turn out, but I love to paint and have really missed doing so. I got the background done yesterday. It isnt much to look at so far, but I plan on painting a lot of really abstract bright poppies on it so it sort of matches the new recliner that we have. I want to draw the colors thru the kitchen into the dining room. And frankly, the green wall needs a big pop of color.

kind of hard to see with the glare from the window, but it goes from brown at the bottom to a gold khaki at the top. On top of all that will be some nice bright, abstract poppies

My mom bought me a beautiful mirror to put up there (she is giving it to us for Christmas) but it is only 16" around and I think it is going to be way too small. SO I think I am going to put that up in our master bedroom. We have nothing on the walls up there yet.

I also bought two canvas's for the kids to paint today. I cant wait. It will be nice to get some kid art up on the walls. I think I am going to put them upstairs in the hallway. I already have another picture I painted up there.  Here it is:

I painted this when Aaron and I lived out in Arizona. It is based on an artists work that I just fell in love with. So I recreated it in my own home.

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Last night I also made up my first container of overnight oatmeal. I got the idea from Katie from RunsforCookies when I finished up a container of peanut butter yesterday.

This is what I did...

Took the unwashed container of peanut butter and added 1/2 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup almond milk, a smidge of real maple syrup, a teaspoon of real cocoa powder and a dash of cinnamon. Stir it up, throw the lid on, and I inverted mine in the fridge over night.

So once I finished Ripped this morning, I enjoyed my already made oatmeal. It was delicious!! AND I killed my workout this morning. The 2 minutes of cardio in plank are getting a lot easier.
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Tonight I am ripping K from her house. We are walking. Come hell or high water. I may go for a quick run tonight before I go and get her.

And I plan on having some tuna for dinner. My husband HATES tuna but it is a good protein. I can eat it with some carrots or celery. Hoping to go for a run/walk, come back and paint. NO SNACKING!!
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And on a final daily note, I think I may put on another wrap tonight. My "aunt" is about ready to leave and I am anxious to try out the remaining wraps. IF they work and tighten my skin, I want to place another order. HOWEVER, if they dont tighten the skin dramatically, I dont know that I will be placing an order. I have 4 chances.

And that will help me stay on plan too. No drinking alcohol, no snacking, clean eating only. Lots of water.

Phew. Ok. Enough miscellaneous thoughts for the day. Onto getting the boys ready to paint.
Have a great Monday everyone!
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Tip of the day: and something I need to remember!

Another accomplishment

Yup.

This says it all.

Moms- well we work twice as hard.

Balancing home life.

Diet

Exercise

WHICH is why I didnt get a chance to work out last night like I wanted to :sigh:.

After the Pampered Chef party last week, the basement looked like a bomb went off in it. A Great. Big. Toy. Bomb. And all week I have nagged the kids to pick up. This of course doesnt even include the toys that I had previously taken and locked away in a closet because they didnt pick them up. Ugh. I originally thought that I would just pick up the toys myself and once again lock them away in a closet with the others that I had taken, but then I started thinking...

I really cant put too much blame on them. After the tornado, when we were unpacked, I just had the movers dump toys into bins and not sort anything. So with Christmas coming up, I thought this was the perfect time to go thru everything.

I purged toys they grew out of. Saved some for my niece. Threw others away. Got rid of all the stupid McDonald toys. Threw away broken toys. Sorted out all the lego and seperated others into appropriate bins. Duplos, Legos, stuffed animals, dress up clothes, matchbox cars, etc. It was a lot of work. But an accomplishment for me. AND I was REALLY glad I did it once I started BECAUSE I found a razorblade in with their toys. Yup. I said it right. A razorblade. Like the kind you use in a boxcutter. Now it wasnt a new blade. Very old. BUT I have NO IDEA how it got there. My only guess is that the cleaners when they were going thru the toys to clean everything switched out their blade and lost it in the box. Regardless, I found it before someone got really hurt.

AND I had another accomplishment yesterday.

For one of my half price Pampered Chef items, I got their new brownie pan. This thing is the best ever!! Yesterday for breakfast I made the kids little omlets with cheese. Then last night I made slutty brownies. Yup. They are called slutty brownies. You use cookie dough on the bottom and spread that out in each well of the pan. Then I put a peanut butter cup in each one in the middle but you can use rolos or oreos...whatever floats your boat. Then you top with brownie batter and cook. Bites of yummy deliciousness. And I didnt have one. Yup. I didnt have a single one. Xavier had one for dessert. Then I took two down to my friend P and her husband. And I took two across the street to my friends A and C. Spread the love people. Aaron even had one too. He REALLY liked them. I still have a few left. I just need to hold out my willpower. I did lick some of the batter and ate some of the little crusts that fell off the sides of them. But that didnt even equal to a 1/4 of a brownie. Probably not even an 1/8th.

not my picture, but this is what I did.

I LOVE to bake and cook...I just dont want to necessarily eat what I like to make. LOL.

I look forward to using this pan. You can do everything in it. Mini pizzas individualized for what each person wants, cornbread, quiches, omlets, cakes, everything!

And so with all that, I was really surprised to see that with no extra exercising, I lost a half pound today. I will take it. Down to 174.0. Would LOVE to get back into the 160's again. Slowly I am getting there.

I went to the farmers market yesterday too and got enough stuff to make a good salsa. So that is what I did  to top my turkey burger instead of regular mayo and ketchup. Yummy! I also got peaches, an all natural, clean, dark chocolate candy bar for when my craving hits, sweet peppers, a ton of jalepenos, tomatoes, and I got Xavier a hot dog for lunch.

A very productive day in all.
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And last night my sister told me that she got her photos back from the photographer. She got over 250 of them and is having a tough time deciding which ones she really likes. I thought I would share some of them with you.

my Sister and I

dad, my sister, Norah, mom and I

Bridal Party

Xavier doing his Michael Jackson Thriller moves

This is my dads side of the family. Every single kid is looking the right way and smiling. This was a retake because originally I was missing from the picture trying to get the kids out of the bathroom.

Look at my back muscles! LOL. And my calf muscles...LOL

Have a great Sunday everyone!
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Tip of the Day:

Conquered Friday

Yesterday was a success in my book.

I did my Ripped- which you all knew if you read my blog yesterday.

And last night I walked for 2.5 miles and did zumba. I had planned on running HOWEVER because of how sore I was yesterday, it just wasnt happening.

BUT I got on the treadmill and did 45 minutes on the "Fat Burn" setting.

And between that and zumba, I burned 845 calories.

Nice!

Then K and I went to the Friday night concert. We didnt stay for the whole thing because we saw that one of our neighbors "checked in" on Facebook at Aubreys so we thought we would go crash.

We ended up running into a couple of K's friends and chatted with them for a while in the bar area of Aubreys. By the time we left them, our friend who "checked in" had left. Oh well! We will catch up to her soon.

I did really good last night. I had one tall Oberon beer and K and I shared an order of traditional buffalo wings (I think I ate 6 of them and she ate 2), and we shared feta bread (which she took the leftovers home from) and she ordered a reuben which she MAYBE ate half of.

Then I came home and margaritas were calling my name. I have a really easy recipe for them. I made them last weekend for my party and I still have quite a few limes and simple syrup left over and I didnt want them to go to waste. LOL. So I made up some margaritas for Aaron and I and munched on some frosted mini wheats for "dessert".

Aaron had a rough go last night. Not sure why. Not sure what he ate...

But his stomach seized up on him about 4:30 this morning and he was in the bathroom getting sick for a while. So I didnt get much sleep either because I was worried about him. In fact, he is still upstairs sleeping and it is 9:15. Usually he is up by 5am. Poor guy.

I, however, was very surprised when the scale said 174.5 today! Woo hoo!

Not only did I NOT gain weight, but I LOST weight. I would say that is a huge accomplishment for me.
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Onto today...

I have not yet done Ripped. I will. Probably will go downstairs pretty shortly.

I also realized when I went to make the kids breakfast with something other than cereal, that we are lacking in the breakfast making department. No sausage or bacon. No good veggies for omlets.

So I think I am going to try to take the kids with me and go to the farmers market today. I havent gone yet this year and want to check it out before it is done. They are open from 8-1pm so I need to get my butt in gear.

Tonight I am not sure what I am going to do. Aaron was supposed to go to the Woodward Dream Cruise today with his brother, but I am not sure how he will be feeling now. In fact, I was going to go and see my sister and take the boys with me overnight til tomorrow, but with Aaron not feeling well, I dont want to go.

SO...if Aaron goes to Dream Cruise, I wont be able to go running tonight because I will have to get the boys to bed and stay at the house. So that means either running on the elliptical or maybe doing my cardio party zumba dvd. I keep saying I want to do my zumba dvd so tonight might give me the excuse.

IF Aaron stays, then I will probably go for a run tonight. Or maybe a walk with S if she wants to go.

And I have left over turkey burgers from the other day, so that will be my dinner for tonight. Set up for success for the day.

Have a great Saturday everyone!
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Tip of the Day:

OH THE HUMANITY!!

Let me say it again....

OH THE HUMANITY!

If I had any doubts (and I didnt) that yesterdays workout on week 2 of Ripped in 30 was any good, this morning proved that it was.

I am sore from my neck down to my ankles. My back, my biceps, triceps, abs, quads, hamstrings..everything HURTS!

And yet...I still went back for more this morning.

And I was DRIPPING with sweat.

Down my legs...

My arms....

My back....

I guess that just shows that I am in it for the long haul huh?

Lots of people if they woke up this sore would say "oh I am going to take a rest day". But not me.

Guess I am glutton for punishment.

Or maybe I am glutton for change.

Either way, I think it is a good thing.
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Yesterday I stayed on plan with my eating. I was very impressed with myself.

My mother in law texted me to say she was going to make a cake so I didnt have to. But I still went and picked up lean ground turkey and Kopplingers hamburger buns. The Kopplingers are the cleanest I can find on the market.

So last night for dinner I ended up having 1 big lean turkey burger on my bun with onion, light mayo, ketchup and lettuce. I also had garlic hummus with fresh veggies (carrots, celery and cherry tomatoes), and some cottage cheese. I didnt even put cheese on my burger. Nor did I have baked beans and hot dogs. Nor did I have cake and ice cream. Seriously. AND the cake was the Funfetti kind. I LOVE that kind!

I did have one beer though. And I said no to a second one.

Baby steps.

I never did get to exercise that afternoon when the boys went down for nap. My Pampered Chef orders came in from my party and I had 5 boxes to sort thru. So I did that instead so I could drop off orders.

So I was very pleasantly surprised when the scale said 175.0 at me today.

Yes. Yes it was a very good day.

And I think that is part of what drove me this morning to come back to Jillian.
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This morning for breakfast I did something a bit different.

I had be drinking a protein smoothie every morning and yesterday I ran out.

Dang it!

And of course my spinach was yucky that I had in the fridge.

SOOOOOO...

I blended some almond milk, frozen strawberries, quick oats, natural peanut butter and a banana up.

Tasty!

You really cant taste the peanut butter at all. I added it really for the protein.

Anyways...something you might want to try...
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We all know what today is.

Friday.

My favorite day of the week.

Not just because it signals the end of the week and the upcoming weekend. Really...do I care? I dont work. I stay at home with the kids...

Naw.

It signals my night out with my girlfriends.

Though this week we will be sparse. I think it will be just K and I. Which will still be MOST excellent.

I will let you all know what the scale says tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everyone!!
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Tip of the Day:

Few day recap and the devil I know

Hi everyone!

Because I missed writing an entry yesterday morning, I just wanted to do a recap of the past couple days.

Tuesday night I never made it to the gym because Aaron got home from work late. That is ok. I was fine with it because he lets me go out SO often. So instead I contacted K and S to see if they wanted to walk at 8pm. S couldnt make it but K said yes.

So 8 rolls around and no K. Hmmmm....So I texted her and didnt get a response. I finally told Aaron I would go get her. And she wasnt at her house. That is ok. Things come up. So I came back to the house to see if she called. She didnt. I didnt want to go off by myself and have her show at the house so I took my cell and told Aaron that I was going for a run. About 1.2 miles in, K texted me saying that she ran to Lowes without her phone and the time got away from her. I understand that one. Lowes does that to me too. It is like a big black hole. LOL. So I continued my run to her house and we walked about another mile or so. I burned 414 calories in just under an hour. Pretty good.

Wednesday morning I did my last day on week one of Ripped in 30. I was happy and scared at the same time. I mean- week 1 was rough and it is only the beginning! Last night I was supposed to do another wrap. HOWEVER my "aunt" is trying to visit and they dont recommend doing a wrap while "aunts" are in the house.

I have been using the defining gel on my stomach though and I have noticed that it is a bit less wrinkly. AND I am starting to see a bit of definition in my upper abs. VERY EXCITED! So next week will be wrap two. I also will be placing an order for more defining gel (I just got a sample size) and  fat fighter which is supposed to block some fat and carbs when you go off plan...which is what I did last night (hangs head in shame).

Pizza.

Pizza is the devil. The delicious, greasy devil.

Especially Pizza Hut. And Jets...and Aubreys...

Well really any pizza.

We had gone to the Toledo Zoo yesterday (the boys, my mother in law, and I) and were there from 11 or so until 5. We packed a lunch so I did good there. And I pushed a double stroller around with the coolers in it. The boys walked for the majority.

But then.

We got back to Aarons grandmas house and it was time for dinner.

Aaron and his mom went and got pizza. Pizza Hut pizza. With all the good toppings on it...well except onions. They dont like onions. I do though.

And they got breadsticks.

And cinnamon bread sticks.

And at this point I knew I was going to eat WAY more than I should and I was wishing I had some of that fat fighter. LOL. We ALL know what CARBS do to me. And I just cant say no. I try not to keep them in the house. I cant. say. no.

After two pieces of pizza, and I dont know how many breadsticks, I left feeling way too full and bloated. Good thing is that I only gained a 1/2 pound. I am sure it is because of all the walking we did yesterday. Saved by the zoo.

We didnt get home til 8:30 and I was feeling way too full to exercise so I stayed up and watched Big Bang Theory and read my book. And I drank some water with natural cranberry juice to help flush out what I ate.

Today was the start of week two of Ripped. OH MY!!! In this one she definitely makes you bring it. I am talking about push ups while you bring your knee to your elbow. Now I have a hard time doing push ups anyways. My right shoulder has a screwy range of motion. Pretty sure I am going to need to have my rotator cuff worked on at some point. So I didnt really do much of a push up but I did do the leg bend. Holy crap.
Then in one of the circuits she has you do plank jacks and go right into mountain climbers....seriously? Holy crap again. Pendulum lunges make a comeback from 30DS with a twist. Oh my. My arms are already sore. My calories burned is a bit high because I forgot to turn it off until I was up and making my smoothie, but regardless it is an awesome workout at 286 calories burned. Yup thats right. Her 30 minute workout (with warm up and cool down) gives you an awesome start to the day.

Tonight I cant make it to the gym either. It is my brother in laws birthday SO we go back to Aarons grandmas house tonight for a party. This time I learned my lesson and am fixing myself up for success. We are doing hot dogs and hamburgers. So I will be picking up ground turkey for me and my clean Kopplinger hamburger buns. Also I am in charge of the cake so I will be picking up a cake mix and frosting that I dont like. Cherry. My mother in law always used to make that for Aaron and his brother growing up and it just isnt my thing. But I will be making a molten lava style cake in my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker.

During the boys nap, I may try to get in some zumba. Just bump up the cardio again before dinner tonight.

Tomorrow is Friday and you know what that means.... Feta Bread Friday. LOL. My favorite day of the week. Not sure who all is coming yet but I always look forward to it.

OHHHH and I didnt get a chance to tell you all yet.

But if you read my blog a couple weeks ago you will know that I talked about self discovery and self image. About how I want to do things for me because I like them (ie tattoo). I didnt want to post anything because my mom reads my blog and I didnt want her to find out on here. LOL. BUT...

I went and got my nose pierced. It is something that I have wanted for years. I have other piercings but this was going to be my first "non-normal" face piercing. I wasnt sure how my mom was going to take it. She came to my Pampered Chef party and didnt even notice for a while. LOL. When she did she said "Really?" I said "Yes, I have wanted one for a while" to which she replied "Good luck with that". LOL. That was it. My friend C interjected that really it is pretty discrete. I mean my mom didnt even notice it for about 45 minutes. LOL.

I did warn my mom by text that my blue hair pieces were clip in. LOL. I really want to dye my hair but I have decided that as much as I would like to, it is much more fun to get clip ins to be able to change the color whenever I want.

What do you think of my piercing? And my blue hair?

This is right after it was done which is why my nose is red. LOL

Tip of the Day:

More wrap pictures

I am just so tickled with these wraps that this morning I decided to put some of the Defining Gel that I received as a sample on too. It is supposed to enhance the wrap and you can use it inbetween doing them (wraps).

I will get to more wrap pictures in a minute.

Yesterday though I got back on track with Ripped In 30 after missing it on Sunday. Then I went walking last night with neighbors K and S. It was really nice and we got sprinkled on a bit which was quite refreshing.

I even made an excellent dinner. I had eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash left over from a veggie relish I made for some crispy polenta this past weekend, so I cooked up some brown rice, sauteed onions, eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash together. Added in some left over chicken breast, some thai curry seasoning and then added the rice. After that I cracked a couple eggs for a fried rice type of meal and topped it off with some low sodium soy sauce. Really yummy! And I think I will have that for lunch to get some good carbs in me before the gym tonight.

This morning I have already done my Ripped dvd. My weight? 177.5. Coming down after the wraps and the detoxing.

Tonight is my crazy night with running, CX, Body Flow, and RPM. By the time RPM rolls around, I am usually pretty exhausted so I think I am going to buy a cliff bar tonight to help me get some energy for class. Not the cleanest, but I dont have any Lara Bars hanging around.

Ok onto the wrap pictures- day 2. I do have to say that my measurements really havent changed at all, but the pictures have. In the "front" picture, the distance from my belly button down to my excess skin seems to have shrunk. And the "side" picture speaks for itself.

LOOK! You can actually see a mole (at the bottom by my shorts) in todays picture that you cant in the other two pictures!

This one speaks for itself I think.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Tip of the Day: