5.31.2013

Changes and Firsts

There are changes happening in this house. Good ones.
It seems as if Marcus is moving right along, going from baby to little boy. While this is (obviously) a great thing it is also bittersweet for me. 

Is it possible for things to seem like they were ages ago, yet feel like they were just yesterday, all at the same time? Less than a year ago I was spoon feeding Marcus, and he was drinking out of a bottle. These days the little man is eager to use utensils while eating. He is by no means any good with a spoon, but he's trying, and he wants to do it on his own.
Pointing at objects of interest, as well as pointing to get my attention has just started happening. I noticed this two days ago. Marcus particularly enjoys pointing at helicopters and airplanes. Every time he hears a plane or helicopter he points to the sky, even if nothing is visible. My heart burst with momma pride when he does this. 

Marcus has also become quite the little climber. Sticking true to his monkey ways, he is always trying to climb up and over things - benches (see below), chairs, couches, stairs, anything that has potential to be climbed upon usually is.
Sadly, I do not have a picture of video (yet), but Marcus has begun blowing bubbles. Actual bubbles. I've been showing him in the pool for a while now, but I didn't think he'd get the hang of it for quite some time. As a mommy I'm proud, but as a mommy who has been a swim instructor for the past 13 years, proud doesn't really do my feelings justice on this particular subject. 

As if that isn't enough, we've been doing more experimenting with food. I've had it with hot dogs and mac and cheese. We've tried spaghetti before, but it was a bit of a fail. This time around seemed to go much better. Marcus is still working on eating the noodles, but it was quite an entertaining dinner for us.
Fourteen months has brought so many changes. Marcus is one happy, healthy little boy. We are beyond blessed to have this spitfire in our lives. I just wish I could slow time a bit, share and document more of these moments, these firsts. I apologize if eating with a spoon, pointing, and climbing all seem mundane. But, I can't help but sit back and watch in awe as my baby grows, learns, and develops right before my eyes. 

5.30.2013

Vacation ≠ Motivation

As you know we spent a few days in the Bahamas last week. And, it was nothing short of awesome. Leading up to our trip I spent countless hours and hundreds of miles running to get into shape for said vacation (as well as train for a few 1/2 marys along the way).

Pretty much the minute the plane wheels landed in Nassau I kicked my running shoes, and motivation, to the curb.

This is not to say I didn't workout  at all. I did. The first full morning on the island Scott thought he'd be a gem and set the alarm for 6:30. What.the.hell?! After hitting the snooze button approximately 271 times we rolled out of bed. Not sure what I was, or wasn't thinking, but I grudgingly stepped on the "dread"mill and doled out about 3 miles. I hated every step. How do people run on those things? YUCK.

The next two mornings were spent taking my sweet time waking up. Scott, the crazy workout-aholic he is, would wake up with the sun and get his workout in. I, on the other hand, was more than happy to stay nestled up in the comfy down comforter with the AC blasting away at -10 degrees. Seriously, what sounds more enticing? At 7:00AM, absolutely nothing. My rationale behind all this? I never get to sleep in. Seize the opportunity. AmIright? (This is where you nod furiously in agreement and say, "Why, of course you're right!")

Sure, there were times throughout the days when I could have laced up and pounded out a few miles. But, I didn't want to miss a single second of that tropical sun, or forego a nap that was inevitable while lounging at the pool. A pool nap wins out over running almost every.single.time. Ask anyone, I'm pretty sure it's a known fact.

On our last morning I decided I had to quit being such a slackass. I threw on my shoes and said, "Skip it," to the treadmill. To the beach I headed.

Holy geez, I've run beaches before. Plenty of 'em. We even did an entire 5k obstacle course on a soft, sandy beach. That does not make up for the fact that beach running is no joke. It took twice as long to run two miles as it normally does. Stopping to snap a few photos of the picturesque scene doesn't help with timed running, either. Whoopsie. :)

Though my GSP wasn't working well and my Pandora wasn't working at all I really did enjoy the run. In all reality, there's no need for Pandora when you have the sound of the ocean lapping at the shore, just steps from your feet.
My 2 mile time might have been a little better had I not been playing photographer, sea shell discoverer, and sand writer. But, there's no fun in that!
Of course, after I finished my run I felt great. I was kicking myself for not running every morning along the beach. Why do I do this to myself?!

Am I alone in this? I cannot possibly be the only person who loves to workout in "real life," but allows it to take a backseat while on vacation, can I?

What do YOU do to stay on top of your bust-a-sweat game while you're on vacation? I need all the tips, tricks and secrets I can get.

5.29.2013

Paradise

In the last 14 months Scott and I haven't had more than 24 hours of "just us" time. Though a few tears fell as I said good-bye to my sweet boy I knew this was beyond something Scott and I needed.

Thanks to our friends Ben and his sweet fiancé, Laura, a wedding was in the works on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, and we went to join in their beautiful day. We also figured while we were in such a gorgeous location we would take some time and relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy our time together as just us. 

We spent a glorious amount of time lounging at the pool and beach. A few unplanned afternoon naps happened next to the water, and I couldn't have predicted a better use of our time.

Please note, I tired to keep the photos to a minimum, but when you're in such a stunning place picking just a few is kind of impossible. 
The Caribbean has the most stunning waters. 
Our resort was right next to Atlantis. An afternoon was spent at the Atlantis water park. 
We walked through Atlantis' aquarium to get to the water park. 
Some of the water rides were an absolute rush. Two slides (one body slide, one tube slide) had you going THROUGH a tube that was inside an aquarium with sharks. I have a video of it that I may post at another time. What a trip.
A private sunset cruise was had by all wedding party attendees.
The sunset was breathtaking and the full moon left us awestruck. Though I didn't get any photos, the icing on the cake was a view of the Delta IV rocket being launched from Florida. 
Wedding vows were exchanged. Simply perfect. 
We are so happy for the newly weds and wish them many years filled with laugher, happiness, and love.
The Bahamian Straw Market was visited. 
The straw market was a bit overwhelming. So many vendors all crammed into one tiny little area. So many things handmade out of straw!
To wrap up our trip we took a fairy to a private island for a close encounter with Clifton, the dolphin.  
I love that the encounter was an educational experience. Not only did we have the opportunity to interact with dolphins, but information was given on the species and what we can do to help protect and preserve our oceans and wildlife that dwells in the oceans. P.S. If you've never touched a dolphin they kind of feel like giant olives. :)
After the dolphin experience we did a little exploring around the tiny, private island. We agreed we both could have spent a little more time there.
The unscheduled days, impromptu naps, abundant food and drinks, and breathtaking views were exactly what we needed before retuning to the rigors of the real world. 

5.28.2013

Reconnected!

I'm back!

A few quick housekeeping items today, and then I'll be back in full force tomorrow.

The past five days have been admittedly glorious. It was so nice to not worry about phone calls, emails, and yes, even blogs.

I do have a couple of small confessions... One, we went on vacation, which helped aid (greatly) in unplugging from technology. Two, I checked my email regularly to see how Grandma and Grandpa were doing with the little man. I also posted to InstaGram, twice. Once when we arrived, and once before we left the island.
Paradise Island, Bahamas
The second bit of housekeeping, the blog design.
You may have noticed the new look. Do you love it as much as me?! Courtesy of Hubby Jack my blog is now up to speed with all that is so fresh and so clean.
Thanks Hubby Jack!!
button
Alrighty, time to get to my 200 loads of laundry and go shower my little man with kisses!

5.27.2013

Happy Marcus Monday!

Some pretty awesome games of Peek-a-Boo are going on around these parts.
Oh my gosh, I die. 

Happy Monday!

5.26.2013

A Fairy Tale

Day Five of "Desiree goes unplugged(ish)."

To wrap up my little hiatus I introduce Tayler over at Our Fairy Tale. Tayler has been interning as a teacher in Utah and I always love to see what she and her students are up to. Every now and again Tayler will post some things her students write down as answers on their homework, and I crack up every.single.time. Kids can be hilarious and I love when Tayler shares what comes from her students. 

I'll let Tayler take it from here!

I want to thank Desiree so much for letting me guest post today! I have just finished up my first year of history teaching. This year I taught the first half of U.S. History to 8th graders and Utah Studies to 7th graders (I teach in Utah).

The biggest, hardest challenge this year has been to teach Utah Studies. I absolutely loved doing it, but it was hard. My classes are about 90% Mormon, and I'm Mormon, but I didn't want to teach "Sunday school." I wanted to dive into the issues and allow my Hispanic immigrant and non-Mormon students feel connected to Utah history as well. 

So, I tried to focus on culture, cultural exchange, and cultural clash throughout the entire semester. Believe it or not, there are very many cultures in Utah. We talked about the uniqueness of each Indian tribe, what was given and taken between the Indians, Spanish explorers, and mountain men, the logical/rational reasons for misunderstandings between the Mormons and non-Mormons, and the many different groups of immigrants and their various reasons for coming to Utah.

To top it all off, I had my students do a week long Cultural Heritage project:

Day 1:
Create a collage of your own personal culture (your race, nationality, religion, language, music, food, hobbies, etc). The point of this was to show that each individual has a different culture.

Day 2:
Find out the story of who in your family came to Utah first. How, why, when, etc. Many of these "immigrants" were obviously Mormon pioneers, but a surprising many were parents or grandparents of the students.

Day 3: 
Research a country of your choice where your ancestors are from. This way, we could see a poll of the different nationalities we had and students could connect their personal culture to their past culture.

Day 4: 
Discuss Utah's economy today and discuss how our families help that. What different jobs do your relatives have? What industries are really popular/successful in Utah now?

Day 5:
Find 3 cultural "artifacts" around your house (objects that represent your personal culture). Explain why they are important to you.

Day 6: 
Make a poster to represent your culture, bring a cultural/traditional food your family eats, and bring your cultural artifacts.

Day 6, we sat up desks like a museum, walked around, discovered each other's cultures and ate great food! This is my favorite day of each semester with Utah Studies. The kids are very invested in their projects because it is all about them and how they fit into Utah. Parents, teachers, and other students were welcome to come in. Seeing these students' projects and getting to know them better is one of the best parts of being a teacher...not to mention the free food you get!









My two favorite treats were the tamale and the seaweed!

Sadly, this was just my internship, and I won't be returning to Springville Junior high. But, I'm already hired for next year, and I will be teaching a plethora of classes! 7th and 8th grade English and history! Yaay! Come follow me along at Our Fairy Tale to see more of my teaching adventures...and my now-upcoming summer adventures!

5.25.2013

It's Wonderful, You Betcha!

Day four of "Desiree Goes Unplugged(ish)."

Oh my gosh you guys, you have no idea what treat you're in for right now! Let me back up real quick...

Sometimes in the bloggy world you "meet" people with whom you just KNOW you are destined to be best friends in real life. You know, the people who just GET you, the people who can say (or in this case, write) things and you're nodding your head relating to every.single.thing they mention. Welp, I found two of the most fabulous women. I know someday we'll all get together and all will finally be right in the world. 

You're about to meet Lisa from Simple Kind of Wonderful, and Kates from You Betcha Baby. I absolutely adore these two. 
Lisa cracks me up every single blog she posts. The lady keeps it realer than real. And, her little lady is just a doll. I just want to squeeze her cheekies. 
Kates over at You Betcha Baby is one busy chica. Which I can totally relate to, along with about everything else she writes about. And, she's been bustin' a move on her 5k races. I want to run with her, she's PRing every time she runs. And, her little man is just adorable. 
Like I said, I just "click" with these two. 

Ok, ok, I'll stop and let these two lovelies take it away. 

Hey everybody! Lisa from Simple Kind of Wonderful and Kates from You Betcha Baby here to give you the top reasons the Macke family need to move back to the Midwest.
We could make it all sweet and say that she needs to move back to the heart of the country so she can be reunited with her family. But let's be honest, these are the real reasons that Des needs to find her way back home:

The ISU Cyclones
Everybody here knows girlfriend loves them and she's proud of it. We want her to be able to show her pride in whatever way her heart desires. Which, let's face it, we all know would look something like this. 
Cali just aint having that business!

Four Seasons
California can not be all that glamorous. Come on, sunshine and warm weather all the time?! No thanks.
What she really needs is to experience the four seasons again. Who doesn't love the bitter below zero windchills, plugging in their (gas powered) vehicle, and the never ending snow storms?
Des has mentioned that she misses lazy snow days and snowmobiling...well honey, there is only one way to fix that!

What better feeling is there then itchy allergy eyes when spring finally does decide to show up?
Let's not forget about the 97% humidity on those summer days (and nights!). Her beautiful golden tresses will love that.
Then there is autumn; the leaves begin to change and then suddenly... they are dead, the grass is brown and everything looks like a barren ghost town.

Nature truly is gorgeous.

For the LOVE of water.
Who needs the ocean when you have the Land of 10,000 Lakes in your backyard?

We all know Des LOVES the water. But, eventually, the ocean will get boring.
Back in the Midwest we enjoy water of all kinds.  Here we don't just have lakes. OH NO, we have ice, and rain, and sleet, and hail, and snow {please let us know if we missed any of them}. Nothing boring about that!
So Marcus can make some new friends!
Miss M and Little Man can teach him all the ins and outs of driving his mama crazy as well as how to love with the biggest hearts. These two are experts at both!
 Who wouldn't want these two crazies as their BFFs?
To meet and be close to us!
Does this really need an explanation?!
 Kates' cooking and baking is superb and Lisa is hilarious, we love to have a hella good time, and overall we are amazing. Lisa will mix the drinks, Kates' will fix the food and before you know it, you're living the dream! The Midwest Mommas' dream, that is!
We highly doubt any of these reasons will bring Desiree home for good. However, when she comes home to visit someday hopefully she will set up a bloggy date with us so we can live the dream even if only for a night.

5.24.2013

31 Million Seconds

Day Three of "Desiree Goes Unplugged(ish)."

Happy Friday everyone! Today I'm so excited to introduce you to Kristen from 31 Million Seconds. This sweet lady has the most awesome writing ability. I love stopping by her corner of the bloggisphere to see what she has to say each day. She paints the most amazing pictures with her words. And, she is a newly wed who is settling nicely into life as a Mrs. 

Kristen, thank you for sharing your talents on the Monologues today. 

Be sure to check out 31 Million Seconds and say hello to Kristen! 

I know you normally expect to come here every day and read what Desiree has to say, but today you get me.  Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name's Kristen and I blog over at 31 Million Seconds.


I really have to hand it to Desiree for unplugging for a week.  I'm a self-diagnosed social media addict, and there's no way I could do what she's doing.  Raise your hand if you know what I mean.

Come on... I should see more hands than that.  I see you, in the back, with your hand halfway up.  There are no halfway commitments here.  Go ahead and put it all the way up.  There we go.  That's better.  Now I know I'm among my peers here.

If I tried to unplug, my first day would probably go a little something like this:

8:00am- Wake up.  OK.  This isn't so bad.  I can do this.

8:10am- Hmmm... maybe I should check my email and see if there's anything new.  No!  What am I saying?  Unplug, Kristen.  Unplug.

8:15am- This is harder than it looks.  I should tweet about this.

8:16am- Ohhh... that's right...

8:20am- So far, so good.  I should update my Facebook status about what I'm doing.  My friends would get a kick out of this.  Nope!  That's not unplugging!

8:30am- Man.  Surely a week is already up, isn't up?

8:40am- I really need to blog about this.  It would make a great story!

8:45am- Wait, I can't write a post.  That's considered plugged in.  But there's no rule that says I can't write it down and blog about it later.  Where's that stuff called pen and paper...?

8:50am- Booooored.

9:00am- I can't take it anymore!  I give up!  I need to tweet!  I need status updates!  Instagram me!  Blog all about it!

9:01am- Ahhhhh... much better.

I have no shame.  I'll admit it.  I would probably only last an hour (if that) if I tried to unplug.  So, if you're addicted to social media like I am, head on over to 31 Million Seconds and we'll hang out.  Don't worry, I'll never force an intervention on you.  Promise.

5.23.2013

Mama Tay Is A Machine!


Day Two of "Desiree Goes Unplugged(ish)."

As I began to understand just how BIG this blogging world is I started to "jump" around from blog to blog. It's amazing some of the stories and women I've found and been following.

Taylor is one of those bloggers who amazes me everyday. The women is an inspiration. She's on an amazing healthy journey, losing weight and making serious changes in her diet. On days when I don't feel like getting my run in I pull up Taylor's blog. She's my motivation and inspiration more than she'll ever know. AND, she's becoming a runner. Keep reading to find out what she signed up to participate in this fall... Ahhhh, so excited for her!!! :)


Hello Everyone, Ms. Desiree is taking a vacation this week and I volunteered to write a guest post for her.  When I volunteered for her, I asked her what she wanted me to write about and she said that I should write about my weight loss journey so far.  So here we go.  

Starting way back in high school, my weight was never an issue for me.  I was athletic, I played volleyball, tennis, and cheered for the three seasons during school and in the summers I swam and played tennis.  I never really gave my weight any thought, I mean of course we are all hard on ourselves as teenage girls, but I never "dieted" or anything like that.  My mom always provided healthy snacks for my brother and sister and I growing up, and I could blame her for my weight gain, but that would put the blame on someone else.  

The truth is, when I went to college, my eating fell apart.  I had no idea how to eat on my own, how to grocery shop, how to deal with the dorm fatty food, late night french fries...etc...So I put on the pounds.  If we are talking about weight numbers, I don't really know what I weighed in high school - I can only estimate that it was around 120-130.  I remember being weighed in the spring of my freshman year and it was already up to 140s...and the weight kept piling on.  I was not working out; I was not being athletic and was leading the typical college life.  
All throughout my twenties, the weight gained continued.  

I lost about 30 pounds in 2007 from running.  I have given a lot of thought to why I couldn't stick to it.  Of course we all have fear that we will slip into old patterns of not being able to stick to our current weight loss.  The reason I didn't stick to it that time were more basic than I realized.  I didn't change my diet at the time, I just ate lean cuisines and other typical "diet food" - I didn't examine the other parts of my life that were causing the weight gain as well, such as being a toxic relationship that lasted from 18 to 26, having zero future plans or goals, and sure I was running 2 miles every single day - but I had no challenge - I had no goals.  I had no goals anywhere in my life at that time.

Wow, I just wrote that and it's true.

I had no future plans or goals; I was running in place, never getting anywhere.  OK, so I ended up putting on the weight I had lost and then some.  In June of 2008, I broke up with the deadbeat and attempted to get my life together...it was quite difficult, I was a mess...I lost my job in December and by January I was a complete disaster...overweight and unhappy and living with my mom...yikes...so I got a job waiting tables and from the constant running of waiting tables, my weight got down to 165 and that's the weight I was when I met my husband, the love of my life.  I met him while waiting tables and my life has been forever changed.  I ended up putting on weight due to the little bean in my belly and I hadn't lost any weight since I was 165. I initially put on love weight and when I first weighed in for my first prenatal appointment I was around 170ish...I put on 40 lbs with my little bean and tipped the scales at 210ish...I lost some of that weight with her birth and the newborn/non-sleeping situation, but over the years...she is 3 now...I gained almost all that back...

I have given some thought to why?  Why did I let myself get to that point, why did I gain all that weight when I was happily married and sure we had stresses, but I was generally happy.  Then...I realized that I wasn't happy with myself.  How do you change that...what do you do to find your inner happiness?  I had to start finding out how to find my inner happy.  Sounds so dumb, but so true.  I needed to have future goals - I applied to graduate school and just finished my first semester with straight A's....I also asked for a raise at my job...and the final thing that really sealed the deal for me was I needed to trust my husband...I needed to trust that he loved me no matter what size I was and that he would be there for me when I'm the diet bitch from hell :) But the most important thing?  I needed to trust myself that I will do this and I won't fail.  I needed to trust that I am worth it in this little life and my health and my happiness are the most important thing in my life.  

How did I get to this point?  

Well, it all came down to a picture that was taken on Christmas Eve, 2012.  This past Christmas.  Here is the picture:
I was appalled...I could not believe that that was me... so on December 29, 2012 - I started WW - I don't know if you know this but WW usually runs a deal at the end of December where you can get 3 months for the price of one...so that's what I did.  I used WW from December to March and in March I switched over to My Fitness Pal.  Was it hard at first? Yes, very.  I was the Diet Bitch from Hell that was hungry and wanted FOOOOOOOD...and I was still second guessing myself in terms of exercise.  I was scared to run.  I knew it would suck and be so hard and I was scared.  I read over my blog and realize that I wasn't really in the game until the very end of January...maybe even February. 

But I am in the game now.  I have currently lost 44 pounds - I started at 208 and am now down to 164.  I am skinnier than I was when I met my main man, but I have a long way to go.  My goal is somewhere between 120-130ish...and I don't really know what my end weight will be, I just know I'm not there yet - my initial goal was to lost 80lbs, and that's still a very realistic goal for me - oh I am 5'5" and 3/4s in case you're wondering :) 

So, why is this time different?  All I can say is that it's like a light switch has been flipped.  I've never been more focused in my life.  I control the food cravings and urges through food prep.  On Sundays I prep food for the week.  I usually make Hard Boiled Eggs, two proteins, wash and chop veggies, and some sort of protein bar...whether that's no bake energy balls or pumpkin/applesauce muffins...I'm not sure and this week I'm toying with the idea of not making anything protein bar-ish at all because Ive been drinking protein shakes in the morning instead...I don't know - it's always evolving and changing, but it's the key, in my opinion.  Being able to grab two turkey meatballs and some veggies for lunch in the mornings is so essential to me.  And reheating some turkey taco meat for a salad at night makes it easy for me as well as my baby girl.  

In terms of working out, I’ve sort of turned into a runner :) I'm up to 3 miles!  I can’t even believe that as I type it :) I am on the last week of Hal Higdon's Novice 5K program and on the week of June 3rd, I am starting the last 5 weeks of his Novice 10K program, so that I can start his Half-Marathon training program on July 8th so that I can run my first half on September 28th!! Me, running a half marathon, crazy sauce :)  And yesterday - I started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  I needed to incorporate some strength training and have no idea where to start, so I figured this was a good place to start :) The best part about this new active life?  My daughter.  She sees me running and loves it :) She calls her sneakers running shoes and yesterday she did the shred with me - obviously I didn't let her use my weights or anything and she mostly bounced around, but the point is, she saw me doing it and participated :) I loved it:
Yesterday doing the 30 Day Shred :)

So, am I scared I'm going to fail?  Of course?  But, am I motivated and determined?  Absolutely - I think a good healthy dose of fear is a good thing, it's when it turns into self-doubt that you have a problem.  And I try to remind myself that your whole life can change in the next 30 seconds...all you have to do is try.  So what, you just ate 10 snickers balls...it doesn't mean the rest of the day is a crap shoot...keep going and keep trying...one of my favorite sayings goes something like...one bad meal isn't going to ruin your diet just like one healthy meal wont make you lose 50 pounds :) I just try to take a deep breath and keep on trucking :) 



Here are some recent pics Ive taken of Before and Afters:

The left picture was June 2010 and the right picture was Mother's Day weekend - May 11, 2013.
The tops picture were January 2013 and the bottom pics are the beginning of May 2013.
And this one is my favorite - the top left picture was September 28, 2012 and the right pic was the past Friday, May 17, 2013 - and this coming September 28, 2013 - I will be running my first Half Marathon :)
The bottom pics just show how I am getting faster at my 2 miler :) I am picking one day a week to run at a faster pace... it help with the long run paces :)
OK, thanks Desiree for letting me share my story!! 

5.22.2013

Meet "Mean Ang"

Day One of "Desiree Goes Unplugged(ish)."

While I'm away I have some AMAZING women lined up to keep this little ol' blog of mine humming, even if I'm not around. I'm happy to say these ladies are some of my favorites. I just know you're going to love them as much as I do. And, when you find how awesome they are, please swing by their own blogs to say hello. 

When Angie said she would post I was thrilled. Though her blog name is Mean Ang the title is not even close to accurate. The girl is sweet as can be! Plus, I think we're meant to be BFFs, we have so many similarities it's uncanny. Aside from the fact that she's full-on Italian (I'm Dutch, German, and Irish), she's from Jersey, and I'm from Iowa, that's where our differences seem to end. Love her. 

Let me stop rambling and let Angie take it from here... 

Hello Macke Monologues followers!  I’m Ang and I blog over at my little corner of the internet, Mean Ang.  I’m so excited to be guest posting for Desiree while she’s taking her hiatus.  


A little about me, I’m an Italian-American and have lived in New Jersey my whole life! No, I’m not a housewife, cast member of the Jersey Shore and my family is not in the Mob.  If you come over to my neck of the woods, you’ll see that I don’t post about one thing in particular.  Most of my posts are about fitness and my journey to becoming healthier.  I just attempted to “run” my first 5K a few weeks ago and am thinking about incorporating “running” (I use that term loosely) into my daily workouts.  For the most part I really enjoy spin classes, kickboxing, and dancing which brings me to the point of this post.


Dance.  I don’t mean I’m all “Jersey Turnpiking” or fist pumping at clubs, although, I have been known to do that in the past but that is neither here nor there.  For the past 5 years I’ve been taking tap, ballet and jazz classes.  I’m well aware I’m 29 years old and that one normally does not take those types of classes after the age of 13.  A few years ago I had gone through a pretty terrible break up.  I was looking for something to take my mind off it when a few of my friends said they were taking adult ballet, tap, and jazz classes at a local studio.  They assured me that it was very casual and tutus and leotards were not required.  These classes brought me back to life and I have been taking them ever since.  Plus, you really get a kick ass workout at the ballet bar.  


What I was not aware of when I signed up was that I was required to be in a year-end RECITAL.  Complete with costumes, make-up and sometimes wigs.  Now, picture you’re going to a recital expecting to see cute kids performing in tutus and tap shoes and then BAM!  

You’re hit with 20 something year olds performing jazz numbers to Lady Gaga.  Despite all that, I’m still participating in them 5 years later.  I know it’s a little silly but my friends and I always have fun.  Who cares if we look a little weird (and trust me some of our costumes were very strange) as long as we’re enjoying ourselves and we do.
Thank you Desiree for letting me post and subjecting your readers to my randomness! We are all anxiously awaiting for your hiatus to be over!

Isn't Angie awesome?! If I'm ever in Jersey (or NYC for that matter) I'm going to make sure a meet-up with that lady happens. Too.Much.Fun!

5.21.2013

Runnin', Runnin', Runnin'

After the flop of a "half marathon" that I ran a month ago, and the disappointment that came along with it, I couldn't settle with the outcome. My time made me mad, the "event" infuriated me, and I needed to run a real race.

After a few quick searches I narrowed down a handful of races that looked legit. From there I pulled the trigger and registered for two halves. Wheeeee!!

August 18 we're San Diego bound. One of my favorite SoCal cities, and I cannot wait to run it!

Because one is never enough, October 13 I will be running the Long Beach Half as well. I mean, why not?! :)
My last "half" I trained using Hal Higdon's program. While I liked the program I decided to switch things up a bit. I recruited a crazy friend, Grant, who is a triathlon nut, and runs half and full Marys like it's no big deal, to help me with these events.

Instead of running by the mile I'm running by the minute. At first I wasn't sure if I'd like the change. To my pleasant surprise I'm really enjoying it! Mentally, it's easier to think, "only 10 more minutes to go," rather than, "holy smokes, I still have almost two miles to go!" It's also been nice to be held even more accountable. Grant checks in with me daily to see how the previous day's run went, and inform me of my daily run. To actually have to answer to someone doesn't leave much room for slacking.

Scott has helped with motivation and encouragement, as well. He knows how important these runs are. For Mother's Day he had this little beauty sent my way.
LOVE IT! Click here for your own, or to browse other adorable motivational workout gear.
To say I'm excited about these halves is without a doubt an understatement. I cannot wait for the sound of the starting horn, the satisfaction of crossing two real finish lines, and the anticipation of hopefully slashing some time off my runs.

Let the countdowns to August 18 and October 13 begin!

P.S. With all the miles I'll be putting on my shoes can I get some help convincing Scott that I'm going to need a new pair of running shoes soon?! :)

5.20.2013

Happy Marcus Monday!

We had a couple of really rough days last week.
I think the culprit of this "spell" has been discovered...
This is our first encounter with a rash. Let's hope we don't have to deal with one again anytime soon.
Seems our little guy was suffering from a heat rash. :(

Good thing things have cleared up and we appear to be back to normal. YAY!
Happy Monday!!

5.17.2013

Women's Health Week - Can't Live Without It

Here it is, 10:00PM and I'm just sitting down to write this post. This means this post will likely go unnoticed by all 8 of my diligent readers.
It's been one of those days. Correction, the past two days have been those days. Marcus has been extremely fussy and nothing seems to calm him. I've gone down "the list" of possible things that could be his issue(s), and none of them check out. Bleh. So, I'm chalking it up to growing pains (do those things exist?).

To lighten things up and get me out of this Mommy slump I'm running down a list of Mommy-must haves. For me anyway.

Here are the things that I cannot live without any given day.
1. The Nalgene bottle. That thing is always with me. If it's not with me I've misplaced it (very likely), or it's in the dishwasher.
2. My morning coffee. One cup is never enough. I usually have 5 or 6. Hey, don't judge. Whatever it takes to function.
3. Catwalk Curls Rock hair cream. If you've noticed, I have an unruly mane of curls. This is the only stuff that keeps the curls tamed, and not crunchy.
4. The phone. Without it I'm lost. It's my clock, my calculator, and computer at times. How did we ever function without phones like this?!
5. My arm band and no slip ear phones. Workouts would never happen if it weren't for those two.
6. My Brady Bands; 98% of the time my hair is in a pony tail, and I have crazy fly-aways. The Brady Bands keep things under control.

There you have it. My 6 daily must-haves.

Don't forget to stop by the other lovely hosts of Women's Health Week, AND get entered in the Women's Health Week prize pack (Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post)! 
* LARGE ad space on Sew Crafty Angel
* Samples of energy bits and either 3 shoe laces
* 1 sweatybands and a size small blue leopard print skort from Etsy
* Just Right ad space All My Happy Endings
* 16 oz bag of PB2 
 * Inspired T-Shirts pick either size Med or size XL 
* 2 shakeology samples (one greenberry and one chocolate) and a shaker bottle.
* Bombshell blush
* Bombshell lipgloss
* Mary Kay TimeWise Moisture Renewing Gel Mask
* Large Ad Space on Mice In The Kitchen 
* 2 week supply of Shake FX by Body FX.
a Rafflecopter giveaway