Big step

Well, this past weekend was a first.  It all started out as normal.  Great workout at the gym.  Lunch.  Lounge.  And then.....

We packed Brody and Ava's things for a night at my parent's house!  Yep, big step.  Ava's first night away was when Brody was born (3 years old).  Brody's first time was Saturday (19 month). 

We had planned to take our first ever weekend away from the kids this past weekend and go to Tunica.  It was some where neither one of us have been to and it was only about 4 hours away, but our heating/ac unit finally went to the Big units in the sky.  I felt kind of bad going to spend money and gamble when we just dropped a chunk of money on a new unit. 

We will go probably on our anniversary in April now.

Any way, back to this mama relinquishing the reigns.....for 12 hours.  haha

We got them all packed.  Ava was super excited and had their whole night planned.  My sister still lives with my parent's and she was excited to. 

Ava requested pizza for supper and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast the next morning.  Smart girl.  Brody is still nursing 2 times a day and I was curious if this break would be the final whoorah for us.    We dropped them off....quickly so I wouldn't think about it too much and off we went.

Clint and I went to Opry Mills Mall.  Side note...we walked 2 miles around the mall on our date! (Thanks Fitbit)  We went to a restaurant called Claim Jumper.  Ordered adult beverages and talked.  I really like my husband.  He is funny and sarcastic and we really do understand each other and am ok with that haha!
 
We stopped on the way home and got me a bottle of Reisling and him some Crown Royal Apple for him. (that stuff has a whopper of a kick)

And then we did what all exciting parents do with a night without kids......we caught up on our DVR and I went to bed and he played his game on the Playstation 3.  Exciting!!!!!

I was able to sleep a little longer and get up and run an uninterrupted 4.5 miles on the treadmill before church. Winning!

Good for my heart, my parents brought them to church the next morning, so it was a whopping 14 hours away from them, but we were all so excited to see each other!!

I can survive a night without the kids.   Did Brody stop nursing?????   No.  Nothing changed.  I am going to have to research how to wean this kid.  I will never regret nursing either of my kids.  (Ava 16 months and Brody is going on 19 months) But I am ready to let that part of my life go.  My stubborn and adorable son isn't quite ready yet.   We will see I guess!

Have a great day!!

Crazy snow/ice in

 

 

 

 

This has been our view ALL week long. I know up north is getting slammed with feet of snow, but here in Tennessee, a dusting closes schools.  But this is 4 inches of snow ON TOP of a layer of ice.  So, Nashville was shut down Monday and Tuesday.  We live north of Nashville so we were snowed in until Thursday morning. And even then, yesterday our road was still a sheet of ice. 

 

 

 

Luckily, I was smart enough to request a company laptop, so I was able to work from home.  This made coming back to the office yesterday much easier.

 

Brody was under the weather and was another appendage to me for 3 days.  He is a mama's boy.  I was able to workout, thank the good LORD, but by yesterday I was about to explode from Cabin Fever!!

 

Because Brody was sick and it was so icy, we didn't even go out and play in the ice, which was a bummer, but I didn't want to get him more sick and/or one of us slip on the ice and dip in to our deductible for the year!

 

On a side note, I was going to tell you what supplements I am using!  They are helping tremendously.  Well, with a 90% clean diet, exercise and my Fitbit!! By the way, I think it is pretty accurate and I have figured b/c of my size already, I HAVE to workout just to eat, so it is a win win for me!

 

Ok, back to supplements.

 

Advocare SPARK (amazing!)

Advocare Omegas

NLA for HER vitamins

NLA for HER Aminos

NLA for HER  CLA

NLA for HER Shred Her

NLA for HER Garcinia Cambogia

Syntha-6 chocolate protein powder

 

These I use daily!  And feeling fantastic!

 

Have a great weekend y'all!  We have another line of freezing rain/snow/sleet coming in tonight, so hopefully we won't be house ridden for the next couple of days!

 

 

 

 

"Plans" and growth

Today, I am not sure what to talk about so I am just going to let this post be whatever it needs to be about!

I  am up on a Sunday morning. Early.  My "plan" was to get in a 4 mile run before everyone got up for church.   As a mama, plans are typically just a fleeting thought.  Ava woke woke me up at 4:30am and crawled in bed with us.  Five minutes later, Brody woke up.  I nursed him and he is now sleeping beside me on the couch.   So my "plan" to run before church has changed.  I will "try" to run this afternoon.
Let me tell you, I have completely changed as a person after having kids.    When Clint and I got married,  I HAD to have a plan.  I HAD to know what was going on, what we were doing.  If those plans changed on a whim or spur of the moments things changed, talk about ANXIETY!  Oh boy.  Big time!


And he's awake...........

In  other news.  Clint has become serious about his working out.  He got a FitBit Charge HR and he loves it.  So, naturally, I just bought one!  Hearing him talk about his for the last week and his super interest in his activity and food intake makes me swell with pride! 

I am excited to get mine and really hit the next level of fitness for me!  I want to drop a little more bodyweight and tighten some more.  I am happy with my progess so far, but ready to step it up.  I think the Fitbit will help me do that, but I will need to be carefuk and NOT get  too competitive with myself.  Been there!  I have come so  far since my ED, wow almost 7 years ago.  I believe balance in life is so important and I tend to keep it that way!

Do any of y'all have a Fitbit??  Like it??

17 weeks with #2

How far along? 17+
How big is baby?Average size: 5.1 inches, 5.9 oz. An onion!  Good thing Baby F doesn't smell like one!

What is baby doing this week? thebump.com says that Baby F's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

What is going on in mama? Babyzone.com says that daily, your body's changing inside and out to accommodate your baby-to-be. As your skin stretches, your breasts and abdomen may become itchy. Your baby bump will begin to change your posture so that your back may ache.(Good thing I get adjusted every other day!!!)
 Inside your body, your stomach is getting more cramped, sometimes leading to heartburn, indigestion, and flatulence. You may also notice mood swings as pregnancy hormones continue to play with your emotions.


Symptoms: Flatulence is a big one!  Sheesh!

Total weight gain: N/A

Exercise: I have stopped getting up at 3:30am on work days.  Not because I can't, but because my body needs the sleep instead.  I am using weights/bands 4 times a week and trying to get in 15-20 miles of running.

Maternity clothes: I am wearing dresses to work and lounge clothes at home.

Sleep: Weird and crazy dreams, but sleeping ok!

Best Interesting moment last week: A patient of the office who JUST noticed I was pregnant yesterday, asked when I was due and then proceeded to ask if I was having twins!!  Um.....

Movement: Some times I think it is a flutter, but could be gas! I felt Ava's flutters for sure at 18 weeks, so it could be very soon!

Cravings: None really besides healthy foods. My GIGANTIC appetite has slowed a bit.

 Belly Button in or out: Still in! Although, getting more shallow.

What I miss: The only thing I miss is being able to work out balls to the wall and feel great after a good sweaty, exhausting workout.

What I am looking forward to: Our church consignment sale this weekend, to buy cheap baby things.  Neutral of course until next week!

Milestones: None that I know this week.

How is daddy? Very supportive in my emotional breakdowns.

We find out the sex March 7th!!  1 week from today!!!!!

16 weeks update(week late)

How far along?16


How big is baby? Avocado.  Our little guacamole is 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces.

What is baby doing this week? According to Baby Center, get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length.  His/her legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Soon you'll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, many don't feel their baby move until about 18 weeks or more. (And if this is your first baby, don't be too impatient — you may not be aware of your baby's movements until 20 weeks or so.) The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they'll grow stronger and you'll be able to feel them much more frequently.


Symptoms:""Growing pains" or Round ligament pain has been pretty consistent.


Total weight gain: N/A!!

Exercise: Still able to run 30 miles a week, but I am no longer worrying about time frame and just doing what my body needs.
Doing weights and exercise bands about 4 days per week also.

Maternity clothes: No turning back!

Sleep: Good nights and tossing and turning nights.  Although, I've been waking up feeling like I've been hit by a train.

Best moment last week: We needed to move our Gender ultrasound to later in the day, so it would be easier for Clint to leave the job site.  We got it moved 5 days sooner!  March 7th!

Movement:  No, but I am anticipating the "flutters" that should be coming any time.

Food cravings: Still salads with light ranch, croutons, and cheese.

What I miss: Not getting our of breathe so easy some times!

What I am looking forward to:  Buying more maternity pants! And feeling the "flutters".
Milestones: Having to retire jeans.

How is daddy? The best husband and daddy in my world!

Cleaning and Balloon game

Hey there y'all!!  Yesterday was a good day for us!  I got up and had my coffee and a piece of toast and let that settle before I hopped on the treadmill.  I knocked out 8.25 miles(6 pee breaks interspersed! Thank God for a treadmill!) I did my 3000 club exercises of 60 pushups, 60 burpees(these are getting harder, not easier) and 200 crunches.

Ava woke up and I got her breakfast and settled while I started cleaning the house some.  A little bit later, I NEEDED a shower, so I took one and then ran Ava some bath water and then I folded some laundry while I watched her.

I cleaned the house, played with Ava, cleaned the house, played with Ava!  We only had to run one errand yesterday to pick up Pekka some dog food and then we were right back home. 

When Clint and Ava decorated the house for my birthday last week, we still have balloons around the house.  Let me tell ya, I don't care how old you are, but when there is a balloon being knocked around the room, you HAVE to hit it and try to keep it off the floor!  We had SO much fun playing "balloon" yesterday between cleaning the house. 

I had put one of the balloons up while Pekka was in the house for a bit because, well he attacks them and they pop! 

Ava tried to reach it, but couldn't and then she looked at me and said, "I'll use my seat!" I had to document this!

Seat is in place.

Ava is in place to reach up to get it.

Almost got it.

SUCCESS!!!

Clint got home and since the house was clean by then I could lounge on the couch with my favorite people!

Yogurt snack time for this girl!

Supper was one of my FAVORITES!

Homemade Hamburger Helper from Kristin over at Iowa Girl Eats.
You will NEVER use the box again!!!  Believe me!!!

Well, time to get to working!

See ya soon!

Hockey and pancakes

Monday yuck!

Last week we were having unreal weather in January of temperatures in the high 60's/low 70's.

Today, it is only getting up to mid 30's! 

Talk about a slap of cold wind!! 

Our weekend was a good one!  I got up and ran 6.5 miles before breakfast and getting ready.  We had big plans! 

If you live under a rock OR don't follow NHL hockey, they finally agreed on a contract and ended the lockout!  Saturday was an open skate and the team's first unofficial "practice".

Waiting on the players to come out.

They would skate out one at a time. 

We were this close!!

After that we came home and Ava and I took a nap before we headed up to my best friend's mom's house for football and chili.

The girls ran around and played and we chatted, watched football and ate amazing chili and brats!  I love chili though!  I could eat it in winter or summer!

Sunday morning I got up and did another 6 mile run and my 3000 club:

 200 crunches, 40 burpees, 40 pushups

We got ready and headed out to church.

Another battery charging for the soul!!

It was pouring down rain, but we managed to go to Longhorn Steakhouse with my family and had a good lunch.

Since it was a rainy afternoon, we all napped!  Good stuff people!

Laundry, house cleaning and some more lounging happened before supper.

Pancakes were on the menu! 

Yum!  You can't go wrong with pancakes!!

I took this morning off of running, since I've ran 6 days in a row, but I did do my 3000 club of 125 crunches, 40 pushups and 35 burpees.  Still trudging along doing those at 11 weeks pregnant!!  Love it!!

Have a great Monday!

See ya soon!

Cleaning, Play date, baking

It's Friday!!   I hope y'all's week has gone well and if it hasn't it's almost over!! 
If you weren't able to read Wednesday's post, head on over to see our NEWS!

Yesterday, I got up and had a small breakfast and some coffee, yay!  I am now wanting it again!  There were about 6 weeks where I couldn't stand the smell or thought of it! 
I hopped on the treadmill and knocked out a about 5.5miles when Ava woke up.  I got her breakfast and settled to watch Doc McStuffins and finished off a good 7 for the day. 
I took a shower and had a smoothie that Clint had made for us before he left for work.  He is so good at that!  Especially when he puts veggies in and that is the only way I want to eat them these days.

It was one of my two days a month that I go clean the office where I work.  I knocked that out in an hour and a half with my trusty helper, Ava.

Then I told her our next stop was a play date with one of my best friends and her three kiddos.
The kids played on the deck while we chatted at watched them.  Because of Christmas and her kids being sick, we haven't seen them in like 6 weeks!  It was a much needed playdate for them as much as the mamas.

We left around lunch time. I had packed us a lunch so we could eat while doing the rest of our errands.

I dropped of the water bill. A perk of a small town! 

Then we stopped at the oil changing place to see if and how much the Murano was leaking oil. 

There is a small leak, somewhere and they said we will need to take it to the dealer.  Thankfully it isn't a big leak...yet!

Eating her lunch at the so not cleanest place in the world.  What can you do, she was hungry!! ha
We got home and I put a load of laundry in the wash and put a "new to me" recipe of Herb Wheat bread in the bread machine. (It didn't look pretty, but it is pretty tasty!)  Apparently, I was in the mood to bake. Ava and I whipped up some mixed berry wheat muffins to have for breakfast the next couple of days or for a snack.  They turned out pretty darn good!

Clint got home and we chatted about the day and watched the DVR'ed Nashville from Wednesday night!  Love that show and seeing and knowing where they shoot the scenes is so neat!

I still had to do my 3000 club exercises for the day, so Clint asked us to go down to the garage with him and have family workout time.  I did 40 pushups, 40 burpees and 160 crunches.  The top abs are the only ones I am working these days!  I decided to try out the punching bag I got him for Christmas.  That was fantastic!  I had some pent up aggression from parts unknown.  I did 3x10 sets single arm punches and then 3x50 double fast punches. 

I headed up after I was done and started supper.  I made home made cheese fries for Clint and roasted some sweet potato fries, kale and onion for me. I also grilled us some Chile Lime Turkey burgers from Trader Joe's.  So yummy!!!

Well, I need to get to what I get paid to do! 

Y'all have a great weekend and I'll talk soon!

Ribs to apple pie

Monday morning yuck!  I didn't sleep well at ALL last night!  I was up every hour and had the ODDEST dream!  My alarm went off so I could get a couple miles in and I reset it for an extra hour!  I did get my 3000 club burpees, pushups and crunches in though!  So that's something!

Our weekend was low key and fabulous!  Saturday we got up and I was feeling lazy so I decided to run a little later and stay in my pajamas!  Clint decided he wanted to put some ribs on the smoker for supper so we made a quick trip to Food Lion and then back home. 

Ava helping Clint put a rub on the ribs.

I decided to run before lunch because my breakfast was fully digested and I had no time limit.  8.10 miles later and I was ready for a shower and lunch.

We lounged the rest of the day and I did some housework.  While Clint was downstairs working out, Ava and I were upstairs watching Sophia the First on Disney and I was reading. 

                                     Singing along with Sophia.
A little while later, I noticed how quiet Ava was.  She had konked out on the floor below the couch. 

Supper was stupendous. I had roasted onion, kale and sweet potato with my small amount of ribs and I put together a quick mac n cheese for Clint and Ava.

                   Listening to her Bible stories and singing away!
For dessert, I had an apple pie in the freezer that NEEDED to be eaten.  So we dug into that with some vanilla ice cream of course!!

Sunday was church and then lunch with my family at my parent's house.  Spaghetti, salad, homemade rolls. Yumm!!! 

Ava fell asleep on the way home, so I layed down in our bed with her and took a little siesta. 

I put the bread in the machine to make for the week and then put a load of laundry in to wash. 

After my food FINALLY digested 5 hours later, I got on the treadmill and cranked out 6 miles and then did my 3000 club exercises. 

Good way to end the day!!

Have a great Monday and I'll see ya soon!!

Tea parties and balloons

Hey there! Yep, it is Monday!

It is raining and the temperature is going to drop throughout the day.  Cold and rainy...yuck!

I hope you had a great weekend. We sure did.  Let me back up to Friday though first before I go into what we did Saturday and Sunday.

Clint has been making breakfast smoothies for us about 4 days a week.  He does NOT disappoint!

I'm never REALLY sure what is in these, but they are tasty and I know he uses healthy stuff, because Ava and I do the grocery shopping. ;-)

Ava stays at my parent's house on days I work, but I get a 2 hour lunch.  We live 5 minutes from my work and they live 5 minutes past my work, so I get lunch with her EVERY day I work!  Such a perk!

Tea party at lunch on Friday!

Saturday, we got up and I did a 2 mile walk on the treadmill at a 6.5% incline and 4.3 mph.  I worked up a good sweat!  I "tried" to run for a minute, but I could feel my Achilles pulling, so I slowed back down.  I will just walk for the next few days and continue to let it rest. (ugh)

Publix has turkeys for $.69/lb so I told Clint we needed to go for

1. we are hosting Thanksgiving for his family

2. the turkeys don't get ANY cheaper than that!

I deemed Saturday "No makeup" day!  Some days it is good to have a clean face and "no eyes on".

At Publix, an employee was handing out flowers and then Ava got a balloon!  She was tickled pink!

Clint suggested we stop at the little antique place!

It was AMAZING!  I could have stayed in there a while, well we did, but I could have stayed longer and spent lots of money!

We went home and watched Alabama, sadly get beat.  It was a somber house for about 45 min.

Clint turned on the grill and grilled hormone free steak for him and me a black bean burger.  I sauteed some asparagus and made a salad. 

GOOD STUFF!

Sunday morning I got up and did a bodyrock workout and then walked 1.5 miles at the same speed and incline as Saturday.

We got ready and headed to church. 

Ava was so excited to go. We let her wear her flower girl dress from my brother's wedding about a month ago. 

(wedding day picture)

She kept running around the house saying, "I'm a princess. "I'm a princess." And "we're going to church, we're going to church." 

Too funny!

After church, we went to my aunt and uncle's house for lunch. She had make your own sub sandwiches, chips, dip and meatballs.

YUM!

As soon as we got home, I put the ingredients in the bread machine for our weekly loaf of sandwhich bread. Hands down the best recipe!

Isn't that beautiful?!.

We lounged around until supper.  It was glorious! 

Supper was biscuits (gravy for Clint), eggs, and turkey bacon (and a banana for Ava).  LOVE breakfast ANY time of the day.

Have a great Monday and I'll see ya soon!!

Wonderful weekend!

Our weekend started off with a quick run for me and breakfast for all of us.  We had a busy day to get to!

We started off at Target and roamed a but, but got the few essentials that we needed.

Then is it was fun for Ava time.

Monkey Joe's!

They have jumpy thingies galore.  There are slide ones and obstacle ones.  Ones for 3 years old and under, which I like!!  Adults can help assist 4 year olds and younger, so Clint got in(poor guy) to help Ava. 

It didn't go as planned.  I think the uneasiness of the jumping and not being stable bothered her.  She was not a very happy camper.  We tried them all and when she still wasn't happy asked her if she was ready to go and with an eager head nod and "yes mam" we were putting her shoes back on and on to our next destination.

I mean would this look scary if you were 2?  Yes yes it would!!

We will try again another time.

Our next stop was the mall.  I wanted to try some new running shoes out that are best fitted for my feet and to give Clint an idea on Christmas presents for me. 

Ah, happiness!

This is Ava saying, "mama, aya(yes she calls her self aya instead of Ava) hungreee, aya hungreeee"

I gave her a Clif Zbar while we were in Yankee Candle so we could use a fantastic coupon and with that coupon get a couple of Christmas presents out of the way.  I mean who doesn't love candles!

We went home after the mall and relaxed the rest of the day.  Well, I did house chores here and there while Clint watched football and Ava played.  Clint and Ava went to return "what to expect when you are expecting" and "Battleship" to the Redbox.  I would HIGHLY recommend both movies!! 

When they got back, Clint told me to go change and he did too.  He wanted to do a Bodyrock workout with me!  HECK YES!  We did a hard one and we were both struggling, but I thoroughly loved him doing it with me!

Sunday morning I got up and decided I wanted to run at least 3 miles on my tender Achilles.  I hit 3 and felt good and decided to run until either I hurt or it was time to get showered for church.  I was able to get 7 miles in!  YEE haw!

We got ready for church and it was a good sermon and good class time for Clint and I and for Ava.  She gave the teacher a hug and blew her a kiss. 

We went to lunch at my parent's house and then came home and Clint and Ava did this for a while

and I read some of the book I am reading!

Great afternoon!

I made some bread for the week and we did more tv watching, playing and relaxing. 

Clint and I made a huge family decision last night.  I will talk on that more later, but it is a good thing, don't worry!

Well, I need to get to this to do list my boss has for me!

Have a great day and I will see ya soon!

The weekend went by so fast!

Monday? Already?! 
Sheesh, weekends go by way too fast!!!

Friday, Clint and Ava came in to the office and got adjusted.  Clint comes about ever 2 weeks and Ava get adjusted ever 3-4 weeks.

I am a HUGE advocate in having yourself and your kids adjusted!  Chiropractic is SOOO much more than a back problem!!

Saturday morning we all got up and I decided since I felt ok, I would do a test run to see how the Achilles was healing up.  I got about 1.5 miles in and called it quits.  My Achilles was aggravated and I didn't want to continue to put strain on it.  I got of the t-mill and did a sweaty bodyrock and a 2 minute plank after.

Whew, I needed a shower!

After the shower, Clint made us protein green smoothies and I put peanut butter and Trader Joe's pumpkin butter on one of the last pieces of my homemade sourdough bread. YUM!!

Every year my mother in law's work does trick or treating so we drove up to Bowling Green to visit and trick or treat. 

It was Clint's year to pick Ava's costume, since last year I picked

this monkey costume! She was the cutest thing!

This year since we have a huge fascination with the

she is a Zombie.  Clint cut up and "'bloodied" a Princess sweatshirt last week and I got some face makeup to finish the ensemble.

She was NOT having Clint put that make up on her.  No maam.  She didn't like it one bit!  We aren't forcing her.  So her face was clean as she trick or treated.

Clint's mom, brother and our niece who was Minnie Mouse.

"dirty" sweatshirt

totally scared of this wolf with a shawl on.  He creeped ME out!!

After trick or treating, they played the balloon game.  I don't care if you are 2 to 60, the balloon never gets old!  If it comes near you, you HAVE to hit it!

Trying on sunglasses!

A picture of me, to prove I was there! haha

We headed home after a while and got in our jammies when we got home and settled in for the night.  Alabama football was coming on!!

2 peas in a pod watching the game!!

Sunday, I decided to rest my body completely.  We got ready and went to church.

Putting puzzles together in church service.

Sunday school was really good! We are reading "ScreamFree Parenting" and a quote that really stood out to me was "don't ask God to take away the burden from your back, but to ask Him to strengthen your back."  Such a great way to refocus life's struggles. 

Lunch was at my uncle's house and he had made "regular" chili and white chicken chili.  It was the perfect lunch!  After a quick trip home to drop off Clint and pick up some things at the grocery, Ava and I picked up my aunt and met my mom and sis to throw a bridal shower for a bride that the groom attends our church. 

We finally got home and I got to put mine and Ava's jammies on.  I put sourdough bread in the bread machine to get to going and we him-hawed around and scrounged up some supper.  It was a Y.O.Y.O night (you're on your own!).

Dance party in the kitchen while getting supper ready.  Don't you love her outfit.  I love self expression! haha

We decided to have supper in the living room last night and she wanted to keep her hat on.  No problem for us! haha

I did get up this morning and did a bodyrock workout before having to get ready.  It's not a run, but it is a good solid workout to get me going for the day! 

Well, I need to get some work done!  Have a great day!

I'll see ya soon!