fitness friday - out of sight, out of mind

I really do. If there's chocolate in the house, and there usually is, it is always calling my name, anytime of the day. 

I don't buy certain things because my will power is pretty much nonexistent when they are in front of me. I know I'm not alone in this. I think I've mentioned that I don't buy chips. I love love love chips. Doritos are my fav. I don't buy ice cream either. I could eat a whole pint in 5 minutes. LOVE me some ice cream. I've decided not to buy anymore dark chocolate covered almonds because I have a slight addiction forming. Okay not so slight if I'm being honest. I'm obsessed. 

One of the most helpful things I can do in order to stop eating junk food is to throw it out the moment it enters the house. Dan is so good about that. He hates having sweets in the house because they aren't doing us any favors. They are bad for our teeth and bad for our waistlines. The kids don't need sweets either. There is always a holiday around the corner it seems. They are constantly bringing home candy. Valentine's day brought a TON more. When did Valentine's Day become candy day? And there are always birthday parties too. You can't blame people for sending home goodie bags filled with treats. But you can throw it out!

And as long as it is not in the house, I can't eat it. I don't even think about it. It's not a temptation. An alcoholic does not have liquor in the house. That would just be stupid. So being a self-diagnosed chocoholic, I really shouldn't have chocolate in my cupboards.

So, if you have a hard time laying off a certain thing, try not buying it and getting rid of it immediately if it does enter the house. If you have the discipline to have just a little bit, hey, more power to you. I do not.

blessings in disguise

When I was a preteen, I started noticing that all my friends were skinny and I was not. There were only like 8 girls in my private school class so there wasn't much variety. I've always had a bit of an athletic build. My cousin called me stocky one time and it absolutely crushed my little 12 year old heart. I wanted so bad to be skinny like my friends. 

Looking back, I was nowhere near chubby but when I wore a bathing suit I did not look like my friends who had those stick skinny legs. And one time, I went to the doctor for my physical and he mentioned that I weighed a lot for my height. My mom looked at me in horror and shook her head, but I burst into tears. After looking at me, he decided that it must have been muscle, but it was too late. The emotional scar had already been formed. Stupid doctor. I was so obsessed. I remember standing in front of the mirror and doing a half squat so my thighs would look smaller. 

I was a very active kid. I went everywhere on my bike and roller blades. I climbed trees and was always outside playing with the neighbor boys and my little brother. I was pretty good at sports too.

One day, my 8th grade teacher Mr. Crabtree announced that we would be starting track and field. It basically measured everything from long jump to high jump to stretching to pull-ups and more. As I completed each category, my teacher commented on my high scores. He was impressed. I actually broke the record for the most jump ropes in one minute. I still remember the number. I did 188 jumps in one minute which was over 30 more than any boy or girl had done in the previous years. Unfortunately my record was broken two years later but that's not the point. I was the only girl to receive the presidential fitness award that year. 

Mr. Crabtree commented after one of the events, "It must be all that muscle in your legs." I looked at him and smiled probably the biggest smile my mouth could handle. Finally. Those "stocky" thighs paid off. From then on, I was proud of my legs. They could do pretty awesome things. I continued playing varsity sports in high school and wasn't really too self-conscious about my legs anymore. As I matured, I realized that my junior high friends were super skinny and I was more on the normal side of the scale than I thought. 

The point, though, was that something I thought was a curse turned out to be a blessing. Obviously, this is not one of those stories about how I was born without a limb or something and turned it into something positive. But appreciating my body led me to be thankful for what God has given me and to try to be thankful for things when they appear to be less than ideal. You never know how God will use you and your struggles.

firefighter dan

Dan went to Winter's school last week and did a little talk in his uniform. Winter was super excited and so were all the little ones of course. 

fitness friday - help

haha oh well. Happy Friday!
I don't know about you but when it comes to saying no to junk food, I need all the help I can get. If this is truly a desire of your heart, to cook healthy meals for your family or exercise regularly or lose weight, then why not ask for help? God cares about us and the things that are important to us. Say a prayer and do your best. 

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. -John 14:13-14

My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. -Psalm 121:2

Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. -1 Peter 5:7

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. -1 John 5:14-15
Now go forth and be fit! =)

well done mommy

Many times us moms feel like failures because it is not humanly possible to do everything that needs to get done. We are setting impossible goals. 

My house needs to be clean, laundry done, homework complete, lunches made, kids fed (healthy food?), kids bathed, dogs fed, fish fed, dog poop picked up, car cleaned out, trash emptied, self showered, etc. all while spending quality time with our little blessings while disciplining them and teaching them to be kind, respectful loving little people. NOT POSSIBLE. So I've made a list. I've decided that if I complete just ONE of these successfully, I receive a mommy gold star and a pat on the back from myself. It's time to lower that bar people!

1. Wash, dry, (folding optional) and put away one load of laundry. 
2. All kids fed, dressed, backpacks in tow with completed homework in homework folder inside backpack, lunches made, wearing shoes in car on our way to school on time. (This deserves 5 gold stars)
3. The girls have clean socks (matching optional) and clean underwear to wear to school
4. Mommy showered, hair done and wearing makeup... Before noon
5. Dishwasher unloaded in the AM
6. Discipline without yelling
7. Make a dinner that includes a fruit or vegetable.
8. Read someone a story
9. Spend time with a kid coloring or doing a puzzle.
10. Walk dogs
11. Pick up dog poop
12. Take kids somewhere fun like the park
13. Spend less than $100 at target
14. Remember to take list to the grocery store and actually get everything on it
15. Toilet paper in all three bathrooms.
16. All of the children bathed. (Soap optional)
17. Remember to have everyone brush their teeth before bed.
18. Kids in bed with no spankings
19. All kids asleep before 8:00

What's on your list?!

fitness friday - small changes

(Disclaimer: I'm not a health or fitness expert. Fortunately, most healthy choices are common sense and self-discipline. I love to read about and practice good health. I have learned a lot but I can always learn more. I would love to hear some of your tips you've learned on your health journey too!)

Hubby Dan is always telling me that he can't make big changes. He has to take baby steps. Ever since we started dating it has been that way with him. And when we got married and I kept bugging him to eat healthier and exercise more, he would say, baby steps. After a while those baby steps became actual healthy changes in his diet and over the years, he has made several huge changes a little bit at a time.

I'm always one to make big changes all at once because I am impatient. I think we all are. We want to see changes in our bodies like today. But Dan is so right. The only way you can make huge changes to your lifestyle that actually have a chance of sticking is to make them slowly and a little bit at a time. I've also heard that it takes 21 days or times to make something a habit.

So, when it comes to changing for the better, eating healthier and exercising more, try one healthy change to your day to day menu that you can make without getting too crazy. And start with an easy exercise plan you can actually follow. Here are a few suggestions. Pick just ONE or TWO at a time. Next week, make another change and the next week, another, and so on.

1. Replace one soda a day with water. Someone just gave me a great idea to fill up a pitcher with water at night and put cucumbers, and different citrus fruits in it to soak overnight and drink it throughout the next day. Strawberries are also an awesome flavor to add. Or if you love the carbonation like I do, try a healthier version of soda. I love fruit infused seltzers. They are basically carbonated water with a splash of fruit juice for flavor and totally refreshing. You can get them at Target, Trader Joe's and probably most grocery stores.

2. Try eating on a smaller plate at dinner or lunch time. I love the saying, "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper." It helps me remember to start the day out by eating plenty in the morning when my metabolism is going strong. Then eat a small dinner. I don't need that much to fill me up at night because I'm winding down for the day, the kids are going to bed and I'm usually sitting folding laundry or on the computer =)

3. Replace your normal snacks with something that will fill you up and hold you over 'till your next meal like nuts, hard boiled eggs, apples and peanut butter or veggies and hummus. I buy several types of nuts from Trader Joe's so I don't get bored of eating the same ones over and over again.

4. Keep water and nuts in your car so you aren't tempted to stop somewhere fastfoodish.

5. Replace white breads and pastas with whole grain or rice versions.

6. Make a rule for yourself that whenever you eat out, you will order a salad instead of a burger. OR you will only eat half of your meal and take the rest home. Sometimes when I go to a Mexican restaurant I'll order a salad right away to keep me from eating my weight in chips, salsa and guac.

7. Birthday parties, baby showers and holiday parties are also places that encourage unhealthy snacking. Try to just get one plate with lots of salad or veggies and let that be it. Bring water in case that isn't an option. If you make a plan beforehand, you are more likely to make good choices.

8. Try incorporating healthy things into your diet like spinach and kale. Greens can easily be added to scrambled eggs, smoothies and soups. When the weather is cold, it is so easy to put your favorite soup in the blender with some spinach and blend it up before you heat it up. When the weather heats up the way it always does in SoCal, I like to make a smoothie with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt and almond milk. 

9. We do need carbs for energy throughout the day but we don't need a whole lot at night, so I try to refrain if I can. Try replacing spaghetti with spaghetti squash. I love it. And it is soooo easy. Here's a great recipe.  Also, try using cauliflower rice instead of white rice. They carry it in the frozen section at Trader Joe's or you can make your own. Here's a YouTube video.

10. Give yourself a little treat at night. I eat soy ice cream sandwiches from, you guessed it, Trader Joe's. It's just the best place ever isn't it?! They are small and yummy and I feel like I get my sugar fix in. They also have trail mix cookies that are pretty healthy and really tasty if you have a cookie addiction. Maybe I should just start a Trader Joe's food blog!

11. Snacking is always tempting when I'm bored. I know, being a mom I always have something to do, but sometimes I'm just tired or lazy and the housecleaning gets overwhelming so I just snack instead. I try to keep a list of 5 minute easy tasks to do on my fridge should I feel like I don't know what to do. Late night snacking is my downfall. Lately I've been having a cup of herbal tea with some blue agave or honey when I feel that snack attack coming on. Also, I don't buy chips. Seriously, chips are the devil. I can't say no to Doritos. Are there snacks that your kids love that you hate? Buy those.

12. Dinner is hard for me because I'm starving and the kids are cranky and sometimes my hubby is at work for 48 hours at a time. I stock up on these babies (actually pretty good microwavable frozen fish and rice) and feed the kids mac and cheese. You gotta do what you gotta do. 

13. Exercise is always a pretty hard thing to start doing. Find something you like to do like walking your dog or baby at the park. It doesn't have to be crazy as long as you are doing it consistently. You can always step it up later. I always start taking my babies for walks in the stroller when they are around 6 months, then I do a run/walk where I run every other song playing on my iPhone. Then I do a full run after a few months.

14. Get a buddy. We are SO much more likely to exercise when someone else is waiting for us. I work out with two friends in the morning. And if they were not meeting me at my house, there is no way I would get up early. I would find every excuse in the world not to.

15. Set your workout clothes out the night before. Everything from socks and shoes to the hair tie you'll be using. That makes it easy to put them on. Once they are on, you will feel like you should do something in them. I always feel more bouncy when I have my running shoes and workout clothes on. The other day, I got dressed to workout just in case I had a spare few minutes. I actually surprised myself with a run with my kids in the stroller because it was such a nice day and I was already dressed for it.

16. Set yourself up for success. Make it super easy to exercise and eat healthy by planning ahead. Do everything you can beforehand in order to make changes. Cut up veggies and put them in the fridge. Leave fruit out in a bowl where you can grab it. Set your alarm to wake up in the morning. Tell friends and family about the changes you are planning. Planning is the best advice I can give you. When something is hard or inconvenient, most of us won't do it. It has to be easy and convenient. So lets do ourselves a favor and make it easy. 

I write these on Fridays so we have the weekend to think and plan and shop for the following week. Good luck! I'll be cheering you on.

Happy Friday!! 

Foot in mouth

Mya had to switch schools at the beginning of this year because her previous school became too full and we are at the bottom of the priority list since we live in Azusa and go to Glendora schools. There are five elementary schools in Glendora. And because this one (our new school) is located below the tracks so to speak, it is not the most desired school.  Basically North Glendora has more money than South Glendora. But all five schools score pretty high and are very good schools in general.

As soon as I found out we were going to be switched to the new school I contacted my buddy who happens to teach there and asked to be in her class and was ecstatic when she said she could be Mya's teacher. It made the transition a piece of cake. And I like the car line situation a whole lot more at the school we go to now. There are fewer students, a better teacher to student ratio and fewer cars picking them up. They have a fabulous staff and we are pretty happy there.

I was talking to another mom who also was switched to the same school as us from our previous school. Her son was in Mya's class at our old school. She was asking me what I thought of the new school and I said "I like it a lot.  However, it is definitely a rougher crowd." She replied with "Totally!" From very Mayberry types of  families, we both noticed a more edgy side of Glendora. Then I chose to keep going, which was a mistake. I believe I said something along the lines of, "There seem to be a lot more tattoos here!" (Parents not students. It's an elementary school.)

It was a fair statement to make. There are definitely more tattoos at this school than the previous one, however there is nothing wrong with tattoos. In fact, I would love to have one if I could ever settle on something I could live with on my body for the rest of my life. I love tattoos... in moderation.

She laughed at my comment and then our kids came out and we said bye and started to walk away. As she reached for her son, I noticed a big fat tattoo on her forearm. Dammit.

If my teens and 20s have taught me anything, it is not to speak negatively about people because it usually gets back to the person I am talking about or it comes out wrong and I offend someone without meaning to or I hurt someones feelings. I've also learned to be mindful about what I'm saying in case it is taken the wrong way... most of the time.

I'm lucky that she does not offend easily because she's still super friendly to Dan and me. A few days later I saw her talking to another mom who also has a tattoo. See?

A for Angus

Angus is 9 months now! He's officially crawling, officially teething (the fussy kind) and still desperately in love with his mama. He's eating solids most days but definitely prefers breast milk. Not looking forward to weaning him. I can tell it won't be easy. 

I just took him in for his 9 month checkup. He's still off the charts in weight. He's in the 90th percentile in height and his head is in the 95th percentile. Not sure why they measure that... He weighs 25.5 pounds. That's more than Addie of course. 

I took this picture because it pretty much sums up my days. Babies and laundry. And dishes of course. That pile behind Angus is about 5 loads of clean unfolded laundry.

Angus's fav toy pictured below. An empty dog vitamin bottle. Who needs those baby toys. These days he enjoys scooting tables and chairs around, playing with open closet doors, nursing and... that's about it. He's still very happy and by far the easiest baby we've raised. His only flaw is that he does not sleep through the night. He wakes me up at 3AM most days and sometimes 1AM when he's teething. But as far as babies go, I would give him a solid A. I'm already missing the baby stage even though I'm still in it. I just see it flying by and in a few months he'll be walking... then driving, then off to college =(

FITNESS FRIDAY!

Okay if you remember when I talked about how I was going to blog only on Mondays to devote more time and energy to other things during the week, try to forget all about that. I like to blog more than just once a week it turns out. It is therapeutic for me and if I find time during the day when the babies are both napping at the same time, like now, I write. Sometimes I can't for over a week. Just depends.

Soooooo that being said, I still want to have a special day devoted to one of my great passions in life, health and fitness. (I know that's two but they go hand in hand) If you know me at all, you won't be surprised to hear this. I started out majoring in health in college but I was 18 and changed my major to undecided and well you know how that goes. 

I AM NO EXPERT. However, I have subscribed to several health magazines for about 2 decades and I now consider myself a health magazine graduate =) If only they had degrees for that. I have read so many that I rarely read anything new anymore. Of course I have read books as well so I'm not a complete ding dong. But I like the magazines because they come out with the newest info each month. You know, it's funny. All of these crazy diets and special health foods and it really just comes down to the old saying, "Eat less, exercise more." That's a huge part of it. So easy to say. SOOOO hard to do. 

Over the years I have learned to love exercise and healthy foods and I want to share that with as many people as possible. Fitness is a tricky business. It takes commitment and hard work. I have so many great ideas and tricks that have worked for me. So I thought, why not share them. So, from this day forward, every Friday will be known (on my blog) as... DUNT DUNNA NUUUUUN!... FITNESS FRIDAY!!! haha, obviously I'm excited about this. But please don't hold me to it. If I forget one Friday, sorry. I have four kids, ages 6 and under. 

Okay, so for today I want to kind of set the tone for the Fitness Friday posts. Each Friday I will be offering tips, ideas, suggestions and encouraging you to join me in the exciting world of eating less and exercising more! 

But in case you need help getting started making healthy changes or getting in the healthy/fit mindset, here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Ask yourself, what is my goal? Do I want to lose weight? Do I want to simply firm up my skinny-fat thighs? (That means that you are a flabby skinny girl or guy. You wear a small size but you are very jiggly. This includes most skinny people over the age of 30) Do I want to start eating healthier? Once you have answered these questions about what it is that you want to do, write down your goals. 

2. Next, how are you going to obtain these goals? What is the best option for you and your family? Is the gym something you would like? Or are you the type of person that has to be outside? Brainstorm some things you enjoy doing that you could include in your everyday exercise routine. Do you know anyone that would be able to exercise with you and start a healthy eating plan? If you want to start eating healthier, brainstorm with your hubby or a good friend how you are going to do this.

3. Get serious. Make a plan. Make a grocery list. Make an exercise plan. When are you going to exercise? 

4. Get started! Set your alarm and get up and actually get moving. I always like getting started on a Monday for some reason. It is the first day after the weekend and it feels like a new week even though new weeks technically start on a Sunday. 

5. Go to bed on time. If we are going to exert extra energy on exercise, we need rest. we are going to have to decide if we would prefer to carry on with watching our fav shows until we pass out OR we can do something productive and go to sleep. (I like to read a chapter in a good book then lights out) There is always time to catch up on those shows on the weekend.

6. Okay, good luck! I will be cheering you on every Friday! <3

toddlers

Addie: Nice day huh...

Rosie: Mmm hmm

Addie: Hey, whatcha eatin'?

Rosie: Cheerios...

Addie: You think I could have a bite? 

Rosie: Sure, here ya go!

addie wins again

(wrote this last week and forgot to post)

Sometimes Dan work's three days in a row if he picks up an overtime. It's good money but I'm not sure that it is worth the emotional scars my kids are getting as a result.

That third day is usually the kicker. If we are grading my ability to keep myself under control I would definitely give myself a solid D. When I had Angus, something broke in my brain where it controls my impulses and temper. Four kids was the magic number. 

Today, one minute I am looking at Addie and Angus thinking about how I am so blessed and the next minute I am yelling at Addie to SHUT UP! and throwing a granola bar at her. It has been a long while since I did that. Not that I earned it or anything but at least it's not an everyday occurrence. She did this thing that she always does when she wants something… kind of a cross between a scream and a wine... over and over and over until something snaps in mommy.

I said no a million times determined to feed my toddler a normal meal and not let her eat her weight in granola bars. But after losing it, I decided that it would probably be more beneficial for her to have a granola bar then it would be if I continued to yell and throw things at her. She doesn't even seem to mind that I go all crazy on her. She loves me anyway.