If you want to make a journal cover too, there's still time to participate in the sew along-- just have your photos posted to Flickr by July 8th. Happy sewing!
A little peek into our nest-- watch us have fun, grow, and time fly by.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Darling Adventures Sew Along
Darling Adventures Blog was featured on See Kate Sew this week when she introduced her first sew along! I looked at the project and thought it was super cute and seemed easy enough that I could complete it in the allotted time. I actually sewed it up yesterday during the boys' nap time and it didn't take long at all. It's a "journal cover" that would go over a composition notebook-- I always have composition notebooks around and was excited to decorate it and make it my own. I also immediately thought that if I could figure it out and it turned out well that I could make some more to be gifts for people.
I used fabric I already had on hand leftover from my hoop art I made a while back. I decided to decorate mine with a reverse applique bird that has a black button eye.
If you want to make a journal cover too, there's still time to participate in the sew along-- just have your photos posted to Flickr by July 8th. Happy sewing!
If you want to make a journal cover too, there's still time to participate in the sew along-- just have your photos posted to Flickr by July 8th. Happy sewing!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
P90x: Week 1 Wrap Up
The most difficult thing this week has been timing of the work outs. Balancing the kids and kid-less time. In a perfect world I would get up early and complete my work outs before the boys wake up. However, we don't live in a perfect world. Leeand has started waking up around 6am most days as opposed to his usual 730am, so it's a mind game deciding what time to get up to be able to get it done before he's up, not knowing when he'll be up. And then also we co-sleep with Hayden, and most days if I attempt to sneak out of bed, Hayden realizes it very soon and begins to scream. (Not a big deal the days that Daniel is off because he can stay in bed and snuggle with him, but when it's just me, it's a struggle.) The first few days, I tried work outs during nap time thinking that would be easiest-- however, getting Hayden down for a nap isn't easy and takes a lot of work, AND after chasing the kiddos, getting up early, I'm exhausted by nap time and find it somewhat difficult to focus. I just want to nap myself... OR take advantage of the kids sleeping to get some things done around the house...
BUT.... No more excuses! The timing is going to be something that we just have to work out over the next few weeks. They say it takes 21 days to build a habit, so it will boil down to trying different times and figuring out what what works best and building that habit. It's going to be difficult in the beginning because I'm not used to another thing being added to my day, but it will be worth it.
So here's how the first week's work outs went:
DAY 1- Chest & Back and Ab Ripper: This was my very 1st day of work outs and it was incredibly difficult. I almost cried! I could barely accomplish a push up. I threw myself a pity party thinking that I didn't realize how far I had let myself go. In reality, even when I was working out, I was never doing push-ups, so why would I be good at them? Ab ripper was equally as difficult. Sit ups! Are you kidding me?! Sit ups are NOT crunches, they are TOUGH!
DAY 2- Plyometrics: I actually looked forward to plyometrics because I thought that I'm a runner and it would be where I excelled. But holy cow, it was rough! My thighs were BURNING! That evening I was busily getting, doing, putting away laundry and changing the sheets on the bed, and the burn in the thighs kicked my butt going up and down the stairs.
DAY 3- Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper: After the first 2 days being so difficult and me wanting to cry because I was so incredibly terrible at it all, shoulders and arms was a major confidence booster! I really really enjoyed the shoulder and arms work outs and found them much easier for me than the previous days. It also helps that I found that I need some heavier weights, so that's a boost in the ego knowing that I can lift heavier than I originally thought. I did a little bit better at ab ripper on this day than day 1, though I didn't get anywhere near the amount of reps they are doing in the video. My abs have been sore for a couple days now, so I guess I'll take that as a sign that it's working.
DAY 4- Yoga: I officially loathe yoga. Daniel warned me that it was difficult (he isn't flexible) but that's not the reason that I despise it. I'm an incredibly impatient person so yoga was a lot of slowing and winding down-- it goes very slow, and it takes going through 10 moves to get to the next move, then 11 moves to the next, 12 to the next. It was quite irritating to me early in the morning. I'm gonna confess that I didn't complete the full hour and a half of yoga, I only did 30 minutes. I'll do better next week. I may have to do the full video of yoga in 2 doses so it doesn't drive me crazy-- I know it will get better eventually once I learn the moves, then I'll be able to turn on my own music and do it at my own pace.
DAY 5- Legs & Back: My legs are still incredibly tight and sore from plyometrics the other day, so I was incredibly nervous going into a leg work out with very sore muscles. Just finished it up and it wasn't as bad on my sore muscles as I had anticipated. Don't get me wrong, the work out definitely wasn't easy, squats and lunges over and over are no joke, but for the moment, my sore muscles actually feel better after having worked them out some more. Weird!
DAY 6- Kenpo: For those who may not know, Kenpo is a variation of martial arts. Doing Kenpo was SO much fun! Though I did Tae Kwan Doe as a kid and also grew up with a brother, I punch a lot like a girl. Girly punches aside though, it was a blast. It also probably helped that this was one of the first work outs that I've really been able to keep up with and complete the reps as the instructors do them. I sweated like a pig, seriously, like a lot, and I can only assume that means that I was doing it right.
DAY 7: REST DAY: Praise the Lord!!
BUT.... No more excuses! The timing is going to be something that we just have to work out over the next few weeks. They say it takes 21 days to build a habit, so it will boil down to trying different times and figuring out what what works best and building that habit. It's going to be difficult in the beginning because I'm not used to another thing being added to my day, but it will be worth it.
So here's how the first week's work outs went:
DAY 1- Chest & Back and Ab Ripper: This was my very 1st day of work outs and it was incredibly difficult. I almost cried! I could barely accomplish a push up. I threw myself a pity party thinking that I didn't realize how far I had let myself go. In reality, even when I was working out, I was never doing push-ups, so why would I be good at them? Ab ripper was equally as difficult. Sit ups! Are you kidding me?! Sit ups are NOT crunches, they are TOUGH!
DAY 2- Plyometrics: I actually looked forward to plyometrics because I thought that I'm a runner and it would be where I excelled. But holy cow, it was rough! My thighs were BURNING! That evening I was busily getting, doing, putting away laundry and changing the sheets on the bed, and the burn in the thighs kicked my butt going up and down the stairs.
DAY 3- Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper: After the first 2 days being so difficult and me wanting to cry because I was so incredibly terrible at it all, shoulders and arms was a major confidence booster! I really really enjoyed the shoulder and arms work outs and found them much easier for me than the previous days. It also helps that I found that I need some heavier weights, so that's a boost in the ego knowing that I can lift heavier than I originally thought. I did a little bit better at ab ripper on this day than day 1, though I didn't get anywhere near the amount of reps they are doing in the video. My abs have been sore for a couple days now, so I guess I'll take that as a sign that it's working.
DAY 4- Yoga: I officially loathe yoga. Daniel warned me that it was difficult (he isn't flexible) but that's not the reason that I despise it. I'm an incredibly impatient person so yoga was a lot of slowing and winding down-- it goes very slow, and it takes going through 10 moves to get to the next move, then 11 moves to the next, 12 to the next. It was quite irritating to me early in the morning. I'm gonna confess that I didn't complete the full hour and a half of yoga, I only did 30 minutes. I'll do better next week. I may have to do the full video of yoga in 2 doses so it doesn't drive me crazy-- I know it will get better eventually once I learn the moves, then I'll be able to turn on my own music and do it at my own pace.
DAY 5- Legs & Back: My legs are still incredibly tight and sore from plyometrics the other day, so I was incredibly nervous going into a leg work out with very sore muscles. Just finished it up and it wasn't as bad on my sore muscles as I had anticipated. Don't get me wrong, the work out definitely wasn't easy, squats and lunges over and over are no joke, but for the moment, my sore muscles actually feel better after having worked them out some more. Weird!
DAY 6- Kenpo: For those who may not know, Kenpo is a variation of martial arts. Doing Kenpo was SO much fun! Though I did Tae Kwan Doe as a kid and also grew up with a brother, I punch a lot like a girl. Girly punches aside though, it was a blast. It also probably helped that this was one of the first work outs that I've really been able to keep up with and complete the reps as the instructors do them. I sweated like a pig, seriously, like a lot, and I can only assume that means that I was doing it right.
DAY 7: REST DAY: Praise the Lord!!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Day in the kitchen....
I don't think I realized how productive I was yesterday until I looked at my Instagram feed. I was on a roll yesterday afternoon in the kitchen. I felt like a domestic goddess! Or since Daniel and I have been watching far too many episodes of "Storm Chasers" in one sitting on Netflix, I could say in the words of Reed Timmer, I "dominated" the kitchen yesterday.
A little bit of this and a little bit of that, I pulled out some cooked chick peas out of the freezer and made some homemade hummus to snack on with veggies. (I use this hummus recipe except I start with dry beans that I cook myself in the crock pot and then I froze them in 1 cup portions to be able to pull out whenever I want them.)
I had some bananas that were going bad, and as opposed to the normal banana bread I make, I was looking for a healthier option and found this whole wheat banana muffin recipe-- it has no added sugar (is sweetened with some honey) and also has oats. I had one this morning smeared with some peanut butter and it was pretty darn amazing!
And then after spending the afternoon in the kitchen doing all of the above, I cooked us a yummy dinner of teriyaki chicken stir fry and basmati brown rice. It was DELICIOUS!! I used sugar snap peas, red bell pepper, yellow squash, zucchini squash, onion, and of course the chicken which I baked prior.
Busy afternoon in the kitchen, but it didn't feel overly exhausting. I love having healthy items pre-made in the fridge and ready to eat. And in all honesty, I really love to be in the kitchen and love to bake/cook, the "hardest" part of the day was cleaning up my mess of pots and pans (and blender) once I was done. Hope you all had a happy Friday and have a safe and blessed weekend!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
No More Excuses (Before Pics)
No more excuses.... it's time to bring it... time to really work out!
What have been my excuses?
-The kids have been involved in the majority of my excuses as to why I can't work out-- can't do it daily, or can't make a commitment.
-I was nursing and couldn't figure out how to balance pumping and feeding baby. (Still nursing, just not making the excuse anymore.)
-It's too hard. Yea, I went there.
-I want to spend time with my family.
-Daniel's schedule. It makes it difficult to squeeze in work outs on his days on shift.
..... It's time to toss those excuses out the window. It won't be easy, but I've really let myself go since having kiddos and I have REALLY REALLY struggled accepting my post- two babies body.
I haven't always been this way. The year before Daniel and I got married, I ran my very first half marathon along with several 5k's and a 5 mile race. That year (2008) I became a race addict. I ran at least 4 days a week and yearned for my next race and the adrenaline pump that it would bring. I felt SO incredibly accomplished after my first half marathon and had the full intention of running it again the following year... The following year (2009) when that half marathon came around again, I was a married woman and 3-4 months pregnant with Leeland. I know that lots of women run while they're pregnant, but I didn't feel comfortable with it. I went on lots of long walks but I nixed the running. I was still determined that after Leeland was born (2010) I would do that half marathon again, but juggling my lifestyle as a new mom, nursing Leeland, and Daniel working 2 jobs and going to school made it difficult to find the time. I struggled in my training and was only able to run the women's only 5k. Still an accomplishment but not what I had set out to do. I was determined that the next year, I would run that half marathon, but guess what 2011 brought again.... I was pregnant. Again I didn't feel comfortable running... 2012 brought Hayden, more nursing, juggling 2 kids, and an even funkier on shift/off shift schedule for Daniel.
It has been a constant battle mentally, physically and emotionally trying to get back in shape. The time has been a huge issue with two kids! I'm a stay at home mom with two very little boys (age 3 and 16 months) Daniel works 12 hour nights 4 days a week and then has 4 days off, (the first day he's sleeping of course.) The timing is really key with the kiddos, if I want to be focused. And then mentally, I'm not as fit as I was in 2008, I've had 2 kids and I've taken lots of breaks along the way. It's really hard when I go for that first run and can barely accomplish a mile, when before I was running at least 3 miles 4 days a week.
My body bounced right back after Leeland was born. I was back in my previous clothes, and aside from stretch marks, my stomach looked the same. It was mostly breastfeeding that brought it back I'm sure, but a few runs here and there helped. I sort of assumed the same would happen after Hayden was born, and it didn't. I have a more "fluffy" belly, my jeans are super tight, and my arms flap. I'm not proud of these attributes, and it's an emotional battle getting dressed everyday and wondering what my friends and family think about my post second baby body. After some motivation from Daniel and a friend, I decided that it's time to do something about it. Enter P90x. I started this past Monday (17th).
The next 90 days are gonna be a struggle and a battle that I plan to document here. Documentation to the world is going to be what holds me accountable. At the end of the week, I'm not gonna want to get on here and blast to the world that I didn't do 2 of my work outs. I want to be open and honest about my work outs and my results here in hopes to motivate others, and to see the results for myself.
So without further ado, here are some before photos (Please be kind, these were really difficult for me to post to the world) and some before measurements.
Please be kind reading my numbers. I actually didn't even want to post them but Daniel talked me into it. I had planned to just post the change later on without saying any before or after numbers, (ex- I lost 10 pounds, down 2 inches.) We felt like this was a time to be real and thought it would be motivating to other real women out there to hear the actual numbers.
MEASUREMENTS: (Before)
Weight: 188.6 pounds
Chest: 39 inches
Biceps: 13 inches
Thighs: 26 1/4 inches
Waist: 38 1/4 inches
Hips: 44 1/2 (They don't lie.)
What have been my excuses?
-The kids have been involved in the majority of my excuses as to why I can't work out-- can't do it daily, or can't make a commitment.
-I was nursing and couldn't figure out how to balance pumping and feeding baby. (Still nursing, just not making the excuse anymore.)
-It's too hard. Yea, I went there.
-I want to spend time with my family.
-Daniel's schedule. It makes it difficult to squeeze in work outs on his days on shift.
..... It's time to toss those excuses out the window. It won't be easy, but I've really let myself go since having kiddos and I have REALLY REALLY struggled accepting my post- two babies body.
I haven't always been this way. The year before Daniel and I got married, I ran my very first half marathon along with several 5k's and a 5 mile race. That year (2008) I became a race addict. I ran at least 4 days a week and yearned for my next race and the adrenaline pump that it would bring. I felt SO incredibly accomplished after my first half marathon and had the full intention of running it again the following year... The following year (2009) when that half marathon came around again, I was a married woman and 3-4 months pregnant with Leeland. I know that lots of women run while they're pregnant, but I didn't feel comfortable with it. I went on lots of long walks but I nixed the running. I was still determined that after Leeland was born (2010) I would do that half marathon again, but juggling my lifestyle as a new mom, nursing Leeland, and Daniel working 2 jobs and going to school made it difficult to find the time. I struggled in my training and was only able to run the women's only 5k. Still an accomplishment but not what I had set out to do. I was determined that the next year, I would run that half marathon, but guess what 2011 brought again.... I was pregnant. Again I didn't feel comfortable running... 2012 brought Hayden, more nursing, juggling 2 kids, and an even funkier on shift/off shift schedule for Daniel.
It has been a constant battle mentally, physically and emotionally trying to get back in shape. The time has been a huge issue with two kids! I'm a stay at home mom with two very little boys (age 3 and 16 months) Daniel works 12 hour nights 4 days a week and then has 4 days off, (the first day he's sleeping of course.) The timing is really key with the kiddos, if I want to be focused. And then mentally, I'm not as fit as I was in 2008, I've had 2 kids and I've taken lots of breaks along the way. It's really hard when I go for that first run and can barely accomplish a mile, when before I was running at least 3 miles 4 days a week.
My body bounced right back after Leeland was born. I was back in my previous clothes, and aside from stretch marks, my stomach looked the same. It was mostly breastfeeding that brought it back I'm sure, but a few runs here and there helped. I sort of assumed the same would happen after Hayden was born, and it didn't. I have a more "fluffy" belly, my jeans are super tight, and my arms flap. I'm not proud of these attributes, and it's an emotional battle getting dressed everyday and wondering what my friends and family think about my post second baby body. After some motivation from Daniel and a friend, I decided that it's time to do something about it. Enter P90x. I started this past Monday (17th).
The next 90 days are gonna be a struggle and a battle that I plan to document here. Documentation to the world is going to be what holds me accountable. At the end of the week, I'm not gonna want to get on here and blast to the world that I didn't do 2 of my work outs. I want to be open and honest about my work outs and my results here in hopes to motivate others, and to see the results for myself.
So without further ado, here are some before photos (Please be kind, these were really difficult for me to post to the world) and some before measurements.
Please be kind reading my numbers. I actually didn't even want to post them but Daniel talked me into it. I had planned to just post the change later on without saying any before or after numbers, (ex- I lost 10 pounds, down 2 inches.) We felt like this was a time to be real and thought it would be motivating to other real women out there to hear the actual numbers.
Weight: 188.6 pounds
Chest: 39 inches
Biceps: 13 inches
Thighs: 26 1/4 inches
Waist: 38 1/4 inches
Hips: 44 1/2 (They don't lie.)
Monday, June 17, 2013
What we've been up to....
We've been without computer all week after our charger frayed. It worked frayed for a while, which now we know was probably a fire hazard-- I seriously got 1st degree burns from the metal magnet portion of it. Now that we have a new charger (which doesn't burn you) I am now aware that it's not normal for a macbook charger to get that hot and we probably should've replaced it sooner and never left it unattended. (Oops!) But here's a little of what our week looked like....
We did lots of playing, while it stormed a few days.
We survived our very 1st vacation Bible school!! Leeland just became of age to participate this year. He had a blast and I volunteered with the elementary school aged kids. It was incredibly fun, even for the adults! I look forward to many more years of VBS.
I have been working on a couple crochet projects, (and drinking some wine.)
We've enjoyed some yummy eats. (Five Guys is one of our faves.)
We covered the kitchen in finger paint working on Father's Day crafts.
Me and the boys grabbed dinner with my parents and sisters to celebrate Father's Day on Saturday. We went to a small bistro in a very small town near where we live and Leeland was VERY excited about the fish pond and insisted on a photo with the fish.
Some more playing.....
And we went on our first swim of the season! Hayden slept literally the entire time we were at the pool, but Leeland couldn't get enough of the cold water.
How was your week? Hope it was well! The weeks are truly just flying by this year, I can't keep up.
Only 190 days till Christmas!!
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