Getting Geared Up

Super excited to start my BeachBody Challenge next Monday! The program I chose to go with this time is the LesMills Body Combat. I have watched the Basics video and with my previous experience with this program from a few years back, I know it is going to be a lot of fun.  I may even be able to get a few of my friends and neighbors together to do some group classes! That would be fantastic!  I am on my first week of using Shakeology regularly.  I found a recipe that I LOVE and have made the smoothies very enjoyable in the mornings.  I had my first shake on Saturday and I can already tell the difference in my energy levels! What mom doesn't need more "get up and go", right?  

Especially, with a week like last week.  Both kids were tag teaming me with being sick.  I also spent part of the weekend at a camper training course to be certified to take my girl scouts on camping trips.  Sunday was packed with bible classes, worship, area wide bible bowl (Hailey's age group won 1st place!) and an area wide youth devotional to help cook and prepare for.  We survived it and made great memories as always. 

I'll be posting my measurements, pictures, and weight, next week. Eeek. If you want to join in with me on my journey visit Stronger than Ever FB Group. or  go get your free BeachBody page to help track your own journey!

Blessings to you!

A New Day

Today was a GREAT day and I mean fantastic!!! The weather was nice enough to get outside.  I got in 7 miles of walking.  I also added in some hills and sprints.  The best part of a day like today is the sleep you can look forward to.  No one will have to rock me to sleep tonight.

I'm not sure Hailey was even in scouts the last time I posted.  This year will be 3 years she has been involved in our local troop.  She started as a Brownie and is now working on the Bronze award as a Junior.  I am so proud of her for many many reasons, but I love her spirit of wanting to do good all the time and scouts has allowed her a lot of opportunity to help in our community.

We let Blake play soccer last Fall.  It was bitter cold most of the practices.  I think next year we will sign both kids up.  It seems to be a good sport for him -  ENERGY PACKED!

Catching up and New Goals

It has been forever since I have visited blogspot! Looking back on all of our old post are wonderful. I am thankful I am able to go back and see everything so easily.

I love scrap booking, but this is the bombdigity. OH and photo-books that you can put together online and have mailed to you in a couple of days are great! I had one made not to long ago of a trip that my daughter and I took to the Bahamas with some friends.

**Forever Mom and daughter memories were forged on that trip.**
 We are still talking about the fun we had and that was last Summer!

Blake has been begging to go to the beach. The last time he went was in my tummy. He has never seen the ocean and now, at age 5, I think he would really be amazed! 

Kids are amazing! Husband is amazing! Life is amazing!

 I am in the process of trying some new things out for myself. Thinking positive and being more productive. I have also signed up as a Beach Body coach and I am ready to get to work helping others reach their personal goals.

Here is a list of my goals for this week. Maybe they will inspire you! 

1. Meditate on this passage Proverbs 21:23.

2.. Sit down with my husband and talk. Hey, this is a BIG one.  Time is short and we need more face time, the real kind.

3. Spend 5 min. in each room of my house a day doing whatever needs to be done. It is CRAZY how much you can get done in 5 min.! Sticking to this plan I will be dedicating approx. 4.5-5hrs a week on house work, but will be making a HUGE showing because my efforts will be concentrated.

4. Exercise 4-5 days. Like I said, I want to be a successful coach and I am going to have to walk the walk and talk the talk. Be a good example and encouragement to everyone around me!


HAVE A GREAT WEEK PEEPS! FIND A GOOD THING AND BE APART OF IT!

 

Everyone loves a Good Party

Blake turned 2 in November. He is starting to grow a little but is still small. Such a picky little thing and doesn't eat as well as I would like for him to. But, he is healthy and strong and a little silly fireball. A blessing far beyond I even imagined he would be. We love him so very much!

This year I decided to have a "Two Two" Party. We had a train cake that took some time but I was able to piece it together. I watched this video and it seemed so simple. After baking umpteen cakes and having the black icing turn out purple and the red icing turn out more of a pink, I felt a bit defeated, but no one complained and it tasted really good! We had a good crowd with all of Blake's little boy buddies from church and family :) We had a great day!

Hailey turned 7 in February. She is amazing! Everyday she teaches me just how great it is to be a parent. These are just a few of the things that I think about my sweet little dear:

1. I love that you love to be with me. I know a time will come when you will rather spend time with your friends so I am savoring every precious moment we have together.

2. Beautiful inside and out. You are always creating "gifts" for your friends or coloring pictures for people at church. You are such an encourager.

3. God fearing and curious. Bless you for wanting to know more about God and wanting to make him happy above everyone else, even Mommy and Daddy.

4. You are the best big sister ever! Blake adores you and I pray you will always be the closest of friends.

We had dinner with just family on her birthday and the next day we had a blow out with some of her closest friends. I am STILL cleaning up confetti from that day! We had an Ice Cream Sundae Bar for the kids to dig into, pin the tail on the unicorn (our theme), a pinata that Hailey just had to have, and we played board games. It was a busy morning. I think the kids enjoyed it as much as I did :)

So very very behind...

I tell you what, after my last post I haven't been able to think of anything worth blogging about. I am not sure if this is "normal" but emotionally I had been feeling so guilty to have two beautiful healthy children when people I love so much can't be with their child. But, after much prayer and seeing the incredible strength found in those going through such hard times. I can rejoice in the FACT that Brian & Kristy's sweet daughter is now in God's arms.

Life hasn't slowed down around here since my last "around here" post. School is going amazing for Hailey. She is such a good student. Blake is talking and can say all his ABC's and their sounds, potty training is also going well. We enjoyed a wonderful snowy Christmas in Gatlinburg. A vacation I will NEVER EVER forget. I learned just what a super hero my husband was when he got us back to the chalet just in the nick of time after we had a huge snow storm blow in. The ride up the mountain was very scary. There was lots of sliding towards drop offs and me biting my lip so as to not make him nervous. Then the four of us spent the night bundled up in the same bed because we didn't have any power and all the twigs and leaves I had gathered to make a fire were so wet we couldn't get one going until the next morning. Oh, and there's the part where I had to jump out of the truck and move a tree...well, attempt to move a tree and it wouldn't budge so Brad just jumped it and I had to run up a hill side to keep from getting covered in good 'ole Tennessee mud. LOL

I have more pictures of Christmas morning and Hailey's 7th birthday coming soon! It feels so good to be back!!