Can you see her? Isn't she cute? This is our first little crop. Our little baby tomato. Elizabeth loves to sing to it and talk in baby voices to it. We were late getting our plants in the ground due to the move, but they are taking to this dirt like they love it. Mom helped me lay them out and plan their spacing (I've never done this before...can you tell?). The girls are both good "helpers" in watering the plants and playing in the water hose and keeping an eye out for dog poop.
Here's another angle. They left these raised beds in the yard...can you believe how lucky we were?? Tonya gave me a tutorial in staking, which I still need to do with a couple of these fellas. But mom had brought the cages with her on her last visit so we decided to go ahead and use them.
We have tomatoes in the back and jalapenos in the front and marigolds to the side...because my grandma said they attract bugs and will keep them away from the veggies.
The other bed (from L to R) is a salad mix (which always makes me laugh thinking of Donna's adventures with lettuce and bugs), green peppers and basil. I'm wondering if I need to stake the green peppers or if they'll just be fine on their own? What do you think?
Here is the blueberry patch. I'm not so sure I've done justice to this one, as it bloomed and produced fruit but they didn't get real big or colored...not that I was really sure what to look for but they just didn't look ready for muffins. So, I'll just keep my eyes on these guys.
Ah...summer...I love it! Well, and Fridays too! Have a great weekend!
My feet hurt from standing, I was dehydrated and my throat was scratchy from instructing. And don't even get me started talking about my shoulder...
For a moment, I was confused...I used to do this all the time. And I mean ALL THE TIME! At one point, I carried 20 lessons a week, on top of work and practice and working out...WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME NOW?
And then the realization hit me that that life was over two years in the past and that even though I had spent so much time being accustomed to that routine, now my body was molded to this one.
Isn't it amazing how hard our bodies fight to stay in neutral? Given the choice, I would much rather jog than sprint, cruise than speed, keep things the way they've always been rather than mix it up. And I guess sometimes that can be good but other times, we need to rock the boat in order to create change. Especially because our mind seems to stay linked to the past in that we always believe that we can somehow currently do what we USED to be able to do without exception.
Most of us can relate to this as far as body image. I think we all WANT to look like an image in our head, however, we may not WANT to change very much about our convenient lifestyle (and by convenient, I mean simply what we know). And before you argue that striving towards a perfect body image is unrealistic, I think it all depends on your mindset. I don't think you should ever stop STRIVING for perfection in the healthy areas of your life: eating well, working out, learning as much as you can, building your spiritual growth, fostering your close personal relationships (as long as you keep a healthy perspective of forgiveness when perfection isn't achieved). I think it would be much more dangerous to become stagnant in those areas.
But back to our convenient lifestyles...I am as bad at this as anyone else. Given the choice, I could eat pretty much the same thing every day. I would be happy just doing my same workout day in and day out. And I would give into temptation with my huge sweet tooth for whatever I craved and made for dessert that day.
And I would never see the body changes that I desire.
When you look at that scenario, they don't seem like huge fixes, do they? Plan different meals, plan different workouts, plan either healthy desserts or don't make them at all...
Either way, I have to have a PLAN.
So let me ask you today...what do you want and what is your plan? I guess I could open up a huge bucket of worms with that one, but fitness specific, what small changes can you make to help achieve your goal?
If you're a walker, maybe it means adding a couple jogging intervals to your routes.
If you're an endurance trainer, maybe you want to mix in some weights or plyometrics.
If you're a junk food junkie, perhaps it means just getting a sandwich and no fries or drink the next time through the drive through.
If you're inactive, what is your first step to get moving?
If you already are active, when was the last time you mixed things up?
I admire my husband for many reasons, but especially because he is continually looking to change up his workout plan and make it better. He is a true student and is always reading, or looking for videos on You Tube or Body Rock (which I linked to off the FB page - she is super challenging), and basically looking for new ideas. You would think that someone in as fantastic shape as he is would be tempted to cruise, but I've never known him to be that way...and maybe that's what pushes me to keep up and work these ideas on the forefront of my mind.
We also have to remember that true change takes time and we have to be forgiving for our backtracks and conscious of falling back into what was once comfortable. I have caught myself drifting back to my favorite running routine far too often these past few weeks. I've been too busy to plan for the gym and it's just so easy because it's already memorized and I know I can live through it...need I also mention that I also have a couple pairs of shorts that I have recently been unable to button?? ha!
It's also going to take time for me to get back into working shape, which is funny for a stay at home mom to say...especially when I feel like I'm on the run all the time.
So go ahead and plan your goals and your steps...even if you just know the first one. Well, because we all have to start somewhere!
When my grandparents moved a couple months ago, they got rid of a lot of their kitchen utensils and pots and pans since they were moving to a facility that would provide their meals. So I laid dibs on a lot of older kitchen tools that I really liked and/or needed, one being an old metal juicer. I have a couple drawers that the girls are allowed to completely empty and scatter all over creation play in and yesterday, Elizabeth was carrying the juicer around as her personal microphone.
I was in the middle of nap time bargaining / threatening / hugging and kissing so I promised that we would make orange juice when she got up from her nap. Contemplating, she was good with the offer and went down without a fuss.
Let me tell you, we had so much fun, although I don't think we're going to get any calls from Tropicana with the proceeds from a single orange...but they were really cute and seemed to really like the juice.
Suited up in our aprons, Rachel tests the equipment to make sure it is juice worthy. This included banging them together about 297 times.
Elizabeth tested the squeeziness of the subject...
While Rachel tested the temperature of the juice to make sure it was drinkable.
With a little assistance from mommy, we twisted and squeezed....
And had juice! "Look Rachel, Mommy said don't touch it, so I will just touch it and keep it safe from you."
Drinks were poured...about 4 ounces total. Why yes, that is a shot glass in front of my baby. HA!
My big girl taste testing the fruits of her labor...well, literally!
We bought a small juicer earlier in the year and haven't pulled it out of the box yet, so I told the girls that maybe we would try making some more juice this weekend when daddy is home. So if any of you have some tried and true juice recipes, shout them out! (And nothing with spinach...I'm a rookie at this juicing stuff yet...HA!)
So, I was talking to my best friend today and mentioned something about this blog and she interrupted me and said, "Wait!! I thought you were shutting it down! I haven't been checking it!' Which made me realize that we need to catch up.
I was going to shut down the blog...but when I announced it, I had a couple new people join and then I had such wonderful responses of people asking me not to that I decided to just take a hiatus until after the stress of the move wore off.
Upon returning, I decided to write for a couple weeks and write not only stories about working out, but also content regarding our children and life in general. Your response has been wonderful and I was excited to see the numbers as far as page views.
So, I guess you're stuck with me after all... ha!
I'm going to create a Facebook page again so my FB friends are not always stuck with seeing my postings...they'll just be stuck with ME! Ha! Plus, it just made it so easy to update with little deals...like the one Groupon is running today for GNC that is crazy good (in case any of you are like us and own more shakers in your house than wine glasses...ahem.) Just keep an eye out for the little like button on the side bar and do your thing, if you want.
I may look into some advertising and giveaways and stuff like that, but to be very honest with you, I'm just praying my way through it right now. I appreciate your loyalty through the move and should you have any suggestions, please just let me know!
When was the last time you jumped? And I'm talking about two feet together...with an arm swing...JUMP!
Elizabeth is in a jumping stage and Rachel is in a wanna-be jumping stage. She bounces her butt and swings her arm, but the feet never leave the ground. Elizabeth is gaining some real distance and cleared a man hole (covered of course...ha!) the other day on our walk. Of course, then she had to jump over them every time we saw one.
When Mom was visiting last time, we were lifting together and she wanted to do some exercises in between lifts to keep her heart rate up. We were close to a step (used for aerobics) so I suggested that she jump up with both feet and land on the step.
She just looked at me. "Really?" she said, doubting her oldest daughter.
But up she jumped and landed on the step. "Now step back down," I said. She did.
"Now do it again...10 times."
By number 10, she was out of breath and said, "I can't believe how hard it is to just jump with two feet!"
But unfortunately, we aren't called to jump that often...unless we're athletes...or run across a man hole on the street. Therefore we can use it as a tool to get our heart rate up quick...and burn calories even quicker.
It's no wonder that it works...think about it. Your body has to go into action to leave the ground, all pistons firing to take off and then appropriately land and balance yourself, sending a surge in your heart rate. If you have very little time to devote to your workout, then my friend, this is your ticket.
For instance, today, I was racing the clock. I told the girls that we'd go swimming, but they were moving like pokey little puppies to get out of the house and we had to be back on the road by a certain time to make lunch and get down for naps. So...after a 20 minute interval run on the treadmill, I had 20 minutes to lift. Here was my workout:
3 x 10 box jumps alternated with 3 x 12 Dumbbell bicep curls (15 lbs)
3 x 10 jump lunges alternated with 3 x 12 cable hammer curls with the rope (45 lbs)
3 x max reps hanging leg raises (jump up and hold onto a bar with your hands and hold) - 10, 8, 5
Because I was short on time, to do something while standing still during my break from jumping helped me recover but still work a body part - in this instance, biceps. Those hanging leg raises were so hard for me because I had to hold onto the bar and maintain my grip and control my body while lifting my legs straight out in front...making it a lot harder than if you did the same exercise on a Roman chair or supporting your arms in straps. You could do this workout at home, jumping up on a front stoop or step and doing the leg raises off a monkey bar on a playground.
Although you don't have to limit it with this...we do bunny hops on our walks to try to suffice my child's obsession. Or bunny butt bounces, as Rachel prefers. I like it because it can give me a little extra workout during my children's treks through the neighborhood...which normally run at a snail's pace.
Of course, anytime you jump, you want to always make sure that your knees stay soft (not locked out) and that you jump off the balls of your feet, landing with your entire foot on the surface. I prefer to always step back down instead of jumping down because it lands better on my knees...although Scott always jumps down.
And for goodness sakes, pay attention. It just takes your mind a second to shift focus to, say, a little blog post on jumping to make your left foot go lazy and miss the box all together so that you trip and fall on your face in the gym, banging your shin in the process... I mean, not that I would know... ha!
And those who truly know me and know my love for corny 80's pop music are rolling your eyes right now.
It's on my ipod...in my workout mix...right after Fame and Walking on Sunshine...
Yes, I have a problem.
But the tune applies to today and I'm going to keep this short as we just got back from gymnastics (where my daughter was not only good, but also wore TWO pony-tails!) and I'm going to try to fit a video workout in while the girls sleep so we can run to the DMV after they wake up (double joy). Oh, and do about a million loads of laundry...
Does laundry multiply like rabbits in your house? I swear, I had it all done Saturday. I took Sunday off and today, I have four full baskets of dirty clothes. Summer clothes even! Which I love because they don't take as much space up as winter clothes... It's like the law of laundry physics don't apply here...
But back to hot or cold...
Are you the type to eat things cold out of the fridge and what is your favorite thing? My mother in law loves Long John Silver's fish out of the fridge. As I try to control my gag reflex, she always claims that it's delicious. My husband likes to have all his desserts cold...even ones that get ice cream on them, like cobbler. So I always make birthday cakes far enough in advance so I can stick them in the fridge.
Heaven forbid I judge because I have to admit that I, too, have guilty pleasures straight from the ice box.
My top one right now? Leftover corn on the cob.
mmmmmmmmm
Scraped off the cob after dinner is done, popped into a Ziploc bag or leftover container, put in the fridge... I am salivating.
What brought this up? Well, one, I tried to pawn it off on my kids the other day at lunch. And two, I was looking at a recipe today that called for frozen corn and was suddenly mad that my beloved corn never makes it to the freezer! Guess I need to start buying extra.
Here is my little bird, coming to beg while I fix anything in the kitchen. She just pulls at my leg and says, "Mmmmmmm!!!" That means, "Give me some food, woman!!" (And yes, Frankie, that's that little dress you got her so long ago! Isn't it cute?!)
Giving her a sample of my delicacy... She ate it then.
But you can see that it failed the lunch-time selection committee. They chose to go with the cheese sandwich and oranges and leave the corn to ride solo on their trays instead.
So are you a hot person or a cold person? And even if it's just pizza, share your guilty pleasure so that I might actually save some corn for winter. ;)
Ok, gotta run. Jillian is screaming for me to get my butt moving from the living room. Have a great manic Monday!
Well, we woke up this morning to a sick little punkin.
One visit to the pediatrician and a rainy forecast later and I think we're just going to lay low - which is just fine with me, considering I am so sore from getting back into my workouts this week that I can barely move.
I had purposely lifted heavy legs yesterday because we were planning to meet our good friend Frankie for a visiting / recovery walk today. Sometimes you just need those...for the body and the spirit. Good thing that good friends readily give out rain checks.
So it'll be the house, my children and my old buddy Clorox this afternoon. Good thing I have a helper with the laundry...
You'll notice Butch is supervising in the background
Hmmm...I wonder if mom will mind if I just mix up these clean and dirty baskets...
To wear or not to wear...
Here, Mama...I think these are yours!
Thank you for everyone who made suggestions on my curtains yesterday. I'm not sure why this is such a mind-numbing process. Perhaps I watch too much HGTV for my own good, which causes me to put such high pressure on something as minute as curtains.
Although I'm really not the type to change furniture around or switch up window treatments often, so chances are, we're going to have to live with this decision for a while. Thank you so much for your feedback and I can't wait to go through the rest of the house with you!
