My Fitness Routine Lately.

I haven't been sharing as much about working out lately and I should because it's a huge part of my week. I spend 4-5 days a week working out and walk/jog (ok more walking than jogging lately)  probably 5 days a week also. I feel like right now, I'm in the best shape that I've ever been in. Yes, even better than before I had kids.  After I had Scarlett, I didn't really have to do much to get back in shape. I was younger and my body just kind of bounced back which I did NOT expect. It seems breastfeeding was all I did to get back to my normal size in less than a month. But after Maxwell, boy the baby gave me cravings, I gained a bit more weight and it def took longer to come off. Which, I DID NOT expect. I also stayed working out throughout my entire pregnancy with Maxwell, which I didn't with Scarlett so it was interesting to me. It shows that every pregnancy is different and every post baby body heals in it's own time and in different ways. I really started to get serious about eating after Maxwell was born and that made all the difference! And now, I can say that here I am 4 years later, in the best shape of my life!! I wouldn't say it took me 4 years to get there but I would say that it took me that long to figure out what good, clean eating was. I also started working out more consistently and changing how I worked out. I didn't have time to do long workouts that often got skipped because I was exhausted raising 2 kids and working full-time. So I started getting in 15-30 min workouts religiously and that seemed to be even more effective since I was consistent! Now, working out is a routine for me. It's like eating lunch and when I miss a workout it's just like missing a meal, I get hangry....lol. Habit is hard to start but worth it once it's established. You have to push through that first month and then it gets easier. 

Lately I've been working on gaining a little more shape. A little more curve in the booty and defining the arms/back. I like to set little goals that lead to big goals. When I work-out, I like to focus on just one body part a day. So just abs, or just booty or just back etc. Sometimes I will combine them if I'm doing a Tone It Up workout that involves more than one but I prefer to do one body part at a time. That way I can control the body part I am working on the most. For awhile I was working on abs and doing that 3 days a week. Now I've been trying to do booty 3x a week with heavier weights.  I cannot wait until the house is complete so that I can have a REAL home gym!! It's been awhile since I've worked out in a gym of any kind. For the last year or so I've been working out in my living room with weights, booty bands, and other types of exercise equipment that doesn't take up much room. But I'm really excited to have some bigger equipment to do more "gym" routines. 

My biggest motivation lately is seeing progress. For awhile I was working out but not really seeing much of a change. Once I started doing one body part 3x a week and the rest of the body the other times of the week, it seems the area I focused on changed quickly. Everything worth it takes time and hard work. So sending anyone out there who is looking for a little motivation to get working on their goals, my 3 pieces of advice: 1. Consistently over duration. It's better to consistently get in a good 15 or 25 min workout than to do a long workout every once in awhile. I work full time and have 2 kids and 2 dogs, life gets crazy but if you can squeeze in even a workout in your living-room with some weights, a booty band or some sliders, do it! 2. Stick to it! Force yourself to stick to it for a month and see how much easier it becomes. Habit is a strong thing once established. 3. Small things lead to big things. Do what you can. Any small choice leads to something bigger. If you make small choices to eat better things or workout more, those small choices will lead you to success. Trade in your reg sugar filled coffee for a healthier option, take that walk instead of sitting in front of the tv. Things like that. But if you make small choices to in the other direction...you know where that will lead. 

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents on that and just a little insight on what's been going on with my fitness routine lately. Still highly recommend Tone It Up app for busy mothers. It makes it so much easier to get workouts in! 

Life Lately: What month is it???

What month is it? Oh yes, May!! Life has been EXTREMELY busy lately. Like, more than normal. I rarely get time to write anymore and I hate that. So I'm taking some time tonight to get a few blog posts out. It's been so long since I had a wordy post that I don't even know what to say! I miss just writing in general. I started a book last year. Well I started a couple over the years. Scarlett has been writing book after book. Some picture books and some chapter books. She staples them together and reads them to Ty and I 30 times. She reminds me so much of myself when I was younger. I was so passionate about writing! I have written a couple books. But never finished them. I want to go back to writing one of them. Maybe I should. Maybe I will. I just have to find the time....

Time. 

Always against us. 

The kids have been well. They are finishing up school. Summer starts the end of May here in Texas. So summer will be in full swing. We got a new puppy. Don't ask how that happened. I will tell you, it WAS NOT my idea or my doing. But regardless, we now own TWO mini goldendoodles. The new fiesty red head is much different than Cubby. I named her Basil. And she has a mind of her own. Cubby rarely barks. He rings the doggy doorbell if he wants to be let out and he is content in pleasing us. Basil barks anytime she doesn't get exactly what she wants. She won't touch the doggy doorbell and has mind of her own. Still, she doesn't fool me. She is a smart cookie, she just needs someone to put her in her place and spend some time with her. She is getting better everyday. Work is busy for me. It's busy season in real estate. Spring Market. And the kids always have something going on. I could dedicate an entire calendar to things they have going on. Lessons, school photos, fun runs, Teacher Appreciation this or build something for that, Muffins with Moms on this day and Breakfast with Mom on that day. Appts and errands, never ending laundry, groceries..... it gets exhausting. You parents out there get me. Especially for a wild spirit like me. In case you have NO IDEA about me or who I am, I tend to get bored of repetition and the mundane. Hence why you will find me traveling often. (Although, not this year since we don't have the time and have quite a few other things going on). You will see me mixing things up in life quite often. I just crave new experiences and fun in my life. 

But it can't always be a party and I try to accept that. I guess. lol. I've learned that you need balance with everything. 

The house is coming along. It's being framed and walls are going up. It should be done in a couple months. So weird to see something that was only a drawing come to life! First time building for me so I'm fascinated by it. The kids love stopping by every week to see the progress. I went back to NY last month to take care of some property stuff there and I squeezed in a bit of time with some family and friends. We had another Pod delivered here to TX and now our garage is like one ginormous storage unit. We literally can't fit in this house we are staying in much longer! 

I got a new SUV. As some of you may have seen on Instagram it was a process and a half getting it. I ordered one and it took FOREVER to get in. Broke down on a truck, the truck that picked it up then broke down....and then once they got it in it was failing the inspections they perform on new cars before sending them out. So they had to address that. I finally got it though and I must say it was worth the wait. It's OH so pretty, fast and fun to drive. I got the Jaguar F Pace. I loved my good ole Buick but my lease was up and it was time for a change. My kids aren't babies anymore so I figure I could get something a little more sporty. Ty got to drive some fun cars when we were picking out my car at the car dealership.  

One thing I HAVE been making time for as always, is working out. It is something that I have incorporated so long that it is just habit now. I feel grumpy and moody when I don't get a workout in. So it happens most days. And we've been kicking up our eating habits a notch too. We have been eating pretty healthy for he most part but I've been really incorporating healing foods into our everyday eating. I've got the kids drinking dragonfruit smoothies and eating lots of raw fruits and veggies. I've found that with Maxwell, I have to make it a game. So lately I've been telling him, "Maxwell, do you want to eat a healing orange? It's an orange that heals your body and helps you grow strong like Superman." or "Maxwell, try this Flash smoothie, it makes you fast like Flash!" Yes, it works for this boy. I can deal with him running around the house at top speed after he drinks his smoothies if it means he is getting some nutrients.  I've started cracking down on the amount of sugar that that boy eats as well. It can get out of hand if I let it.

Right now, I'm really looking forward to moving onto the next stage of life. I'm so over this tiny rental that we have been living in for over a year. I want to have organization and just enjoy the small perks of being in a house that fits us better. Until then, I'm looking forward to doing some fun things this summer with the kids and these 2 teddy bear doggies. No big summer plans this year, just a few weekend adventures. 

Scarlett's 8th Birthday: Horses....again.

I don't know how many horse parties we've had so far. I think it's been 3 or 4. But this girl loves her horses. So we did her party at Diamond C Stables here in Texas.  As you can see, she had a wonderful day. For decor this year, I used a lot of the stuff that I had saved from this party HERE when she turned 4. I just added some pretty florals and greens. The inspiration were the cute plates that I found on Zazzle.com. I got some coral flowers at Michael's and we did mini pies and horse bracelets to take home for the favors. We found these cute bracelets HERE that are super cute and good quality for the price! We bought some little horseshoe baggies off of Etsy to gift them in.

If any of you know Scarlett, you know that she dislikes any cakes, cupcakes or frosting. A friend suggest a Bundt cake place here and we got some mini bundtkin cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Scarlett seemed to like those in chocolate. The pumpkin pie that I made for her birthday dinner the night before was her real favorite. I stuck some horse toothpicks in the Bundtkins that I found for $4 at Michael's. Super affordable this year with the decor. Scarlett had plenty of horse things to decorate with which made it easier. 

The party included face painting, a horseshoe craft, learning how to lasso a bull, riding horses (of course) and then they each got to handprint the horse with paint at the end. I think they all thought that was the best part. I can't believe my Scarlett is 8 years old!! I say this every year but them turning another year older hits me harder than any birthday of mine. I'm thankful for another year with this bright light of mine. I am so proud of the wonderful, kind and loving soul that she is and always has been. Cheers to another year with you Scarlett!! We love you....

Weekend Vibes: Craving SATURDAYS

I just loved these photos of the kids being silly. I got so lucky with these little ones. They can be silly, they can be strong willed. They can be loving. But the thing I love most is that they stick together! Little besties. 

This particular weekend we went out for brunch at 5 Points Local in San Antonio. We sat outside on the patio and had the most delicious organic food!! And of course mimosas. These little weekends out with them are my favorite. No particular plans. Just hanging out together and seeing what comes our way. Anyone else living for the weekends lately? I hate that saying but I feel that it's been pretty consistent that the weekdays are chaotic and not always that enjoyable, and the weekends are like a breath of fresh air. Seasons. Everything comes in seasons. So in this season, I try to take stress as a sign that I'm needed....in 100 diff areas. Still, I'm needed. I've had a weird couple of months. It seems like as soon as something goes right, 2 things go wrong. And I just can't figure out why it's been consistently like this. Waiting for the break in this pattern. We are still dealing with property fun and building fun. ;) But I THINK things are all finally coming together nicely. (I'm almost afraid to say that). I've been struggling on the workouts lately. My time lately has been scarce. So I've been squeezing in small 10-15 min workouts. Better than nothing but I'm ready to get serious again. So I've mapped it all out again in my trusty google sheet. LOL. I find when I do this, and plan it all out beforehand, my success rate is a LOT better. I'm pretty dedicated once I have it all down in writing. It's when I just say, 'I'll figure it out as I go' that I start slacking on good workouts and a well laid out meal plan. 

During this busy season, I'm really enjoying unplugging from everything else on the weekends and tuning into my family and having these fun little times together. 

Troop Beverly Hills or Girl Scouts??

A couple weekends ago I went on a camping trip with Scarlett's Girl Scouts Troop. Since we joined the troop, Scarlett has been asking when are we going camping? So it was inevitable that we would go and I knew this. Although, I can't say I was crazy about the idea of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm up for an adventure anytime. But with everything that we have had going on lately, it just seemed like more of a task on the checklist than something to enjoy. Not to mention, I am not exactly the rustic camping type. I mean, I grew up on a small farm, riding buggies and chasing chickens. So my roots are there. But I haven't had to do any REAL camping in quite some time.
If I admit that I watched Troop Beverly Hills to prepare myself for the trip, will you think less of me? Ha ha. Anyone else born in the 80's know what I'm talking about? I had this vision in my head that I would be like Phyllis Nefler in Troop Beverly Hills, just arriving with my Louis Vuitton luggage and big hat. Didn't really happen that way. lol.

We arrived later in the evening and you best believe that I was cursing quietly to myself as I dragged a squeaky cart with things falling off every few steps, over bumpy terrain in the dark to our cabin. That was my fault for not leaving earlier I suppose. Scarlett had one job. Hold the flashlight and watch for things that could drop off of the cart. By the time we got 1/2 way to the cabin, of course Ty's new camping mattress pad had fallen off somewhere. Thanks Scarlett. ;) We did go searching after and found it, thankfully.

So the first night was a bit rough. I can't say I was as prepared as I should have been.
Upon arriving and unloading into the small cabin with 8 bunks, no heat/ac and only 1 outlet...I reconsidered what I had gotten myself into. In a cabin loaded full of girls and Texas allergens blowing in from the open windows, I didn't sleep much. I'm a sleep with the tv on kinda girl.
I woke up and started getting ready at 6am. The lack of hot water and mirrors was definitely not helping with my thoughts on camping. Mind you, the last time I have been "real" camping was probably in my 20's. And even then there was alcohol and friends and not much sleeping. Before that it was when I was a teenager. We've always opted to RV camp or glamping as a family. But I'm not one to back away from a challenge. Toughen up. If you can't hang with some girl scouts then you might as well hang up the towel....might have been a thought or two. lol.

Day 1 was filled with lots of things to do and as the day went on, I felt a sense of relaxation set in. Everything was simple there. I took joy in watching Scarlett play with her friends and do all of the different activities. I have a confession. I always wanted to be a girl scout. But I never was one. So I lived a little vicariously through Scarlett that weekend. By weekend's end, I was feeling like I could probably do a couple more days of it....IF I had warm water in the bathrooms lol. All the way home Scarlett talked about all of the fun things she got to do at camp. I even got to know some of the moms there. Always a bonus to meet new people here in TX. So my take on the whole experience? I'd do it again.