Busy Busy Busy!!!!

Wow, has it been a busy week!!  I knew this week would be busy but I figured I'd still have some free time, and I'm finding that isn't true. 

My husband and I are in the process of opening a new restaurant.  It's a small sandwich shop, and we have been planning on doing a soft open (basically, opening the doors without actually telling anyone we were open) this weekend, Friday-Monday, and then taking Tuesday off and opening for real on Wednesday. Wednesday was the advertised opening date, so we figured the weekend would give us some practice before we (hopefully) get really busy Wednesday. 

Monday was the first day that we got all of the new employees together.  There is only 5, so we decided to do a team building day, and we took them out to one of our favorite sandwich shops, and then to Dave and Busters for some games.  It was a lot of fun and I feel like it really set a great dynamic for the team. 

Tuesday was spent trying to get the outside of the building cleaned up. The old tenant didn't do a great job at keeping up with the landscaping, so there were a lot of weeds to pull, and the whole place just needed a clean up.  Wednesday, I spent the day shopping.  We needed to get last minute stuff. A vacuum, some more wall décor, fruit bowl, baskets, pens, etc. Cody was at the restaurant, training the employees and prepping stuff like sauces, soups, portioning meats, etc.

Yesterday was more training, and around 6pm, we decided we were ready, and we opened the doors.  In about an hour, we did about 15 orders.  It was great practice for the cooks, and we got nothing but great feedback from everyone. It was great!

Yesterday was also our 4 year wedding anniversary!!  So, tonight, my parents are taking E for the night, and Cody and I are going to go out to dinner and a movie to celebrate.  And then, the weekend will be filled with more working! 

I am enjoying this whole process, but I feel like I really need to figure out a way to help out at the restaurant when needed, and be able to get my work outs in, all while making sure I am spending plenty of time with E.  I feel like I haven't seen her much, I miss her like crazy!!!

Starting Over

If you read my last post, you know that I have been debating on whether or not to put our baby plans on hold, in order to run a half marathon in May.  Cody and I sat down and had a serious heart to heart about it, and we decided that I will be putting my race plans on hold.  The race will always be there, but putting off baby plans can change the number of kids we have, and we both feel like now is the time to have another baby.  And if we were to wait, the option of having a third baby would be less likely, because we will both be older and we don't really want to have kids after we're 35.  

I am planning to start training now, and train as far into the pregnancy as I can, so that once the baby is born, it isn't so hard to get back on track and hopefully be able to do a race soon after!!  

So, yesterday I decided to start the Couch to 5K program again.  The first day is a 5 minute brisk warm up walk, then 1 minute running and 1.5 walking.  This was the first run that I'd be doing while pushing Ellie in the jogging stroller, so I was a bit nervous at how much harder it would be.  Surprisingly, it was quite easy! I bought the jogging stroller used, and wasn't quite sure how it would be to push while running.  I ran in the afternoon, and it was quite warm, but nothing too terrible. I was dripping sweat when I was done, though!  

I did a 17:17 minute mile, which isn't too bad, but not quite as fast as I need it to be.  But considering I walked much more than I ran, it makes sense. For a disney race, you need to train for a 15 minute mile, so that you can make budget in some time to stop for pictures and such.  

I am taking today off, since I am  having a Norwex party at my house tonight and my house was in major need of cleaning.  I plan on getting in Week 1 Day 2 tomorrow!  

To Race or Not to Race?

Back when I started this blog (2011?  I think), the whole thing was based on my journey into running, and my goal was to do the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  I was SO excited about it, and had started training.  I did 2 5k's and I was really loving running (even if I was doing more run/walk intervals than actual running).  Then, I ended up getting pregnant, and stopped running all together, because I was afraid that the stress on my body would put too much stress on the baby and I was worried about hurting the baby.

I ended up not getting back into running after the baby was born, like I had planned. And suddenly, here it is, 2 years later, and I still haven't gotten back into running.  I am trying to be more active, and lose some weight, but running just hasn't been on my radar.

My BFF just finished the Disneyland Half Marathon this weekend, and I am finding myself so incredibly jealous about it.  I look back at how determined I was to do the Princess Half Marathon before I got pregnant, and I am kind of sad that I never finished what I had started.

So, we started discussing the Tinkerbell Half Marathon and how we'd love to do it together in May of 2016.

The only problem is, we have been planning on starting to try and get pregnant with our second baby after our trip to Walt Disney World in October.

I know that it's absolutely possible to do a Half Marathon while pregnant, but it's not something that I want to do.  Especially because I am already not in shape or ready to do a half marathon.  So, now I am stuck with the decision - Do I put our baby plans on hold for another 6-8 months and train to do a half marathon?  Or do I put my half marathon plans on hold until we have another baby?

Why does life give us such hard decisions?!

Birthday Craziness

My baby turned 2 on Sunday!  :)

This last week has been crazy for us.  My daughter turned 2 on Sunday, so we had a big party at our house for her.  We had about 30 people over to our house.  This is only the 2nd time I've hosted a party, and the first time I hosted a party at the new house. So I went a little crazy trying to make sure the house was clean and things were packed away, making sure we had enough food and decorations and presents.  I had family come from out of town.  And, to top it all off, both E and I were sick all week.  So, it was tough getting everything ready, but we did it!  Her birthday was great, she had so much fun.  She was so surrounded by love, I hope she felt just how special she is!!

Because of the craziness of getting ready for her birthday, my eating and work out schedule have been all screwed up.  I made it to the gym once last week.  We had a taco bar at her birthday party, and I ended up with a TON of food left over, so I've been eating more tacos than I ever thought possible.  I am so ready to get back on track.

My goal a while back was to be down one pants size by the time we went to Disney in October.  Looking at that goal now, I'm pretty sure it's not going to be possible.  But I'd still like to be down a few pounds by the time we go.  We are going towards the end of October, so I've got about a month and a half to do what I can.

So, my September Goals are:

*Do not drink any pop for the whole month (only water and coffee)
*Eat Breakfast every morning
*Go to the gym at least twice a week, and do a home work out twice a week
*Meal Plan!!!

Here is hoping to a very successful September!!!

Rainy Day Blues

So as I previously mentioned, I spend yesterday up north at the campground with my Mother in Law.  The weather was perfect and it was a really relaxing day!  I made a bad choice to stop and get a donut for Ellie (I swear, that was my intention when we stopped!), but I ended up getting one too.  I felt guilty all day, since that obviously isn't on my meal plan!  I made up for it by having a pretty healthy dinner (pork kabobs with lots and lots of veggies!).  Cody ended up taking the evening off and was able to come hang out with us for a few hours.  I always love when he gets to take some time to just get away from work stuff and relax!

Have you ever had one of those days when one thing just spirals into another and before you know it, your whole day is out of whack?  That was my day today.  The plan was to wake up, have breakfast and head to the grocery store.  Then we'd come home, I'd put Ellie down for her nap, and I'd do an at home workout.  Well, I woke up and realized that we really had nothing for breakfast nothing we had sounded good for breakfast.  So, I called my parents to see if they wanted to go out.  They agreed, so we met at Bob Evans. I ended up ordering eggs, sausage, hash browns, and a pancake.  Way more food than I needed, but it sure was tasty!

After breakfast, I decided to go to the grocery store.  When we were at breakfast, it started storming, so we kind of hung out until the rain slowed down. We left and made a quick stop at the grocery store.  We went home, and once I got Ellie down for a nap, I just felt like I had no energy.  I'm sure it was a mix between the rain and the fact that I didn't really eat very healthy yesterday.  But I just couldn't pull myself off the couch. As the day went on, and I kept getting busy doing other things, my workout just didn't happen. I'm so sad because I was doing so good at keeping my workout plan.

I keep reminding myself that tomorrow is a new day, and I can't let myself fall completely off the wagon, just because I had a bad day.  Bad days are bound to happen throughout this journey.  How I choose to get back up from those bad days are what really matter, and I plan to make tomorrow count!!

New Neighborhood and Change of Plans

Tonight we got invited to our first ever neighborhood picnic.  It was a small gathering of all the people on our street.  We had hot dogs and hamburgers, everyone brought a dish to pass, there was door prizes. It was so much fun!  We lived in our last neighborhood for 3 years, and we only knew the lady that lived across the street, and that's because we bought our house from her.  Just about everyone who lives on our street has lived there for 15+ years.  I can't even tell you how comforted that makes me.  I love that people feel like our neighborhood is safe and comfortable enough to stay here for many, many years.  I love the feeling that we picked a great, safe, friendly neighborhood to raise our family in.  Tonight was a good night. :)

I did have a change of plans today, though.  Our sitter was coming this morning so I could go to the gym, but I ended up having a bunch of errands to run instead.  I hated skipping the gym, and normally I would just say "oh well, I'll go tomorrow".  But, because I am trying to work out more, I knew that by skipping the gym this morning, I'd have to do an at home workout.  So, when I got home and got Elliot down for her nap, I did a workout video. I had done the 30 Day Shred on Tuesday, but decided today to switch it up and do the sculpt and build workout from one of my Biggest Loser DVDs.  It was a good work out, and I'm sore, which is always a good thing!

I am going to the gym again tomorrow, and taking Saturday off.  I will be visiting my Mother in law up at the campground that she camps at during the summer on Saturday, so hopefully I can get a good walk in!

At Home Workouts

I'm not even sure if there is anyone reading this anymore.  If you're reading, please say hello! :)

Today I decided that I want to start doing at home workouts on the days that I'm not going to the gym.  We only have the babysitter come to the house 2-3 times a week and on the days that she doesn't come, it's hard for me to get to the gym due to Cody's schedule.  I'd like to work out 5-6 times a week, so I am going to start researching different at home workouts that I can find on Netflix, or on demand.  My work out schedule this week is looking like this:

Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Gym (25 minute Elliptical, 45 Minute Strength)
Friday: Gym (35 Minute Elliptical, 45 Minute Strength)
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: At Home Workout (30 Day Shred)

I'm hoping that by keeping up with working out when I'm at home, it will help with my workouts at the gym.  I am very sore today, but honestly, I like being sore. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right!!

Cody went to the grocery store today to get some essentials before we go on our weekly grocery shopping trip.  While he was there, he bought some great stuff, but he also bought some not so great stuff.  We've been talking about how we both really want mac and cheese. So, he bought a box of Organic Mac and Cheese, thinking that he was doing something good.  His heart was in the right place, and I appreciate him thinking of me.  But I have told him before that I can't have that kind of stuff in the house. We cut out boxed meals a long time ago.  I've tried making things from scratch for at least the last 6 months, because of all the crap that is added to boxed meals.  I get too tempted when we have stuff like that in the house, so I have just stopped buying it.  He also bought a bag of tortilla chips, because we bought a new salsa at the farmers market.  Once again, I appreciate the thought, but when it comes down to it, I don't have the self control yet to be able to keep those things in the house.  I am hoping that he starts seeing some results in himself, as well as some results in me, to where his first instinct isn't to buy the stuff that isn't great for his body.

New Workout Plan

A friend of mine recently suggested to me to check out bodybuilding.com to help me find some new workout programs.  I have been wanting to get more into weight lifting, and this website is the perfect thing to help me.  They have all sorts of different programs for different skill levels, as well as an app, where you can make up your own program.  My friend sent me a work out that she suggested I try out, so I did that at the gym today.  I did 25 minutes on the elliptical and then did the weight workout. It felt so good to do a program that made me feel like I was actually doing something!

My new goal is to try and make it to the gym 3 times a week.  And then 2 days a week, I will try to do some sort or workout at home, whether it's talking a walk/run, or doing a workout video at home.  I really feel like I am doing some good for myself when I work out, and I really need to find time to do it more often.

Ellie's birthday party is in 2 weeks and I feel like I am so far behind in trying to get everything planned! I just ordered her cake today, and I also just got her invitations out in the mail. I hope that my last minute planning doesn't bite me in the butt. I'm really worried about no one coming, or everything just being one huge disaster. I know she won't care either way, but she deserves an amazing party!!

Lifestyle Change

Why does weight loss have to be so hard?

 When I was pregnant, I ate what I wanted, because being pregnant apparently means you have a free pass, right? (no, not right....I learned that the hard way!) Then, after Elliot was born, and I was breastfeeding, I was afraid to change my diet at all, because I was afraid that a calorie change would mess with my milk supply, and I struggled with that enough.

Now that I'm no longer nursing, and I'm not pregnant, I really need to get my act together and lose some weight before I get pregnant again.  I started going to the gym 2-3x a week and tried cleaning up my diet last october. I figured by now, almost a year later, I'd have lost a good amount of weight, and we'd be ready to start trying to get pregnant again.

Nope. Not the case.

I honestly figured that I would easily lose 10 pounds or so, just because I wasn't going to Burger King 3 times a week, and I wasn't having ice cream for a snack every night before bed.  But for some reason, I stayed about the same. I got blood work drawn, to see if there was an underlying issue, and there wasn't. So, I apparently am just not working hard enough.

Cody and I have decided to really overhaul our eating.  We have started buying new vegetables. We're not eating any carbs or starches with our meals. Only eating whole wheat breads, when we do eat bread (which isn't often). We are making food at home a lot more. We eat a big salad before each meal. Now, if I can get my water drinking under control, I think I might be able to really lose some of this weight.  I have about 2 months before we are really going to start thinking about getting pregnant, and I'd love to lose 20lbs by then.

Fingers crossed!

Falling off the wagon

Well, I had REALLY good intentions that lasted for about 2-3 weeks.

And now I'm back to where I was before, and any weight I lost during those 2-3 weeks is back.

I'm not even sure what happened.  One bad day turned into one lazy day and then the days just kept going by and I never got back on track.  It makes me so mad because, like I said, I had such great intentions and was so motivated. I want to be down a pants size when I go to Walt Disney World in October.  Which is something that is completely doable. Well, it is unless I keep falling off the wagon like I keep doing.

I need to get the strength to stay on track and not let one slip up completely derail me.

Tomorrow is a new day, and I really need to make sure it's a good one.

Bad Habits

Cody was off yesterday, and we decided to make a trip to Grand Rapids.  We went shopping and decided to have Sushi for lunch.  While I know that sushi isn't the healthiest thing in the world, I didn't feel like I went overboard and was proud of how I did at lunch.  We finished our shopping and went home.  Around that time, it was time for dinner so we talked about what sounded good and we both decided that a place that serves great burgers was where we wanted to go.  When we got there, instead of trying to find something healthy, I ordered my favorite burger and fries and ate the whole thing.  Normally, Tuesday or Wednesday would be my cheat meal, and eating a burger like this wouldn't necessarily phase me too much.  But I had my cheat meal on Sunday with my parents, so this was not a good choice for me. 

I realized that it's such a bad habit for me to go to a restaurant that sounds good, and order whatever I want off the menu.  I need to really put thought into the places we decide to go, and make sure that there is something on the menu that I can order that won't throw me completely off track.  We tend to eat out more when my husband is off, because we like to go on day trips where we're gone shopping or exploring all day, and I don't want to give that up.  I just need to pay more attention to where we're going and what I'm ordering. 

"Cheat Days"

Cody has been off the last two days.  

This really only means one thing.

Cheat Days.

My goal was to go 7 days without having a cheat day. I didn't want to eat great for 2-3 days, have a cheat day, and then try to get back on track. When Cody is home, my days aren't planned out as well.  Ellie and I have a routine, but on Cody's days off, it throws everything off.  And we tend to eat out a lot when he is home.  

Yesterday, Cody had to travel for work in the morning, and didn't get home until about 2pm.  So breakfast and lunch were great and we stuck to our normal routine.  When he got home, we decided to go out to eat.  We got mexican, and even though I ordered a salad, I ended up eating chips and salsa too and went over my calories.  Today, we had to bring Ellie to the doctor, and then we had our home inspection all afternoon on the new house.  So we weren't home and I didn't plan to bring any good foods to eat.  We had applebees for dinner, and I thought that by ordering a salad, I was doing a good thing.  And it would have been, but then I had breadsticks and soup.  And then Cody wanted to get ice cream.  

Side Note: I know that ice cream places think that you're doing you a favor by giving you an extra large amount of ice cream...but I ordered a small cone today and I was given basically a gallon of ice cream on a waffle cone.  Thank goodness I found some self control and ate about 1/2 cup of it and threw the rest away.  

I guess what this whole post is about is how hard it is to eat healthy when you get thrown out of your routine.  And how important planning is.  We will be doing a lot of running around the next few weeks on Cody's days off, trying to get stuff ready to move.  I need to figure out how to plan out my meals and snacks for when we're on the go, 

How do you keep yourself in check when you're out and about, or when your plans change?

Frame of Mind

So, I got thinking today about weight loss and how much it consumes my mind when I am consciously trying to eat healthy enough to lose weight.

 And then it hit me.

I honestly think part of the problem I have with being able to lose weight is that I can't imagine myself doing it.

It's like winning the lottery.  You can buy lottery tickets every day, with hopes of winning, but when it comes down to it, you know that the likelihood of you winning the lottery are very slim.  You like to imagine yourself winning millions of dollars, and what you'd do with it, and the house you'd buy, etc., but when you're honest with yourself, you know that you will probably continue along the path you are currently on, without any major thing like winning the lottery happening. And eventually you will talk yourself out of wasting money on the tickets, because you most likely won't win, anyway.

That is exactly how I feel about weight loss.  I can buy healthy foods, and I can go to the gym....I can take all the necessary steps to lose the 100+ pounds that I'd like to lose, and I can imagine what life would be like to be thin and fit and be able to wear a size 4 pants.  But when I'm honest with myself, I can't ACTUALLY see it happening.  And I get discouraged, and stop trying.  Because why bother?  Why put the effort into something that I can't actually see myself getting results from?

I think that's my biggest struggle when it comes down to it.  I don't mind eating healthy. I like healthy foods.  And I don't mind going to the gym. I like the "me" time I have when I'm there.  But because I can't actually see myself succeeding, I just want to give up and just go back to not caring.

I need to figure out how to flip my frame of mind.  I need to learn how to have enough confidence in myself to know that I CAN lose weight, and I CAN get to my goal weight.

Have any of you felt this way?  How did you overcome it?

Grocery Shopping...and good news!

Why do groceries have to be so expensive?

Back when I wasn't being very careful with what I was eating, I could buy groceries for the week for under $100.  I could buy 5 boxes of mac and cheese for lunches, a box of cereal would give me breakfast for the week, I'd get a couple of pounds of ground beef for dinners and we'd be good for the week.  I know that eating healthy is better for me, but I won't lie, I miss the simplicity of grocery shopping back then.

Grocery shopping now not only means having to spend more money, but I also have to be more careful of what I'm buying.  Being a Stay at Home Mom means I am home for every meal, unlike when I was working and I'd be at the restaurant during at least one meal.  I also have to make sure that I'm getting healthy foods for Ellie.  She will usually eat what we eat, but sometimes I have to make small adjustments to it to make it easier for her to eat, since she only has 8 teeth.  Mostly, my shopping trips revolve around trying to make sure that I am getting a large variety of healthy foods that we all like.

So, we got some good news today.....

Our offer was accepted on the house!!!

We are so excited to be moving to a new house with much more space!!  We have a lot to do in the next few weeks, including a garage sale to purge some of the extra crap we've acquired, picking out paint and new carpet, hopefully buying some new furniture.....I can't wait!!  I also am so excited to redesign Ellie's room into a big girl room, and not so much of a nursery anymore.

Pinterest has become my new best friend! :)

I'm baaaaaack!!

Hi all!! (if there is anyone still out there.....is there anyone still reading this blog???)

I've decided to resurrect this blog! I have been wanting to start blogging again, and have been contemplating whether or not to just start all over, since I'm at a way different point in my life and have much different goals than I did when I first started this blog.  IF I do decide to start a new blog, I will let you all know.  But for now, I will be back to blogging right here! :)

So, just to give you a quick recap on what has been going on in my life.....

*Our daughter Elliot is now 19 months old!  I am so, so lucky that I get to be her mom.  She is the best little girl ever and I can't imagine my life without her.  My entire day revolves around her and I absolutely love it.

*My husband and I bought a restaurant!  He has been the General Manager and Head Chef at a restaurant since it opened 5 years ago.  Last year, the previous owner decided he wanted to sell and it worked out perfectly that we were able to purchase it!  It was a completely terrifying decision, but so far it has been nothing but a blessing for our family.

*We are currently working on purchasing a house!  We have been in a weird situation with our current house and have decided that we need more space.  We have been looking online for a while now and have looked at quite a few houses over the past couple of weeks, and we put an offer in on a house this morning!  Fingers crossed everything works out well and we are in a new house soon!

Other than that, we have been just living life day by day.  Being the owner of the restaurant, my husband is home more often, which is great for all of us.  I am working on getting out and meeting more moms in the community, trying to make sure that Elliot gets the socialization she needs.

I also have decided that I need to once again start focusing on myself.  I have spent the last year and a half (well, much longer than that if you count the whole pregnancy) focusing on raising our little girl, and I realized that I need to also focus on myself.  I joined a gym back in October and have been trying to go as much as possible.  I also have been seeing a personal trainer once a month. I really like having the accountability of working out with a trainer once a month.  She has given me some great ideas oh different work outs. Now, I just need to get my diet in check and hopefully I will start seeing some results!

If you are still around, please comment!  I'd love to see who all is still interested in reading about my journey, and I'd love to see where you are in your journey!