Fit Friday

As you can see there is a little bit of blog make over action going on. Its a work in progress that will take me some time until i find exactly what i want my new look to be.

This past week i did good considering we started the week with snow storms. We had a couple nice days in there where the snow was able to at least melt off the roads but now we are back in another winter storm. We have at least 2ft of snow on the ground. The storms usually scare people away from going out and doing a lot of stuff so the gym was pretty empty which was nice. I did still get my 6 workouts in and i am pretty excited about that. Next week I will only get 5 but that is ok, i will just have to push myself a little harder on the days i do get to go.

Eating good was still a struggle but i am changing my meals up a bit. I started eating breakfast, which is actually really hard for me to do because for so long all i have ever had is just a protein shake. I needed to mix things up though. So the last couple of morning i started eating oatmeal for breakfast, i have a morning snack which is usually a grapefruit, for lunch i have been having chicken thighs, green beans and sweet potatoes. I have my afternoon snack and then for dinner instead of actually eating a full meal i have been drinking my protein shake and a small snack like yogurt or fruit. It will take some getting used to but i need to make the change.

This week my Saturday morning challenge workout is going to be a Pound Workout class. It is an awesome class. I have done it a few times before and loved it. I left the class feeling like i got an awesome full body workout plus i was literally sore for DAYS after.

This video is the best i found to show what exactly a pound workout is.

If you haven't tried it before i highly recommend you find a class to try out, you will love it. I am really looking forward to going to the class tomorrow.

Blog makeover!!!

I think it is time i gave my blog a makeover. I love how it looks now but there is so much more going on in my life then just the Mommy Diaries and i would love for it to be a little more versatile.

The problem i am running into though is that i have no idea how to do it or where to even start!

Last time "I" gave it a makeover, i let me sister have all the information and she did her thing and made it look awesome.

I will have to do some playing around and come up with some templates that i like to see what i want my new look to be.

Anyone have any suggestions? I need all the help i can get.

Fit Friday

As of yesterday i have officially worked out 6 days in a row this week!!! Woohoo, this is a big accomplishment for me but i was really determined to do it and it feels great! Goes to show that setting small goals at a time and then reaching them is a major accomplishment. Once you tackle the small goals its easier to take on the bigger goals. Today is my day off from working out and tomorrow morning i will start the next 6 days.

I definitely need a day off. Although i haven't pushed myself insanely hard at the gym my body is still tired and i am definitely sore. On top of it i think i am coming down with a cold and my body is trying to fight it off making me even more tired.

The food journal has been going really well. I enjoy doing it. Really brings things into perspective when you literally write down everything that you eat. All those little things that you just took 1 bite of really start to add up.

I am still struggling with the clean eating in the evenings. I do really well during the day at work because the only food i have here is the food i bring. But once i get home in the evenings i am starving and find myself munching on a lot of random stuff that i shouldn't be eating. Then i feel guilty when i have to write it all down in the journal.

A while back i bought myself a little elliptical to use at home on my days off from the gym, i do use it pretty regularly like 3-4 times a week to get some extra cardio in. This week i am going to start getting up a little earlier (which will be hard) so i can give my body a jump start with 10-15 minutes of extra cardio.

So last weeks goal was to get the workout routine figured out and i definitely did that.

This week I am going to focus on my eating in the evenings and to make better food choices for dinner on top of getting another 6 days in a row of working out.

Happy Friday everyone!

I am a Bookaholic!

My name is Michelle and I am obsessed with books and i am a "one-click" addict.

I saw this picture the other day and decided it fit me perfectly. I love books, I love everything about them.

While I don't have an actual physical library. My eBook collection is rather impressive ( I think so anyways). I have hundreds of books. A lot of them i have read and there are so many that i have yet to read. I follow lots and lots of Authors and book pages on Facebook and they are constantly posting free books and books for sale for $0.99

I started out just reading books from the Library when I was younger. My mom always took us during the summer when we were out of school. Then that grew to reading books while i was in school. Then after graduating i didn't have much time so my urge to read wasn't as great. Several years ago i got back into it and read now and again when i had the time. Then I got a Kindle and was hooked. I started out mostly getting free ebooks and that worked for me. There were a few i would buy cause i really wanted to read them.

Then i started following a few of my favorite authors on FB and it all has gone uphill from there. I am constantly finding new books to read. I try not to buy them all because i have so many already that there is no need for me to buy the ones i want when i see them. A lot of times I will add it to a watch list on amazon and wait for them to go on sale.

Some of my favorites right now are these 2. I am in love with this series, Aurora Rose Reynolds has got me in a serious book hangover. I found out about her through a mutual friend who was a Beta reader for her. As soon as I read Until November I was hooked on the Mayson brothers.

The next book Until Lilly comes out March 5th and i am so excited i can hardly contain it. I have recommended these books to SOOO many of my friends and I highly recommend them to anyone and everyone who is looking for a good read.

I don't just read to pass time because i get bored. I read because i love books and the stories that they tell. I get lost in my books, I truly enjoy reading just because i can.

What are some of your favorite books?

Conversations with a Toddler

Some of the conversations Kendall and I have just make me say "What?" 

She LOVES my phone. First it just started out as her taking and looking at pictures. Next thing i know she is texting and calling people. Come to find out she also knows how to use Snapchat.

The kid is too smart.

The other day she wanted to watch a movie in her room but also wanted to look at pictures. So i let her take my phone down the hall. Before she left the room our convo went like this:

K: "Mom can i look at pictures in my room?"

Me: "Sure."

K: "But not calling and texting right?"

Me (sitting there in aww): "Yes, please do not call or text anyone."

K: "Ok. What about snapchat?"

Me (I think my mouth was hanging open at this point, and i looked at my sister who was in the room with me): Correct, no snapchatting people either."

K: "Ok" 

And off she ran down to her room. I sat there thinking to myself. Did i really just have that conversation with a 3 year old?

We have this conversation almost every day now it seems. She loves looking at and taking pictures. She also loves Snapchat cause then she gets lots of videos of Hunter from Auntie.

She also gets to play with the Kindle. Which I don't encourage, but when i need to get stuff done and she is being whiny and clingy i will get it out and let her watch cartoons or games. All i have to do is hand it to her and she knows where everything. Since getting a tablet the only thing on the Kindle is her games and a few cartoons. She can navigate that thing very well. She can't read what any of it says but she knows exactly where to push to get to the movies or the games. She is slowly loosing interest in it, which is fine with me, i would rather her play with her toys.

We had a rather rough last few days with her attitude. It has been bad. Lots of timeouts, time spent in her room and even a couple spankings ( I don't like to spank her but it really does work for her and the only time i do it is if i have exhausted all my other options).

I think she is adjusting to her new schedule now that she is not in school. But in all her 3 years her attitude has never gotten her in this much trouble or lasted this many days for that matter. There was lots of wine consumed in the evenings. She started today off pretty well so i am hoping she is getting out of it. I don't know if i would be able to handle anymore days that are as bad as this weekend was.

Happy Monday Friends!

Fit Friday

During the challenge I decided i will do a Fit Friday post. To explain what i am doing and how i did that week. Almost like a journal entry.

Friday is going to be my one day a week where i do not workout. I am usually pretty busy Friday after work cause we go to Jason's and cook dinner there which means i have to go to the store right after work and brave being around all the crazy after work people.

I went and weighed in last night for the challenge. I was right where i knew i was so my weight wasn't a surprise. I weigh myself daily. I know you aren't supposed to but it find that it helps to keep me on track better.

On Monday I had my best Fitbit day. Kendall had her 3yr check up so we were home earlier then normal and she had a cold and needed a good nap. So i laid her down to sleep and hopped on my elliptical, turned the tv on to Food Network and spent the next hour watching Chopped and working up a good sweat.

Today i will be perusing Pinterest for some good clean eating recipes. My sister is on my team for the Challenge and she started this clean 3 day eating thing a few days ago. It has some good recipes. But basically the guideline for it is if you can't pronounce the ingredient and have no idea what it is you shouldn't eat it. I am going to stick somewhat to that. I will eat a lot of fresh food and lean meats. But there are a couple things i won't give up. I will still drink my protein shake (with almond milk) and i will still drink my coffee with creamer(although i will switch to an all natural creamer). Other then that i am going to try to focus on the if you don't know whats in it don't eat it. 

Tomorrow will be my first Saturday workout and it is Zumba, its been so long since i have been, I am hoping the moves come back easy. I am curious to see how many steps and calories the Fitbit will track for the whole hour.

Happy Friday and Happy Valentines (someone brought cupcakes to work ugh)!

A big' step for me

Posting this picture is a big step for me. I was so hesitant to do it although i took it weeks ago, my body has transformed some since i took this. 

In this pic i weigh 155lbs, i only want to lose those last 5 lbs.

I needed a before picture and have been meaning to take one forever but never did it.

We are our own worst critics is what i keep telling myself.

This is right after a workout at the gym....yes a gym selfie.

I decided to share this picture with everyone because as of Saturday i am starting the weightloss challenge again (i did it last year). This go around i am not doing it to lose the weight. If I am honest i still have struggled with those last 5 lbs, they just don't want to go away. But i am doing it because i need to keep myself on track. I have been so lazy about my diet. I stick to it for about a week and then get busy lazy. So I joined the challenge. Jason's mom is doing it again and i wasn't going to do it cause i have managed to keep all last years weight off. After lots of consideration and having a bad day on the scale i called her up and asked to be on her team. 

So tomorrow evening i am going to go weigh in and then it all begins. An 8 week journey to help me form better eating habits. I will try to work out 6 days a week with Friday being my only day off. I am going to go to the gym 4 days a week, do Zumba 1 day and cardio only one other day. I am very determined. 

I know my body won't lose much more weight but i am looking for more transformation. I want to have greater muscle definition. 

I was given some great advise from a personal trainer friend and i have been doing lots of research about lifting weights vs doing cardio.

The best result i have found is to do an equal amount of both. So i generally get about 30 minutes of cardio a day and it takes me a little longer to do my weight lifting routine but its about the same ratio.

A post I read that made perfect sense to me (it was a DUH moment) said in order to receive maximum results you need to lift weights as heavy as possible and do between 8-12 reps per set. If you aren't tired or struggling towards the end of each set then your weights aren't heavy enough. I totally agree with this. Its not about quantity of reps its about pushing your body to its limit to achieve the results you want. If you don't push your limits how are you ever going to get to where you want to be?

So these next 8 weeks for me are going to be about pushing my limits. My team is counting on me and i am going to prove to myself that i can do it and focus on my goal and finally reach it.

Happy Thursday Friends!

Birthday Girl

 Last Friday was Kendall's 3rd Birthday. Since she turned 3 she graduated out of the early head-start program. They were closed on Friday so her last day was Thursday and she spent Friday with my sister. Currently they do not have any spots open at the next level of head-start so she will be going to the sitter full-time until a spot opens up and then she will go part time to head-start and part time to the sitters.

On her day spent at home with Auntie they baked cookies and watched cartoons. Then went and got ice cream and happy meals and came and visited me at work. She has a really great time and wanted to dress up like a princess. She had a tiara but didn't want to wear it.

She requested that we to go the Mexicans (Fiesta En Jalisco) for burritos and so they would sing to her. She was a little shy but loved every minute of it. Her birthday party wasn't until Saturday it was nice to go out and have a little family dinner on her actual birthday.

It took lots of shopping trips and planning and wine but she got a new bed for her birthday. I found the frame used which is a big plus and she can grow into it. The bottom and the rails come off so it could just be a regular twin bed for when she gets older. I had a heck of a time putting it together and when it was all done wine was required. She loved it when she woke up from nap and was surprised with it. She still has been a little scared of staying in it all night but she is sick right now so i think once she feels better she wont have any problems.

My good friend Toni made us another fabulous cake. Kendall requested it be purple with strawberries and then a couple days before the party she was upset it wasn't going to have a rainbow so Toni was able to work that request and came up with a wonderful cake. It was a strawberry lemonade cake with strawberry filling and it was delicious. Kendall is not a huge fan of cake but LOVES fondant so she just jumped right in and took a bite right out of the rainbow after we sang to her.

I don't have any pictures from the party because the camera on my phone is being so slow that it takes forever to get a picture taken and then it usually is blurry cause K won't sit still that long. All in all it was a very successful day and the kids all had fun playing.

Happy Monday!