Fit Friday

Woo this week seemed like a long one.

I am pretty proud of myself as for how i exercised this past week. I am finally getting into a good rhythm with my at home workouts. I have been wanting to go out and do some running but the weather has been so on and off. I like to just do it up the road at my house but usually by the time i get home and changed its right after 5pm and that's when all the crazy drivers are out. So for now i have just been doing cardio inside at home. Is it totally weird that while i am on the elliptical i watch the food network? Its seriously my favorite channel, i always enjoy watching it.

Major accomplishment for me right there!!! I did almost 15K steps on Sunday. I did an hour of cardio in the morning because i wasn't sure if we were going to have softball practice or not and i wanted to get at least some exercise in. So not only did i do all my cardio but then that afternoon we went and played softball for 3 1/2 hours.

When we practice i try to run/walk/jog as much as possible so i can get a lot of extra steps in and so i can keep my heart rate up.

Another thing i do during the day while at work is every time i get up to use the bathroom i do jumping jacks. This may seem weird yes but i do a lot of sitting during the day and it is a way for me to get up and move and get my blood pumping through out the day.

The other day i ordered new shoes and they finally got here yesterday. I love new shoes especially workout shoes. These do not disappoint, they will be great for running (which i might add i don't do often). They have really good traction and overall are really comfortable. Ever since i got my first pair of Nike's for working out i have been obsessed with them. I have another pair but they were starting to get a little beat up from being used almost every day. Plus i love the color of these, the hot pink and bright blue is a new favorite color combo of mine right now. Kendall also got a new pair but hers wont be here until later today and they may or may not match mine. What can i say, i love baby Nike's.

Happy Friday Friends!

We like our sports

Just recently we have started going to watch Jason play basketball when he goes to open gym. It's on Sundays and Wednesdays. We have only gone a couple times so far but K absolutely loves it. The first time we only stayed for about an hour cause its in the evenings right around bed time. She had asked me that day if we could go so i told her i would talk to daddy and see what he says. She told me to "make sure i ask him very nicely and say pretty please." Of course he was going to say yes.

We weren't planning on going last night but she was driving me crazy and he told me to bring her down cause a couple of our other friends were there. 

She had a blast. We ended up staying the whole time and didn't get home until about 9:45 but it was well worth it. She got to do some much needed running around and burn off lots of energy. There was a couple other kids who showed up with their parents later and she ran around with them. We practically had to drag her out of there to get her home.

This is the type of stuff i love for her to do. Yes, I am a protective mom, she is still little but at the same time i am not going to stop her from going out there and running around and being a kid. If she gets hurt, she gets hurt. I want her to be adventurous and not hold back for anything. She is still limited to what she can do because well ya she is only 3 but i try to encourage her to do as much as she can. 

By the end of the evening she was exhausted but she had so much fun. The other day she got to "play" softball with us when we practiced and had a blast getting to pick up the balls and help out. It was so much more fun for her to do that then sit and watch us. She loves being included.

Dinner and ducks

When we were finishing up dinner the other night some ducks from a close by pond decided to show up. At first Kendall just stood by the window and watched them. One of the waitress asked if she wanted to feed them and she said no. Eventually it was time to leave so we made our way outside and she literally stood there forever just watching and didn't want to leave.

A little while later the waitress came out with some bread (not sure why they  need bread at a Mexican restaurant) and at this point K was ready to feed them. She thought it was the greatest thing ever.

After she tore all her bread up and threw it she had to get the pieces that didn't go very far and throw them again so that they were closer.

We probably stood there for a good 30 minutes after dinner just watching the 2 ducks until they flew away. We have a duck pond here a little ways out of town and we have never gone, but i definitely think that is something we will be doing in the near future. She absolutely loved it.

Happy Tuesday!

My little jokster

The other day we went and had a little family dinner at The Mexicans (as K calls it).

It was just another typical dinner except some ducks showed up (more on that tomorrow). After dinner she got to feed the ducks. 

On the way home she is doing her regular babbling and talking to herself in the back of the car when she asks me.

K: "Mom, why did the banana go to the doctor?"

Me: " I don't know Kendall, why?"

K: "Because he wasn't peeling well!" Insert uncontrolled giggling

It was the cutest funniest thing i think she has ever said and that is saying a lot since the kid doesn't stop talking.

It was completely random out of the blue and that is why i love her. She is so creative and her mind is constantly going non stop. She will be doing one thing then look at you and say something completely random that is no way shape or form related to what she is playing with, wonder where she gets that from.

Although she didn't come up with the joke on her own, she learned it on a cartoon she likes to watch. She now tells everyone she sees the joke and it never gets old and is just as funny as the first time she said it.

We went shopping this weekend i told her if she was good she could get a coloring book. Well she ended up getting 2 coloring books and a bag of jelly beans being the spoiled girl that she is. Later that day at home coloring she is just scribbling all over the page and i know she can color in the lines she always does it when she is with Jason, like i witnessed that very same morning. So i ask her:

Me: "Why do you only color in the lines when you are coloring with Daddy?"

K: "I don't know Mom, maybe because i kind of like him!"

I need to write all of these down and keep them for her so she can someday know just how crazy she was.

Happy Monday!

Fit Friday

I had every intention of posting this last week and forgot, oops.

Last week i officially put my gym membership on hold. I had got all my workout stuff that i ordered and wasn't even making it to the gym, so no point in paying for it.

I ordered all this stuff from walmart online and it all cost me $50.17. Plus side is that since i spent over $50 i got free shipping. The package weighed 60 pounds so free shipping definitely was a perk. Everything was sold by Gold's Gym. I couldn't be happier with everything i got.

The weights are adjustable and can be any where from 5-40 lbs. Its really nice having all this stuff.

I got resistance bands, a weight ball, a yoga ball, weights and a waist belt thingy (only cause it was $3 and i needed to get to that $50 mark).

I am still working on getting into a routine. Usually when i get home from work i change, do some weight exercises and then will hop on the elliptical for 20-30 minutes. It really works for me. When i was at the gym i felt rushed and like i had to be out of there at a certain time to get Kendall home for dinner. Now i don't even worry about it. We go home she runs around and plays while i exercise and if she needs me i am just right there and can help her out. I am really enjoying being able to go at my own pace and not having to wait around for people. Granted i can't do everything at home that i did at the gym because i don't have all those fancy machines but i make it work and get as much done as i can.

The main reason i decided to start working out from home is so that it would save me money in the long run. We are getting into softball season and i wouldn't be going as much anyways so this seemed like the smart thing to do. I would gradually like to add more items to my little "at home" gym but for now this is working out just fine.

Happy Friday Friends!

Oh Kendall

So i had this whole plan to make a post for my Fit Friday and then totally spaced it, so i will save it for this Friday and hope that i remember.

Kendall has been exceptionally talkative lately and she is such a little diva sometimes. I have no idea where she gets this stuff. Yesterday in the car she says to me "Mom, did you know that chickens poop eggs?" and she was totally serious when she informed me that "Steak comes from cows."

She is so curious about EVERYTHING and wants to know where EVERYTHING comes from. We already got asked "Where do kids come from?" not babies she wanted to know where kids came from. Or where food comes from. She is never satisfied when we tell we got it from the store. She wants to know the whole process of how its made and packaged and how it got to the store and she wants details.

Look at how cute she is! I can't get over it., i love this picture of her. She looks so grown up, its amazing that she is only 3.

It is official, we have started practicing for softball.

I also love this picture. She loves her daddy so much. She can't wait to get out there and run around with him.

Jason and a few other people went and practiced after work the other day and we stopped by to watch for a few minutes. Kendall is actually really excited for softball. All winter long she asked multiple times a week if we were going to softball that day. 

We did have another practice on Sunday and oh man i need more practice. Its been 6 months since we last played and i am seriously rusty and more then a little sore. It didn't help that it was crazy windy when we were out at the fields. I am looking forward to getting back out there and practicing some more to get ready for the season.

Protein Balls

I was looking for a snack that would be filling and include some protein to eat before i workout. I had always seen the posts on pinterest for the protein balls. There are so many different varieties but i was looking for something simple and fast.This is the one i found, i modified it slightly but not much.

You need oatmeal, protein powder, (any flavor will do) Peanut butter (i bought the cheap stuff) and Honey.

You literally just dump it all in a bowl and mix until it is all incorporated.

Form into balls and then keep refrigerated.

This recipe makes about 15 balls depending on how big you make them.

Protein Balls

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 scoop protein powder

That's it. Super easy and they are really yummy and filling. I find that sometimes mine are pretty sticky so i have  been adding in an extra 1/4 cup of the oatmeal so they aren't super sticky still. It is kid friendly. Kendall helps make them and enjoys eating them too and they make a great before bedtime snack cause they are so filling. 

Nails!!!

It's been a while since i posted about nails or nail polish, big shocker. I haven't been painting them as much because well i was tired of it chipping off. I still did it from time to time and loved it.

Many, many moons ago i went to school to be a nail tech and worked in a salon for a while. I still had all my product left over from that and its just been sitting in a box stored away. I decided that i wanted to do my nails as in put on acrylic nails so that i could paint them and make them pretty and use the ibd intense seal so that it wont chip off. 

Once i had an evening where i had spare time and didn't have anything to do i decided to do it. Anyone who does their own nails knows that it is no easy feat to put acrylic on their right hand. It has been years since i have done my own. 

I think they turned out pretty decent. I just painted them all a light glittery pink this time. Usually, for me, right after they are put on after years of not having acrylics i have the most problems with them. I have excess oil on my finger nails even though i cleaned them as best as possible, i get the acrylic to close to my cuticle and they start to lift (which drives me crazy). So i didn't want to do some fun design when i knew there is a good chance that after a week at least a couple of the nails would pop off.

They are thicker then i want, so i need to do some playing around until i get it to where i want and then in no time i wont have any problems with them. Just because it is already driving my crazy i will probably give myself a fill this weekend to get them to look how i want them too.

Happy Tuesday friends!

Fit Friday

Woohoo it is FINALLY Friday. This week went fast like all the other weeks but something about this week just made me really look forward to today. 

I fell of the bandwagon a little this week. I only worked out 4 times instead of the 6 i have been wanting to do. I have been working out more at home then at the actual gym, so i came to the tough decision that I am going to cancel my gym membership, well i will put it on hold for a few months before i decide if i want to cancel or not. I did lots of research online and was able to find free weights, a weight ball, yoga ball and tension straps for $50 and i got it all at the same place so i got free shipping, which i am most excited about cause the package weights 60 freaking pounds.

And If i am being completely honest, it really wasn't that hard of a decision to make with putting my gym membership on hold. Its getting to be spring time, kind of, the snow is melting its warming up a little and now if the sun would just stay out for a full day i would be totally completely happy. But with spring time comes outdoor play time. I love going out and walking (not a huge fan of running) and i love taking Kendall with me. I would say around the end of April is when the first of the softball tournaments are going to start.

Being a Mom is my first priority in life. I would give anything for Kendall. One of the big things i want to do to her is promote a healthy lifestyle. For her to be as active as she wants to be. Jason and I both are pretty active and i can only hope that we set a good example for her.

One of things i am excited about is planning different at home workouts. I will definitely be sharing them with everyone. I am excited to mix things up. My routine at the gym got stale with doing the same thing over and over even though i tried to  mix it up it just wasn't working for me like i wanted it to.

Happy Friday Friends!

Tomato Turkey Noodle Thing

So I found this really awesome recipe the other day on Pinterest and thought i would give it a shot. It sounded like something i really would enjoy making for my lunch for the week. The original name for it was Taco Pasta, not really sure how they came up with it but it doesn't really resemble a taco in any way.

 It really doesn't have too many ingredients. It uses 1 pan and it is easy.

 I only used half the onion. But you saute the onion and some garlic in a little bit of olive oil.

Then you add in your meat. The original recipe called for beef and sausage and instead of using both of those i went for a different option and used extra lean ground turkey.

Next comes the tomatoes and seasonings. It only calls for chili powder, salt & pepper. I did find it lacking some flavor so next time i make it i definitely will be adding in more seasonings.

Add your water, beans and noodles. (I didn't add the whole package of noodles, maybe only 2 cups total). I covered and let mine simmer for a while so i knew my noodles would be cooked. It took forever to reduce down.

And the finished product.

It was delicious and made just enough for me to take for lunch for the whole week. It is lacking some flavor so i think next time i make it i will experiment with some different seasonings to see what i like. It is almost like a chili with noodles in it.

Tomato Turkey Noodle Chili

Oil for sauteing

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 Tbsp Garlic

1 Lb Ground Turkey

1 tsp Chili powder

Salt & pepper to taste

1 can diced tomatoes

8 oz Tomato sauce

1 Can Kidney beans, drained

2 C Wheat egg noodles

2 C water

Saute onions and garlic in oil for 5 min. Add in ground turkey, cook and drain fat (mine didn't have any fat cause i used extra lean turkey). Stir in chili powder, salt & pepper. Add in diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add beans, water and pasta. Bring to a boil and let simmer until completely reduced and noodles are cooked.

The original recipe calls for adding cheese and i didn't add any, which could be why mine is lacking some flavor. I try not to eat cheese so it was easy for me to omit it.

Try this out and let me know what you think. It is super kid friendly too!