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Hey friends!
I am currently working to take my blog in a different direction. Super excited!
Be patient while I make some changes in the coming days. I'm going to be blogging more about all aspects of my life, not just running. Lookout for most posts on faith, family, and fitness.
Thankful for you all! Stay tuned!!
I did it.
I survived.
I took an 8 hour road trip from Mississippi to my hometown in Northwest Florida SOLO with both kiddos. I deserve some sort of medal.
There were lots of sweet people lifting me up in prayer as I headed down south last week. The trip there was quite pleasant. I was throwing special treats back to the backseat for my 2 year old to play with every few hours ( stickers, new books, etc.) We have chosen to be technology free on road trips at this stage for our kids and he actually is a champ at road trips. Baby girl did fairly well too. I had to reach back and pop that pacifier in quite a few times, but I can't complain.
We made it though, not without random stops at gas station parking lots and rest areas for me to nurse baby girl and change both kiddo's diapers. #MomLife at it's finest!
My time with family was amazing. I just love them! I love for my kids to get to be with their grandparents. My sister and her family joined us for a few days too. What a treat!
| Scottish Festival in Panama City, FL |
| What a great week! |
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I did manage to squeeze in a few workouts while I was at home. My mom graciously watched the kids so I could run on the beach one morning and I would get some weight training sessions in during nap time.
| Yes, this was my life growing up. I didn't know how good I had it! |
| Using some of my dad's weights for a workout. |
My run was the first in several weeks. I didn't have Zumba last week so I ran knowing I'd be teaching Zumba this week and didn't want to huff and puff the entire class.I cannot find the motivation to run. I LOVE Zumba (duh!) and it is so much more fun than running. I burn more calories too with Zumba because my heart rate isn't staying steady. I enjoy "races" so that is typically why I run and I have yet to sign up for any races this year. I need some motivation, people!
I did teach Zumba this morning and it was so fun! I just love it. Did I mention I love Zumba?
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While visiting my family one of my mom's co-workers introduced me to essential oils. I knew a teeny bit about them, but the information she has passed on has been phenomenal and I am super excited to learn more.
You all know how I am into eating clean(ish) and trying to be chemical free. I am not a crunchy mama though. I repeat. I am not a crunchy mama. I do this in moderation so when you see me chow down on a cheeseburger one day don't judge!
I had no idea all of the ways that essential oils can be used and of course I was skeptical at first.
Baby girl had a yucky, crusty eye so I was given a sample of lavender to dilute in coconut oil and applied it to the bottom of her feet and the bridge of her nose. I did this for about 2 days and it cleared it right up.
She has had a chronic stuffy nose for weeks so yesterday I started using the oil thieves diluted in coconut oil. I apply it to the bottoms of her feet and down her spine. Hoping this clears it up. If it does, I think I'll be sold on essential oils.
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I've been reading one piece of "The Valley of Vision" each day as a part of my devotion life. It has been incredibly refreshing for my heart and really leads me to worship.
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| Source: Amazon |
The writing is very old so there are lots of "thees" and "dost" type words, but I change them to "you" and "do" (etc.) as I read and that helps me out. It is evident that the author(s) of these prayers and devotions really knew and loved the Lord. Their words and phrasing really grip my heart and as I flip through page after page I just keep being led to praise and worship. I hope it leads you to do the same.
This is one of my favorite songs. Enjoy listening and reading!
"Motherhood is hard work. It is repetitive and often times menial. Accept it. Rejoice in it. ---Rejoice in your children. Look them in the eyes and give thanks. You will not even remember the work of all this planting when the harvest of joy overwhelms you."
Rachel Jankovic
"Loving the Little Years"
| I've read this book twice now and definitely recommend it. |
How sweet these words have been for my heart this week and what a great reminder of the noble work of raising children.
My days look like this:
| Meal planning on the bathroom floor while my toddler enjoys a bath |
| Never ending loads of laundry and linens |
| Letting him play with the water hose when when I know a mess will follow |
| I do get a few quiet moments here and there to refuel. So thankful that His word is indeed " living and active"! |
The days of a stay at home mom can be long and tiresome, lonely and mundane, but remembering that I am raising the next generation of evangelists and theologians brings me great hope. I am trusting the Lord COMPLETELY to shape my children, to shepherd their hearts, but the process can be taxing. God is using me to do this. He is allowing me to shepherd his little sheep. I am so ill-equipped but I cannot think of a more worthy calling. I am leaning on Him, resting in Him, and remembering the fruit that I am praying, begging, trusting He'll produce in my children. That makes the days when it is 2 PM and I am sitting down to eat lunch in my pajamas well worth it!
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I'm not a coffee drinker, but I have found a new love of Green Tea!
The weather has been crazy lately and these cold days allow me to enjoy a hot cup of tea, even if the hustle and bustle of my day means I have to reheat it a few times.
The health benefits of Green Tea are out of this world. Who knew? That is also motivation for me to sip and enjoy!
Here are just a few of the benefits of Green Tea:
- improves blood flow
- decreases cholesterol
- helps block the formation of plaque that is linked to Alzheimer's Disease
- increases and changes your metabolism, speeding up weight loss
-may help destroy cancer cells
- an amino acid (Theanine) found in Green Tea helps reduce stress
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Another healthy choice our family has made is to try to be as chemical free as possible. I try to use natural cleaning products, mainly for the safety of my children, but I also try to keep chemicals from our diet. I'm not hardcore about this by any means, but I believe it is best for our family and I work hard to make this possible.
In the South, a lot of recipes we use call for Cream of Chicken/Mushroom Soup and I just cringe! I mean, seriously, look at the label:
| I can't pronounce half of those ingredients! |
So many chemicals!
I found a recipe on Pinterest that allows you to make your own cream of "whatever" soups. It is a better choice for sure so when I whipped up a chicken pot pie last week I decided to try it out.
It turned out fairly well and the meal was just as delicious as it would have been with otherwise.
The only ingredients I used were flour, butter, milk, and chicken broth, with a little cut up chicken added too.
Here is the recipe I followed to do so: RECIPE.
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Baby Girl is already 2 months old!
| Dressed and ready for church! |
I cannot believe how quickly time flies by with your 2nd child. She is still just the best baby. She is eating well and starting to sleep 8 hour stretches at night. I've followed Babywise with both of my kiddos and so far they are both excellent sleepers and happy babies!
Praise the Lord! Mama is thankful for some much needed rest.
She had her two month appointment today and is in the 97% for weight and off the charts for her weight! What a big girl! :)
She has the best disposition and is no trouble at all. She is happy and content! Her big brother just can't get enough of her either.
| Early morning kisses and cuddling. Melts my heart! |
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I'm heading to FLORIDA this week to visit my family!
Yay for (hopefully) sunshine!
Tomorrow will be 8 weeks since we welcomed our sweet baby girl.
| Melts my heart! She is a precious gift. |
Time is really flying by and I am just trying to keep up. Welcoming baby #2 is a much different season than when we welcomed #1. It has been quite the adjustment but MG is a wonderful baby and that makes things much easier!
The transition to 2 has been different. I think welcoming your first is a huge life adjustment. You quickly learn that you can't just go where you want to when you want to. There is a baby involved who has lots of needs and limits you in a sense, but also adds more joy and love to your life than you'd even imagined.
This time around, the lack of sleep and limitations hasn't been as shocking. We have adjusted to having a child already. We've altered our lives to our sweet boy and our lives haven't been our own for quite some time now. What is different is that I still am a woman with two hands but now have to precious lives to care for. The toddler keeps me on the move! There isn't much "sleep when the baby sleeps" going on around here. Life is busy. Messy. Hectic.
I am sleepy from late night feedings and am thankful that my husband gets our 2 year old up each morning and feeds him before he leaves for work. It makes things a lot easier on me! The days are long with two little ones. I am trying to enjoy every sweet moment though. I know the years will just fly by!
| He keeps me on my toes. All boy! |
| She is such a happy baby! |
| Thankful for some warmer days this week so we could play outside. |
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I am thankful to get my life back in a sense though now that I am no longer pregnant. One of the things I missed the most was exercise. Is that crazy? Most people HATE exercising, but I LOVE IT! As a stay at home mom who is literally home most of my day, an outing to the gym is like a mini vacation. No kids. No chores. No responsibilities. No spit up. No spankings. No crying. No messes. Sometimes, no noise! A quiet gym alone to myself? What a gift!
This week was my first week teaching Zumba since May. I am thankful to have whipped back into shape fairly quickly, although I still have some pregnancy pounds to shed. I taught 5 classes this week and have been wiped out. It was so fun to get to teach again. I have surely missed it! There are 3 of us who are certified to teach now so we are on a teaching rotation which is super awesome. I always teach a Saturday morning class, but the weekly classes we'll rotate.
We are blasting mega calories and sweating bullets!
I love it!
| Post Zumba on Monday night. We had 25 students! What a fun class! |
| What a workout! I was so sore, but 853 calories in an hour was so worth it. |
As far as my diet, I am still working hard to eat clean during the week and allow myself to cheat a little on the weekends. I am loading up with protein at breakfast and lunch and try to eat a small dinner. The 7:30PM Zumba classes leave me starving when I come home. That has been hard. I try to nibble on a protein bar before class to keep me full.
Breakfast has been the same. I am loving this protein pancake recipe I found on Pinterest. My husband thinks it is disgusting because it has cottage cheese in it, but it keeps me full and really does taste good to me.
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| Source |
Protein Pancakes: Mix 4 egg whites, ½ cup of rolled oats, ½ cup of low-fat cottage cheese, ⅛ teaspoon of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Cook for 60 seconds each side.
I've continued juicing too, which I love. Our family is getting tons of produce this way!
This week I am looking for some different lunch options.
I am going to try some taco salads and loaded sweet potatoes. Sounds yummy, right!?
SO, at this point I have lost 30 lbs of my baby weight and have about 14 more to go. It is a slow process, but what I am doing is working.
Stay posted!!
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So my husband got me an incredible book that I have been reading.
My husband is an assistant pastor/youth minister at a PCA church here in Mississippi. I'm not the official pastor's wife (our pastor's wife is incredible, mind you. I have much to learn from her) but this book has still been huge in giving me perspective on ministry. I am immature and have so much to learn.
I highly recommend this book!
I wanted to share a few thoughts I've come across as I've read the first two chapters. The first chapter covered priorities and the second, personal devotional life. Those two titles alone have been huge for me!
I've always been an anxious person and the responsibilities of life really paralyze me. I get overwhelmed and shut down. I am realizing more and more how my lack of prayer makes this so. Life is hard and I am trying to do it all on my own. I can't. I keep trying, but I just can't. My days do not begin with me sitting before my Maker asking Him what He wants me to do today and placing my life in His hands. Oh, how that would bring me such comfort and peace to know I'm not alone as I try to navigate through each crazy day! As it is, I wake up and immediately begin the tasks of household chores, preparing meals, etc. I'm like a car trying to run with no fuel. It isn't going to happen.
This book isn't telling me anything I haven't already heard before (not yet at least). But it is reinforcing things I have heard over and over again but have forgotten or have decided I didn't want to hear.
I must meet with Jesus.
Every stinking day.
If I am going to parent well, I must meet with Jesus.
If I am going to love people well, I must meet with Jesus.
In and of myself I will never find the strength to do life. I can't love and serve people if I haven't been fed from the Source. I have nothing to offer and I am seeing that the hard way. Oh, how this book is so good for my heart, but so hard for me to read at the same time. Such a rich resource, but a grim reminder of the things I'm not doing so well. Praise the Lord for his patience with me. I know he isn't finished with me and continues to grow and mature me. Slowly, mind you, but steadily nonetheless.
My lack of time in God's Word is nothing short of embarrassing. I am a pastor's wife for crying out loud. I should know more about The Word than I do. I should have memorized more. I should be studying more. Sometimes I find it easier to say that studying the Bible is what my husband does. I am busy all day with our children and I don't have the time.
" If our hearts are convinced of the life-giving qualities of God's Word, we will find time for it." - Margy Tripp
Amen.
I go to the gym because I know my body needs it to be healthy. I give hours of my week to working out because I see the value. I know the importance. I will reap the benefits.
Why should God's word be any different?
I should be reading, studying, memorizing daily! This is GOOD NEWS, people. The Bible is rich. It is filled with promises. It shows me how to live a Godly life. It helps me see my sin so I can repent of it. It changes me!
I want to love people well. I do. I love my family. I love my friends. I love our dear church family. If I am to encourage YOU, all of you, I must spend time with my Creator.
"You can't give away what you don't have." -- Tedd Tripp
How can I do this without spending adequate time with my Maker in His word?
Would you pray for me this week? Pray that I would delight in God's Word!
" All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16
As of Monday I'll be 6 weeks postpartum. I have to keep reminding myself that at this point most women who are 6 weeks pp haven't even started working out yet. I haven't been cleared by my doctor (will be on Monday) but since I was working out regularly and in good shape before I got pregnant and was even working out as much as I could ( and felt like) during my pregnancy, I have spent the last two weeks easing back into things and it feels GREAT to be exercising again.
I have weight to lose for sure and I know that it took 9 months for me to put on this weight so it will take time to get it off. I am trying to be patient but am ready to wear more than yoga pants everyday.
With my first pregnancy all of the baby weight plus 10 more pounds were shed within 9 months pp. I didn't really have any goals. I didn't really diet. It just came off. This time, I am setting goals. Overall I know I want to start EATING CLEAN and PUTTING ON MUSCLE. I am also setting smaller goals each week. I set two goals this week: building up to a 1 mile run without stopping and burn 3,500 calories. I accomplished both goals!
My workouts this week looked something like this:
Sunday:
0.5 mile run ( first run since April '13)
Crossfit circuit x3 sets
Arm machines x2 sets
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433 calories burned
Monday:
60 minutes of Zumba
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700 calories burned
Tuesday:
Rest (Not by choice. The hubby had a meeting out of town so I had the kids and couldn't get to Zumba.)
Wednesday:
Zumba (at home)
Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred
1 mile run
Leg machines ( leg press, leg extension, leg curl) x3 sets
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705 calories burned
Thursday:
60 minutes of Zumba
---668 calories burned
| I love my Zumba crew!! |
Friday:
Strength training
1 mile run
Arm machines x2
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447 calories burned
Saturday:
60 minutes of Zumba
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801 calories burned
* Calories burned calculated from my Polar heart rate monitor
Total calories burned: 3,754
I worked really hard to eat well too. Since I am nursing I am not cutting any calories. I don't do diets. I eat if I am hungry. I am just trying to be sure I am using food to fuel my body. With nursing I want my baby girl to get the best nutrition possible. It is a win, win!
I tried to pack each meal with protein and clean ingredients. I am also working to drink a lot of water, which isn't hard for me because I LOVE IT!
Breakfasts were delicious! I found some great recipes on Pinterest to make sure that I don't get burned out by eating the same ole thing everyday.
My breakfast options included:
- Oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar, and pecans
- Egg whites with one slice of peanut butter whole wheat toast
- Black bean breakfast burrito with salsa and Greek yogurt
- Whole wheat English muffin with egg whites, cheese, and jam
- Clean pancake made from quick oats, banana, and egg whites
Lunches:
- Tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread with prezels
- Bean burrito with salsa and Greek yogurt
- Leftovers from dinner
Dinners:
I was a little relaxed with our dinners.
- Baked chicken, brown rice, topped with baked fruit
- Ground turkey with pasta and veggies
- Leftovers
- Leftovers
I blogged a few weeks back about my juicer. I am crazy about it! I try to have a cup everyday and even my 2 year old asks me for, " Apple juice." He doesn't realize this apple juice (although he sees that it is green in color) is packed with not just apples, but pears, spinach, carrots, celery, and blueberries. He chugs it!! I am one proud mama. I am thankful to be able to offer my children healthy choices and want them to be good eaters.
So there is my week! I squeezed in 10 minute workouts when I wasn't able to get out of the house or when the kiddos were napping. I saw how quickly the calories can add up when you put in workouts here and there. I didn't lose any weight this week ( actually, the scale said I gained half a pound) which was a bit discouraging, but I have decided not to weigh myself regularly. I'll try to do it once a month, but I know that my weight isn't necessarily an indicator of progress. I can tell I am getting back into shape and eating well makes me feel better. I am a better mama when I am in shape and eating well. My kids and husband deserve the BEST me I can be.
I need to set goals for this next week but am not sure yet what those will be :) I will let you know!
Business has picked up in our house since the arrival of our baby girl. Blogging has taken a back seat but as I am easing my way into the fitness world I hope to make more entries.
Baby girl will be 5 weeks tomorrow!
She is a great eater and sleeper! I am so thankful. She is really growing and changing. She is a precious addition to our family and we just love her to pieces.
It has been cold here in Mississippi. Last week was FREEZING and we even got a little dusting of snow.
Baby girl will be 5 weeks tomorrow!
She is a great eater and sleeper! I am so thankful. She is really growing and changing. She is a precious addition to our family and we just love her to pieces.
It has been cold here in Mississippi. Last week was FREEZING and we even got a little dusting of snow.
The cold temperatures left us indoors most of the week and even though I haven't exactly been medically cleared to exercise by my doctor I have been feeling well enough to ease into it.
Enter: Zumba.
Zumba has been a wonderful outlet for me. It gets this stay at home mom out and around a fun group of ladies. I took two classes last week and am slowly trying to get back in shape. Ok, confession, I have hit the ground running! This baby weight has GOT TO GO.
With TWO babies now-
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| My heart is full! |
-life has become quite a bit more hectic . I am up feeding throughout the night and chasing a 2 year old during the day. If I am going to eat healthy and get workouts in I am going to have to plan.
I hate meal planning. Hate. It. It stresses me out and sometimes I have to eat in a hurry ( Example: A slice of pizza on the bathroom floor while my son is bathing and my daughter is sitting in her bouncy seat. Totally happened 20 minutes ago) and what is quick and easy isn't always healthy (the pizza).
So this afternoon I squeeze in an hour at the gym while the babies were napping and my husband was able to work on his sermon for night church at home. Before I left I was able to come up with goals and workouts for the week. I hope to be able to pass on my workout and meals as much as I can. I will be 5 weeks postpartum tomorrow and have 18 lbs. of baby weight to lose ( and hopefully a few more!)
Long story short, here was today's workout (TWO):
1/2 mile run
Arm machines at gym x 2 sets
Circuit (x 3 sets):
1 minute of jumping jacks
1 minute of high knees
1 minute of burpees (kill me now!)
10 pushups
25 situps
30 second plank
I blasted 433 calories! :)
My goals this week are to:
Build up to 1 mile without stopping (so humbling after running 3 half marathons!)
Burn 3,500 calories working out (burning a ton nursing too!)
It feels good to sweat again. The running will come back slowly. I am really easing back into it. My last run was in April so I know with all my body has been through in the last 9 months I just need to take it day by day. I hope to increase mileage enough to run a few races this spring.
Ok, now to catch up on Downton Abbey.
Downton Abbey > The Super Bowl
Keep checking back for my progress!!
Anyone else on this "shed the baby weight" journey??
