The Year of Health & Fitness: Week 3

New Motivation: Beach Bod

This week was kind of a joke for working out and eating healthy. At least I did not gain anything back. I had a yucky cold for most of the week.  I just could not get myself to work out. I did not eat horribly, but when I am sick I do like my comfort foods! A bit of a wasted week, but that will happen. Moving on!

Some things could possibly be changing here in a few months, so Will and I wanted to plan a vacation for the two of us. We started at first thinking of Vegas...but then we saw some really good deals for Ireland! A dream trip for both of us. The more we thought about it, we want to save that for when we can stay a bit longer. So, then we started thinking about Paris. I feel like that could be done in less time. We were even talking to Will's sister that lives there to work it out, but then we talked some more...Will has been there three times already... I would like to go, but I am not sure I am in the mood for site-seeing and touristy things. I just want to relax and have fun. Now we are thinking Hawaii!!! Will has been to a lot of places in Europe but never anywhere tropical. Perfect! It would be here soon, so hopefully it works out. This means...I cannot have another week like this last one. Need to get bikini body! Motivation!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

 

Just Us Girls

 Today Meli and I needed some girl time, so we went for a long walk.  It was really pretty out and not too cold. It was nice to have some quiet time with my baby girl.

She is growing way too fast.

Meli loved the ducks! She really wanted to chase after them. She kept saying "hi quack-quacks"! 

Her words are getting ridiculous! She is doing pretty good with sentences and she started using the word "disgusting" a couple of weeks ago.

Some days it not only rains...it pours

This is from a different day, but Meli was caught
messing around in dad's office

As I was revamping the look of this blog, I realized I have not really stayed true to the title. I planned to write about all of parenthood (the good, the bad, and the in-between) and I noticed that I tend to sugar coat things or not focus on the negative of parenting as much. I think I do not want to come across as complaining because 1) I love being a mom more than anything and 2) I have been pretty fortunate with two healthy and well-behaved kids and I know others have to deal with a lot worse on a daily basis.   Still, everyone has bad days, so to stay true to the blog purpose let me tell you about my Monday this past week.

Now, to preface...I know that some parent's normal days are a lot worse than any of my bad days. That may be  why I do not want to come across as complaining. I follow a few blogs written by moms who have kids that have been dealt some difficult cards. These ladies' blogs are amazing and their strength and perseverance is such an inspiration. When I am having a difficult day, I try to step back and think of these ladies' everyday struggle and it puts my frustrations in perspective. One of the blogs is, http://patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com/. Another is http://theparkerfive.wordpress.com a mom who lost her little girl during the Sandy Hook school massacre.

I woke up very tired because I had spent the night in Meli's room. She decided she was not having the sleep thing and kept trying to come out of her room. This is the only night we have had trouble with this. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep. Of course since I had only a few hours of sleep to go on EVERYTHING went wrong that could.

One of the kids had messed with the interior light in our car. So, the one day we actually need the car the battery is dead. Will works from home, but had to run an errand. We had a neighbor give us a jump start, but lack of sleep idiot here turned the car off right when they left. I knew the car needed to run to recharge, but I was working against myself that day. The neighbor was gone so that option was out.

We had a friend with a portable battery charger, I would just have to walk to get it. I had to take Colin to school, so I thought "no problem". We walked a few miles to Colin's school, when I realized it was a teacher work day, so no school. I felt like such a space cadet. One with a headache. So, we made it to our friends house, grabbed the charger (which was heavy) and left for home. I had worked out earlier, so my muscles were so sore and this thing was heavy. It felt like such a long walk home. Oh did I mention it started to rain on our way there. Fun. That at least ended well. I made it home before collapsing and the car was started.

It was like the kids could sense that mommy was having a bad day...and wanted to contribute. Meli's contribution was:

*pulling all of my bookmarks out of my current pile of books next to my bed

*throwing my socks in the toilet

*starting a new issue with hitting Colin

*deciding even though she was so tired and ready for a nap, she did not want to sleep

*taking out EVERY single toy from her toy drawers and her big brothers (which caused a fight with Colin)

*spilling something at every meal (I swear a few were on purpose) causing 4 outfit changes for the day

*constantly stealing Colin's bunny and running away from him (poor Colin was a little whiney since he was not able to sleep much either with Meli's crying)

*pulling out all of my pots, pans and lids within the seconds it took me to take a bag of garbage outside

I know there was more but that is all I can think of right now.

Colin's main contribution was deciding he wants to give us a preview to the teenager years by starting to talk back and being very rude. This was partially due to being very tired. He also thought it would be a good idea to talk even more than usual since mommy had a headache.

Now on a normal day this would not have seen so bad, but man I was close to tears by the middle of the day!

Then my reminder that it could be a lot worse came with Colin singing over and over " things can always be worse"...a Backyardigan songs. This caused me to pull my silly self together and hug the two monsters before we started to have a "collecting ourselves" period of reading some Dr. Seuss. That always seems to help.

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

The Year of Health & Fitness: Week 2

So Drained

Well, this week was a bit of a struggle. I felt like I was coming down with something the first two days. In spite of feeling crappy, I forced myself to do my workouts. The rest of the week I struggled with the kids being very needy, once thy saw mommy going into her workout area. Meli tried to work out with me one day. I will have to post some videos from that here soon.  Once she was bored of that she wanted to either hold my hand or be held. That made doing walkout push-ups very difficult. She did add extra weight with my supermans by sitting on my back.  I was not horrible with eating healthy because I did not have much of an appetite this week. I could just feel this week that my energy was very low (probably because the two monsters took turns waking me up every night this week)...I am drained. I did lose 2 lbs. So yippee!

Our date weekend got canceled because Grammie was not sure if she was coming down with something. She is nurse and works at a hospital, so I did not want to take chances with the flu that is going around. Anyways, she ended up being fine and came up on Wednesday night. We traded our free day this weekend for our date night. We had such a good time. I had kind of a weird combination. I really wanted calamari, but I also wanted avocado rolls and tomato bisque. So weird. Oh but so good! Will had a California burger, which made him feel pretty gross afterwards. I guess that is a good thing. Then we went to a different restaurant and had dessert. Will had tiramisu and I had an Italian pastry with raspberry sauce. Delicious.

 I could not get Will to take a picture with me this time so just a solo one.

Until next week...

 ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

Outdoor Adventures

This is a collage from some of our outdoor adventures lately. We are trying to take advantage of any decent weather days to get the kids doing activities outdoors. Colin loves the "shaky bridge". I am so proud of him. Not that long ago he would have been too timid to cross it. 

I love the clothes the kids put together. So creative! Especially Colin's rain boots with his Canadian hat.

Our Little Reader

Colin has been doing such a good job with reading!  I thought to celebrate he should help me with a book list! So, here you go my fellow book-lovers!

For kids:

Colin loves to try and read himself (Dr. Seuss books are great for that), but he really loves being read to!  I am so proud of him! It probably goes without saying that this bookworm is thrilled to have two kids that have shown such a love for books. I am so glad that he is now at a point where we can read him beginner chapter books.

We finished reading Peter Pan a few months ago. I think it helped that we started it after he saw the old Disney cartoon. Helps with the transition to no pictures.

We watched the movie Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief together. The movie was a little tense for him at times but he seemed to really like it. I bought the book recently, so he also wants that read to him.  I wanted to read it first to see if it would be able to hold his attention. It actually is a cute book. A very "hip" way to get young kids interested in Greek mythology...which I totally support!

We just finished reading,  The Mouse and the Motorcycle (the Ralph Mouse books by Beverly Clearly). Colin loved it! He wants to read more books by her. I am hoping he will like the Ramona books.

We just started Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (another book from my youth) and he seems to like it so far.

 

Books for adults:

I usually always have a few books that I am reading...right now they are:

 Ayn Rands', We the Living. It is about communism in  Soviet Russia in the 20's...but the themes are still very relevant for today. I love it so far. She is a Romantic Realist writer which is an interesting style.

I am also reading, How the Irish Saved Civilization. This is part of a (somewhat) series (meaning it can be read in any order) by Thomas Cahill. I loved Sailing the Dark-Wine Sea: How the Greeks Still Matter. It looks like it will just as good.

Another book I am reading is Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman. I have read several of her books. A very good author.

There are two books I had started pre-move but got packed away, (so I need to restart) Cleopatra: A Life and the Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. Both were very good so far. The first is not your typical take on the amazing historical figure of Egypt and Eleanor was such a smart and incredible woman. Very inspiring. 

Another book I am excited to start is one that Will bought me for our anniversary. It 

is the writings from a local girl of the town my dad lives in (early 1900's), Opal. She supposedly was an incredible woman with her writing abilities and knowledge of nature.  I also got several books for Christmas...I now have The War that killed Achilles, an art history book, and Hyperbole and a Half.

The Year of Health & Fitness: Week 1

Extremely Sore

 

The first week of getting super healthy has come to an end...and man am I sore! Every part of my body is so very sore, but that is good...right?!

 

We had thought about joining a gym but I am more likely to succeed if I do not have to drive somewhere to workout. At home is perfect for me. Plus, we have more than enough equipment to use, so might as well save money. Will has been doing a mix of boxing and weightlifting/cardio.  I am sticking to my girl Jillian Michaels, because I LOVE HER! She puts good routines together and she does not make me want to punch her in the face. I am starting with the 30 Day Shred video (for 4 weeks) and then will move on to her kickboxing for 4 weeks. I am curious to see how much of a difference happens with each video. For Christmas, I got a new video of hers (Ripped in 30) which I will again do for 4 weeks before moving on to Pilates. After doing each one solo I plan to do a combination of two videos. I get bored easily. I am very excited to track the progress. I bought a fancy scale that tracks weight, BMI, % body fat, and hydration levels. I remember doing my % body fat in high school, so that was a little disheartening to see, but I am determined to get it back to that percentage!

 

This week has been good. I lost 3 lbs! I have not had soda or treats. I am of a mind-set of everything in moderation. For dinners during the week we eat either chicken or fish combined with a salad or veggies. Then on the weekend, I will make meatloaf or pasta, etc...more comfort food types. When we go on a date, I am not cheating on "my diet" if I have a dessert. I just make it a point not to do that often. I do not really like the term "diet". I hate saying I am on a "diet" because to me eating healthy is not that hard of a concept.  Plus, diets have become a trendy thing and most people follow the current fad until the next one becomes popular. eh. I am not following one specifically but taking from what I have read over the years and just applying it.

 

Until next week...

 



~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

Happy Birthday, Liz!!

Today is the birthday of one of the sweetest ladies I know, my other mom Liz. Happy birthday!!! I am so blessed to have the best mother-in-law; she is always there for Will and I, the kids absolutely adore her, and she has been such a good mom (and friend) to me. I really hit the jackpot as far as mothers go!

Happy birthday, Liz!! May this year bring you much joy and happiness! I love you! Hope you can come visit soon!

2014: The Year of Health & Fitness

Will and I did a pretty good job at losing weight in 2013, but we want to take it to the next level in 2014...like we are talking serious level here. Especially since I seemed to have gained a whole bunch in the month of December alone. I do not know what happened to me. I became a dessert crazy person (like Will)...I am not that person. Oh well, I just made more of a challenge for myself to lose the weight...I enjoy a challenge...haha...I got this!  I blogged about my fitness a few years ago and it actually helped me to stay on target. Mainly, because I did not want to be embarrassed when friends/family mentioned that I had not written about my progress lately.

This year, not only are we focusing on our physical health (by working out, eating healthy, etc) but we are also focused on our mental health. To better this area we want to make sure we do activities together, separate and with the kids. Family time is very important to us - but we want to make sure we have couple time and individual time. We each have separate things we want to achieve/experience, as well as ones together. This has been a lot easier with my mom coming up every other weekend to stay with us. We are so spoiled by her. Love you mom!

Some of the things on my list to try and do over the next year are:

*take some kind of dance lessons (like swing or salsa). I never have and this year is about coming out of my shell more. I think I have done a pretty good job this past year, but there is always room for improvement.
*take a cooking class
*travel the west coast some more. We are already planning a couple of trips to see some of Will's old Air Force buddies in California and Washington state.
*participate in a 5K
*take a photography class
*see an opera
*set aside more time for reading (I have so many books on my to read list...)

Those are just a few. I am always adding to it.

So...anyway, my plan for blogging about fitness...I was thinking I would do an update at the end of each week. I put together a plan that is broken out by increments of 4 weeks. It will be interesting to see how each set of 4 weeks go.  I know this could possibly be boring for people to read, but it helps me and posts/emails are easy to ignore or delete!

 I am on my first day of the first 4 weeks...so good luck to me!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

Farewell 2013...Hello 2014

This time last year, as I was writing my final post of 2012, I was so glad for the year to be ending and for a fresh start. 2012 was not my favorite year, but it led us to a very good year. Sometimes we need a reminder of what is really important in life and that we should not take our happiness for granted. It can change so quickly.  I am thrilled to see what 2014 will bring our way, but I am saying goodbye to 2013 with a cheerful heart. One filled with many great memories and a renewed hope in how good life can be. The struggles we endured the previous year ended up being a blessing in disguise; one that helped to build a stronger bond for us as a couple and gave us each an individual strength that will benefit us in our future.  As I said in my farewell post to 2012, I have been able to see how "life's lessons of 2012" have changed me as a person, a mom and a wife. I like to think for the better.

In 2013, we (or I)...

 

*Said some hard goodbyes to family and friends in Virginia as we sold our house and relocated back to Oregon

*Quit my job of 6 years and put my career on hold (temporarily) to spend some time at home with the kids

*Made a point to do more things as a couple (we went to a concert, a symphony orchestra, Vegas, played on a softball team together,  and finally went to a Halloween party together)

*Explored Oregon with the kids on hikes and trips to the coast

*Bought a brand new house!!!

*Became a mom of a school-age child  (cannot believe Colin is in Kindergarten)

*Took Colin to his first ballet and cheered him on during his second season (actual games this time) of soccer

*Celebrated 6 years of marriage and all of us turned another year older...which we celebrated in style with a treasure hunt for Will and a monster bash for Colin. Meli preferred a low-key affair for her 2nd birthday and I had one of my best birthdays EVER!

*On a sadder note, I said goodbye to a very sweet and dear relative that will be missed...but I will keep the memories and lessons she taught me close

 

2013 signified an ending of a chapter for us. We left our life in D.C. to come back to the west coast. This wonderful chapter made way for many self discoveries, amazing job opportunities, spectacular adventures discovering the east coast and  establishing our family. I am so thankful that life took me to that part of this country and allowed my path to cross with so many wonderful people. I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to work where I did. My job gave me so many great life experiences, job expertise and allowed me to travel the world. I am so blessed.

 

So, goodbye 2013. Thank you for the memories!

On to 2014! We had a great day yesterday welcoming the new year. We played a new family game, "hide the sock monkey". It was really cute. Quick explanation: one person hides the sock monkey and then the others have to pick a question card to get clues to where it is hidden. We had a blast! Meli was hilarious when it was her turn to hide. She hid it right in front of us and said "hide here". Then when we said OK, lets start. She ran around saying "not here...not here...oh here it is". Too funny!

We said a toast as a family. We were enjoying sparkling apple cider (which Mae thought was "hot", so she had apple juice) as we cheered and clinked our glasses (and sippy cups) to 2014 and all of the possibilities it could hold.

 

Cheers!

After the kids went to bed, Will and I enjoyed some champagne while trying to figure out how to play backgammon and gin rummy. The couple bottles of champagne made the learning process a bit difficult so we gave up and played war and speed (card games). I had so much fun! We also started a new tradition of burning our "No Mores". Our new attempt at resolutions. We wrote things that we wanted to do "no more" on a piece of paper and then as we read them we lit them on fire. No worries, we were safe...(I am married to a former firefighter)... I think I am going to like this new tradition.

 

Happy New Year to our family and friends!! I hope that 2014 will bring you joy and happiness.  Will and I are hoping for some grand new adventures as we set out to accomplish our goals for 2014. Cheers! Here is to staying steadfast and committing to the changes that we want to make...ones that will hopefully help to create better versions of ourselves!

 

 

Well, I will end this post with some our "end of the night" selfies.