motivated.

Happy Monday!

What a week last week was, right?? I was literally glued to the tv on Friday evening as everything was unfolding and they were closing in on the second Boston Marathon suspect. I am still amazed that we live in this type of world, where we can literally watch these things happen from our living room. Praise Jesus that they caught him ALIVE. I kept thinking how surreal it must have been for the people of Boston and Watertown, on lock down all day.. and then for that family to look back in their backyard and realize things looked different than they had a few hours ago and that there were some bloody clothes out there... !!! I can't even imagine. And of course, for all of the victims and their families- continued prayers.

Last week was a bit of a doozy for me on some personal levels as well, but I am now ready to wipe it all away and start things over with a fresh Monday outlook. After a looong winter of sitting on my hiney and pretending to hibernate, I am more than ready to bust out the shorts and spring dresses and look good while wearing them. Which means I need to jump on the workout train, stat. 

So last night I ate one more taco than was wise and firmly decided that today I would start fresh. I went to bed googling Tracy Anderson videos, wondering if I should order one of her dance cardio videos to get me in gear. I am trying to be realistic and honest with myself and how I stay on track. If it's a group thing or a class- I'm all in. We did Running Moms all last year, which was great. I do like to run. But I can find so many reasons to talk myself out of running on my own. Plus it can get boring to me when I'm alone (or pushing Evie). I would love to take Barre or Pilates or yoga classes, buuuuuttt I don't really want to pay for them at the moment. 

So I think my plan here is to mix things up by doing some different videos, strength training and running. Mainly? JUST GET MOVING. I may even have to give myself some incentive like a new dress or something if I keep with this for the next few weeks. We'll see.

I kicked things off this morning by doing the first half of an On Demand dance cardio video, then cranked up Pandora and pranced and kicked my way around our living room for 20 minutes. It was as sexy as you're imagining. My daughter was extremely entertained. I am also bound and determined to stop eating so much crap.

So what about you? Have you started any pre-swimsuit season workouts?

Project 52:16 {a good sweat}

thankful for...

a good sweat 

My first semester of college I put on the freshman, oh, about 10. I never really weighed myself to be sure, but there was no doubt my lack of activity + frequent social trips to the cafeteria added on the pounds. Sarah and I met and were fast friends right before Christmas break, so when we came back for the second semester, I started running with her. Sometimes twice a day. The extra weight (and then some) flew off.

I kept up running and being generally active through the rest of college and beyond. But I haven't been running regularly in a few years.

So that's changing now. And it feels soo good so far. A friend and I signed up for a Strolling Moms group through a local running club. Two mornings a week. After a very slow run/walk start, we broke off with one of the instructors to form our own little group to run a whole lot more with 1 minute walk intervals. It's a 12 week program with the goal of training you to run a 5k, but frankly I could care less about that. I'm just happy to be hitting the pavement and working up a sweat.

It's amazing to me how good it feels. I missed it!

And these two cuties certainly help keep us accountable. :)

* * * * *

Read more about my Project 52.

Linking my Project 52 with:

styleberry BLOG

 What We're Sayin'

Oh The Places We'll Go 

Englexas 

Wicked Kate

The 100 Workout

So I saw this little workout plan on Pinterest yesterday:

The 100 Workout

100 Jumping Jacks

90 Crunches

80 Squats

70 Leg Lifts

60 Jumping Jacks

50 Crunches

40 Squats

30 Leg Lifts

20 Jumping Jacks

Run for 10 Minutes

I pinned it at first, but then when I clicked through to the source, it was some awful blog about eating disorders. And not how to overcome one. Not cool. So I unpinned it, but printed out the plan first because I thought it was something I could actually do.

And Lord knows I need to workout.

People. It's seriously been months since I've done any real exercise. That includes going for a walk around the neighborhood because we are currently in the middle of Heat Wave Twenty Eleven, not to be confused with our previous fun weather experience this year, Blizzard Twenty Eleven. What is UP this year, Al Gore???

Anyway. I did it! And I'm still alive to tell about it.

Follow along, won't you? A little play-by-play for your Hump Day. No need to worry- I thought pictures of me doing this might cross the line a bit and guarantee you would never be back. You're welcome.

100 Jumping Jacks. Ok, ok. I can do this. Not a problem. Right around jack 60 I decided it might be a good idea to throw on a sports bra. Duh. Also during this little break I noticed that my shorts were on backwards, so all around off to a winning start. 

90 Crunches. Ahhhh, laying down! Good call, since I may or may not be hyperventilating after jumping around the living room. As a rule, I hate crunches, but these didn't bother me at all.

80 Squats. Easy peasy. All thanks to my semi-daily teeth brushing squat regimen. I'm rocking this workout. 

70 Leg Lifts. Back to the floor! I now have an audience in Evie and Duke and you would think it was opening night on Broadway the way they're tracking my leg flying through the air.

60 Jumping Jacks. Not too bad.. starting to feel a slight clenching in my hiney on the right side..

50 Crunches. Evie's losing interest in the freak show and staring off into space and let's be honest- I'm doing more resting than crunching. Break to put her down for a nap.

40 Squats. al.most.done.

30 Leg Lifts. A little slower but still going.

20 Jumping Jacks. My jacks have definitely lost their pep. My body is basically out of my control as my arms fly around haphazardly. You can do it. You can do it.

Run for 10 minutes. Yeah, not happening. 
  A. It's one billion degrees outside
  2. I don't have a treadmill and running in place lost it's shine for me around age 7.
  And d. I figure I got all the cardio I need today with those jumping jacks.

So instead I did 10 push-ups. On my knees. No need to get crazy. I realized this plan left my arms completely out of the mix. Whoever came up with the workout must be a mom with a 35lb baby carrier and therefore, arms of steel. Like moi.

So! To say I'm proud of myself for working out is putting it mildly. A reward in the form of something sweet is likely in the cards for me. I like to reward good behavior. For myself. Reward myself.
Don't you??

So what are you doing to keep active this blasted hot summer? Anyone into yoga? I still want to try it consistently sometime. I figure those hot yogis are making a killing with all they're saving on their heating bill right now. Just send the poor people outside and call it a day! 

18 Weeks: Ode to a Belly Dancer

Eeeek! 18 Weeks! We're nearly halfway there baby! :)

Sadly, I still have nadamucho to report on the actual BUMP portion of this update.. I had a slight freakout last week when I apparently lost the 3 pregnancy pounds I thought I had gained. After an initial, involuntary squeal of glee at seeing the scale go down, I realized this was not actually what I was after.. (my how the tables flip when you're growing a child inside of you! And, why on earth can't this happen at any other time of my life, I ask you? Why? WHY??)..
Needless to say, hubby was not happy with me and demanded that I eat a cheeseburger on the spot and gain a solid 10 pounds by August. We like deadlines at our house.

In all honesty, it freaked me out a little bit, too, but let's be frank here. I can retain water like nobody's business and a few fluctuating pounds just doesn't hold the same shock or alarm for me that it once did. I mean, I cut about 4 inches off my hair last night and immediately went down another 2 and a half pounds. WELCOME TO MY WORLD.

Moving on. My little belly has expanded some (I pinky swear!) recently, and it's not at all unlikely for me to walk around the office all day with my pants completely undone. Oh yeah, sure, sometimes I rig em with a hair tie, but some days I just say forget it and let it all hang out. Before you freak out on me, realize that I have only been wearing longer, loose fit tops on these special days, and I'm basically sequestered up in the attic of my office by myself, so no one's been traumatized. Yet.

The proof:
Target dressing room photo op.
Sorry for the bare tummy- it's not really my style, but I looked like a tent otherwise.


About two weeks ago I ordered a prenatal Pilates dvd, because who are we kidding- I'm not getting any more fit or limber laying around in bed all evening. I always imagined myself as this fit pregnant lady, working out throughout the whole thing, in shape and strong. Then I got introduced to a little first trimester action and all thoughts of actual movement flew out the window. I could barely walk at a normal speed. Old ladies were passing me on the way in to QT. Now I can come up with a whole long list of reasons why I would rather just lie around than move my body in anything resembling exercise. Even my teeth-brushing squats have taken a hiatus, and that's saying something.

So here we are, two weeks later and I finally decide to take the plastic off this dvd because I'm tired of the fit pregnant lady on the front cover mocking me and my ice cream. So my Saturday morning started off with some nice stretching and more general movement than I'm recently accustomed to. About 5 minutes in, I'm feeling the burn in my hammies and my soup can dumbbells are making sloshing noises as I gracefully fling my arms through the air. And I must say, I am not too thrilled with the audience I've somehow acquired in the form of my husband and dog, who have nothing better to do but stand in the kitchen eating breakfast and stare wide-eyed at the pregnant gal grunting and contorting in front of the tv. REAL SUPPORTIVE.

I somehow make it through the first 10 minute section, (Yeah, that's right. They're only 10 minutes each. No need to overextend myself.) and over-zealously decided that I can do another segment, goshdarnit! I wisely choose the floor routine, but get shamed again when Miss Ballerina with a Basketball Under Her Shirt sits in a virtual split and folds her entire body in half, reaching for her right foot. My legs look more like a baby v and it's all I can do to tuck my chin to my chest and shoot my toes a dirty look.

All in all, I'm happy with my new "exercise plan." I could only muster one 10 minute section the next day, and I haven't touched the stuff since, but baby steps. I have no doubt that in no time at all I will have the body of a dancer.

Like, maybe a belly dancer.

Guest Bathroom Facelift: Part 3

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

I'm happy to say, my guest bathroom mirror, that's who!!

GB Facelift: Part 1
GB Facelift: Part 2

Like many newer houses, ours has the builder-grade mirrors in the bathrooms, with their flat, lifeless edges making no real impact or statement in the room, other than their sheer size and reflection of every single thing in there. That just wasn't going to cut it with me. I had long ago decided that I would buy a large, framed mirror to replace the old one.

The problem was, this mirror spanned from wall to wall across the counter, which is just under 5 feet long. A mirror that size was going to be pricey, and we all know I like to cut corners, save money and DO IT MYSELF. After coming across this bathroom mirror DIY frame, I knew I could make it happen, for a fraction of the price. Insert problem #2: we don't have a saw, and the lovely fellows at Home Depot will only do so many complimentary cuts for you. So instead of having the normal, angled corners (can't think of the correct term), we stuck with straight edges to our 1x4's and came up with a plan.

Here's how it all went down:

1. I measured.

2. I drew out a little diagram to get an idea of scale and how it would all look.

3. Measured again.

4. Determined what length we needed our 1x4's.

5. Jaunt over to Home Depot during the lunch hour to purchase the wood and some Liquid Nails. (That stuff is hard core).

6. Stain the wood. This took numerous coats. I decided (foolishly), to start staining a day before the huge snow storm hit us around Christmas. So the first few coats really didn't have a chance to dry since the temperature in the garage didn't venture above about 10 degrees. I ended up bringing them into the guest room to finish staining and give them a coat of poly.

7. Install!

I started by placing the pieces against the mirror and taping them in place with painters tape to make sure everything fit correctly and evenly. Then we broke out the Liquid Nails and got to work!

You can kind of see our "design" for the corners below. I keep trying to type out a description and then delete it, because it doesn't make sense. So if you don't get it, just come over and look for yourself. :)

I wanted the stain to be a deep, dark mahogany, so I did about 5 or 6 coats. I love how the color turned out and the contrast it creates with the countertop and our new paint.

See, this is what I mean about reflecting everything in the room. I tried and tried to get a shot of the whole frame, without including my sweats-wearing self in the photo. Not going to happen.

Doesn't it instantly change the room? If I were only going to do one update to the bathroom, this would be it. It just gives it a custom look. I love it!

____________________

On a totally unrelated note, one day after submitting myself to Jillian Michael's Shred mercy, I am feeling the burn. It would be untruthful to say I even experienced the full force of her fury, since at least a third of the time, I was blatantly ignoring her commands and doing whatever exercises/movements I wanted. If you do the math on that, it's really laughable, since the video is only 20 minutes long. But we jogged beforehand and then jumped right into level 2, so that has to count for something! My two friends who did the video with me were much more obedient and didn't deviate from her instructions and I'm sure will have thinner thighs than I because of it.

WHATEV.

Have you tried the 30 Day Shred?? Did you actually make it 30 days? We just started getting together every Saturday morning to submit ourselves to torture in the eternal search of a toned physique, so we should be done by around September. Check back with me then and I'll give a full, detailed report.