FRIDAY!!!

I told myself I was going to be more intentional about blogging this fall. I have lots of recipes, workouts, and life happenings I want to share. It just seems hard to find the time to sit down and write. Especially, when there is a 14 month old demanding snacks, attentions, and playtime outside.

One. Meal Planning
I decided to take on the task of planning our dinners for a whole month. I only planned the week days since weekends are unpredictable for us. I made my grocery list and headed to Wal Mart. It has been two weeks and its going very well. I am eating better lunches because we have leftovers from dinner and I don't spend half the day trying to decide what to do for dinner. I use the BigOven app on my phone and its meal planning feature. It also sends the ingredients for each recipe to a grocery list so you know just what you need at the store. The hardest part was deciding what meals to make but it is saving us time and money.

Two. Apples
One of my favorite things to do in the fall is pick apples. We used to go when I was a kid and I have such fond memories of those trips. There are quite a few orchards near where we live and one U Pick apples for 50 cents a pound. 50 CENTS!!!! I couldn't wait to go and finally dragged Bo and Dean with me. We ended up with about 40 lbs. I have been peeling, coring, and slicing for days. I finally got the last of them in the freezer. I also made apple butter, apple bread, apple pumpkin muffins, apple salad, and apple cobbler. I need a break from apples.

Three. Running
I love to run. I especially love it in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. Bo and I try to go every day but don't always make it. Pushing the stroller is tough. I signed up for my second 10k this year so really need to continue logging the miles. It will probably be my last race of the season so I want to do well.

Four. New Workouts
A group of ladies from my church were looking for some exercise ideas. Dean and I try hard to stay in shape so I agreed to give them some workouts and try to motivate them on their fitness journeys. I have been struggling with the desire to become a personal trainer or not, and what I can do at home to keep busy. Working with these ladies has given me motivation in my own workouts and I think they are enjoying it. Maybe it will become something more but we shall see.

Five. Bo
This little guy is keeping us on our toes. At 14 months old, he is everywhere. He is walking really well now and even talks a little. His new favorite word is hot. He uses it at very appropriate times too. He gets into everything and loves to make messes. He loves to be outside and play in the dirt. He makes us laugh so much and has the sweetest personality. We are so blessed to be his parents.

Have a great weekend everyone. I will be back to post a new workout next week!!

5 on Friday with A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness, and The Good Life.

4-16 Workout

It took me much longer than anticipated, but here is my workout for this week. It has a little bit of everything, so I hope you find it encouraging and challenging. I will be posting a video of me doing each exercise when my camera man gets home.

Don't forget, if an exercise is done with only one arm or leg at a time, you have to switch after 30 sec. You don't want to be lopsided!!
I would love your feedback on how you liked this workout. I hope you try it!

Citrus Lane Box Review

A month or so ago, I got a coupon for a Citrus Lane Box. If you don't know what that is, it is a box of 4 products picked by parents for kids of all ages. The products for your box are picked based on your child's age. That way you don't get things that are too old or too young. I had heard quite a few good things about these boxes and even know a few people who get them every month. I figured we would try one and if we loved it we could subscribe for more months. Well...I didn't love it but didn't hate it. I don't think I would pay the full price of a box because I'm too cheap but for basically no money, it was worth it. Maybe we will try again when he gets a little older and has a longer attention span. He received a bodysuit, stacking boats bath toys, a Happy Baby Pouch, and Radish dish soap (for me). He got three products and I got one.

                                   



Bodysuit from Tea Collection. www.teacollection.com
The bodysuit is really nice. It retails from the website at $26.50. The colors are good and the fabric seems really durable. It will be great for the cooler days that are already here.

Fleet Stacking Boats Bathing Toys from Boon www.booninc.com

Bo really liked these boats.They retail on the website at $11.99. I have a hard time keeping him occupied in the tub. He likes to pull the plug and watch all the water go swirling down the drain. Bathtime usually lasts 5 minutes. After I gave him the boats, he played in the water for about 10 minutes before trying to pull the plug. He liked pouring water out of them and watching the water come out of the holes on top. I am sure he will continue to enjoy them as he gets older.

Happy Baby Pouch from Happy Family www.happyfamilybrands.com Retails about $1.79 depending on the store

Bo loves pouches. He immediately tried to open it up and carried it all around the house. We love taking them on trips or when we go to restaurants. I love the different combinations and knowing that he is going to get both fruits and veggies in one pouch. They are kinda messy when he insists on holding them himself, but he usually sucks it down fast enough that he doesn't make a big mess.

Radish Dish Soap from Mrs. Meyers www.mrsmeyers.com  The 2 ox trial size I received was $1. A 16 oz bottle retails for $3.99

I am still undecided on the dish soap. My favorite thing about it is the scent. I didn't think I would like radish, but it may be one of my new favorites. I am a big Dawn fan, so I was skeptical. It didn't suds up as much I would have liked but it did a good job getting the dishes clean and not leaving spots on my glasses. I only had one pan and it seemed to cut through the grease pretty well. Overall, I was very satisfied. It is sold at Meijer, Target, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I just might have to use my next BB&B coupon to buy some. I will definitely be looking for the scent. 

I was not compensated by any of these companies. I just wanted to give a review of what was in our Citrus Lane box, so you could try these products as well. It may also help give justification as to whether to sign up for the boxes or not. It was worth the money and Bo likes all the products he received. We are going to cancel our subscription for now but may be back in the future. We will definitely be eating Happy Family pouches and possibly buying radish scented dish soap.

Ab Workout

Good Morning!!! Here is a simple, yet challenging ab workout to start your day. Just remember you are building a strong core, which is important for good posture, running or walking, lifting weights, kids, groceries, and laundry, and balance and stability. Enjoy!!!

Complete two sets of these exercises.

20 Bicycle crunches-lie flat on your back with your knees up, Bring opposite elbow and knee together raising shoulders off the floor, release and bring the other elbow and knee together. Continue switching right and left. Your legs should be moving like you are riding a bike. Count each Right and Left as one rep.


http://abcbeachabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/cute-girl-doing-the-bicycle-crunch.jpg

20 Russian Twists-sit with feet flat on floor. Shoulders to knees should create a V. Your arms should be palms down, straight out in front of body. Turn your arms and torso to the left 90 degrees or as far as you can, turn back to the front and then twist to the right 90 degrees. One rep equals a left and right twist.

 http://site.rockbottomgolf.com/scratch-the-cavemans-blog/2012/12/19/the-cavemans-essential-exercises-russian-twist/

20 Side crunches-lie on right side with knees slightly bent. Place left hand near ear on head with elbow bent. Raise feet slightly off the floor. Bring elbow down toward hip squeezing abs together. Do 20 and then switch sides.

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/02/07/psychopath-workout

20 Windshield Wipers-lie flat on back with feet together in the air. Body should make an L. Lower legs to the left side, bring back up, lower to the right side, like a windshield wiper. Bring back up. One rep is a left and right wiper.

20 Bridges-lie flat on back, feet flat on the floor. Raise butt off the floor, keeping shoulders on the floor. Lower butt to almost touching the floor and then raise back up. Squeeze buttocks together at top of bridge. Count one rep each time you reach the top of the bridge.

http://www.sandiegopurplecow.org/2011/06/bridge-exercise.html

30 sec plank- in push up position balancing on feet and elbows, or on side balancing on feet and elbow

http://pitfitness.net/2013/01/07/exercise-of-the-week-plank/
http://healthadvocateinc.blogspot.com/2014/05/wow-workout-of-week-side-planks.html

Repeat Circuit

Total workout time is about 15 minutes. Don't hurry through the exercises. Focus on engaging your abs and getting the most out of each exercise. Keep it up!! You'll have awesome abs in no time.

5-4-3-2-1 Workout and Cheat Sheet

The wonderful ladies from my Girl's Night group have inspired me to start sharing my workouts and fitness plans. I will be posting workouts here and other fitness related goodies I have learned and want to share.

This week's workout is a 5-4-3-2-1. It is simple in the fact that you only need a stopwatch. It was challenging but I feel great now. 

I am going to break it down section by section to help you understand the exercises and get the most out of the workout. I will post pictures of each exercise this afternoon. Hopefully. Until then, you can google any of the exercises and see pictures and videos explaining each one.

5 min

I did the at home exercises because Bo was still sleeping. 

I replaced high knees with step ups on my porch steps. 

High knees-bring your knees waist high one at a time while either jogging forward or jogging in place. It was a little too noisy to do in my living room this morning.

Step ups- use any step, higher is more challenging. I do alternating steps, Right Up, Left Up, Right Down, Left Down and then switch to Left Up, Right Up, Left Down, Right Down

Jumping Jacks-jump feet out and bring hands together over your head. 

Front kicks-bring your knee up to your waist, kick your leg out, bring your knee back in, and then put your foot down. It's like a karate kick to the front instead of the side. I do ten with each leg and then start over until the minute is up.

4 min

Lunges- step forward with one leg and lower your hips until both your knees are bent at about 90 degrees. If you can't go all the way to 90 degrees, go as far as you can. Your front knee should be above your ankle, not pushed over your toes. Make sure your back knee does not touch the floor. Keep your weight on your heels as you push back up. Do not put you hands on your knees. I like to keep mine at my waist. I did 10 with my right leg forward, 10 with my left, and then started again until my minute was up.

Mountain Climbers-begin in a push-up position. Bring one knee up under your hip. Explosively switch positions so that the other knee is under and the knee that was in front is now straight. Continue quickly switching until time is up. This was the hardest one for me. If you get tired, stop for 5 seconds, catch your breath and start again. 

3 min

Push ups- Do regular or modified push ups. Go down as far as you can until your elbows are bent at 90 degrees. You can do modified push ups on your knees. Try to keep your back straight, butt down, and get those 90 degree elbows. 

Tricep dips-Use your couch or a stationary chair. Sit on the edge. Slide your butt off the front with your legs extended in front of you. Hands on the couch, palms down, and fingers pointing toward feet.  Slowly bend your elbows until they reach 90 degrees. Then push back up.

2 min

Squats- Start with feet shoulder width apart, bend until your knees are at about 90 degrees. Keep your butt down and weight on your heels. It should feel like you are sitting in a chair. If you can't go all the way to 90 go as far as you can. The more you do them the easier it will be. 

Jump Squats-Do a regular squat and then jump up. Land back in squat position. I also switched these out for side squats.

Side Squat-Start with feet together, step out with one leg and bend into a squat, Stand up and bring legs together. Do 10 leading with each leg. Keep switching until your time runs out.

1 min

Plank-Get into push up position.You can keep your hands down or lower onto your elbows. Keep back straight and abs tight. You can also lower onto your knees if balancing on your feet is too difficult. Try to maintain a straight body and keep your butt down. 

It is OK to take breaks in between sections. Try not to stop for longer than a minute. You don't want your muscles to tighten up. The longer you stop for, the harder it will be to continue. It will feel difficult and your body will be tired and sore but it will get easier. 

Don't forget to stretch when you are finished!

I hope you try this workout and like it. I am doing this workout too. I struggled through it this morning but am looking forward to going at it again on Wednesday. I would love to hear your feedback. 

Stay tuned for an AB workout for Tuesday and Thursday.

ONE YEAR OLD!!!

Our baby is no longer a baby! :( It is both sad and exciting that we are leaving the baby stage and entering into toddlerhood. Bo is growing into such a wonderful little boy. He has a great personality and makes friends everywhere we go. He is not walking yet but it could happen any day now. This has been a fun month and I'm sure life will get even more fun as Bo grows.

This month Bo...

• wears size 4 diapers
• wears 9 month and 12 month clothes
• eats three meals a day, plus two snacks
• started drinking whole milk
• ate Birthday cake and frosting
• won 1st place in the baby crawl at the Indian Family Olympics
• walks around the furniture and holding our hands
• pushes anything that moves around the house
• climbs on EVERYTHING
• can stand without help
• claps
• waves bye bye
• gives high fives
• talks into the phone
• loves to be chased
• loves playing in the fridge and dryer
• climbs the stairs
• reads books to himself
• doesn't like getting his diaper changed or wearing socks
• loves playing with his daddy and seeing him when he gets home from work
• loves wheels and spinning them
• is always happy and smiling
• doesn't like getting in his carseat
• takes one or two naps a day for an hour and a half or two hours
• still wakes up 1 or 2 times at night
• got a visit from Grandma King
• went to Portland, OR
• had a great FIRST birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BO!!!!

Eleven months old

I can not believe we are one month away from having a ONE YEAR OLD!!! Where has the time gone? Each day he amazes us with all he is learning and doing. It is hard to keep him still.

This month Bo....

• started wearing size 4 diapers
• wears 9 month and 12 month sized clothes
• has 8 teeth
• loves eating anything you feed him
• drinks from a sippy cup
• loves drinking from our cups, straws, and bottles
• pulls to standing
• walks along furniture
• climbs up stairs
• loves to go outside
• hates wearing hats
• feet are too chubby for shoes
• loves bathtime
• claps his hands
• gives kisses
• waves hi/bye
• climbs on the furniture
• loves playing in the cabinets
• loves the fridge, vacuum, and going outside
• dances to music
• can stand alone for up to 30 seconds
• went on vacation to Alaska
• still chews on everything
• loves books and ripping paper
• gets up once or twice at night to nurse
• excellent traveler