Busy busy busy

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for a while (a long while)! Since leaving for vacation up until now things have been very hectic. I will post some pictures from our trip to Michigan later when I've had the chance to download them.

The husband is off on the East Coast for some training and I am home alone. I have to say, I haven't been home alone at night since I got married. It is hard to get adjusted to; especially in a house! I have such a difficult time sleeping alone now, that I can't wait until he comes home on Friday.

I started the 21 Day Fix a few weeks ago and have until Sunday to go. It has been a great experience so far! I love the workouts, and once I got the hang of cooking like this the meals I made started to get better. The Shakeology shakes have been pretty decent too. My favorite has been the chocolate shake with some iced coffee! I'll share my results some time next week. So far however, I have lost 7 pounds! It would have been a lot more, but our weekends have been filled to the brim with traveling, which has included some eating not in the plan. Overall, I would highly recommend this plan to anyone. I love that I have started to crave Fruits and Veggies.

This weekend we will be running (ahem....walking) the Colts 5K. I am glad that my husband hasn't backed out yet! I have been putting a lot of thought into it, and at least at the present time, I cannot run. I am hoping that once I lose some more weight, that I can get back to it, but since my last big surgery nothing has felt the same. I need to focus on having a healthy attitude towards working out. I don't just have to run to be healthy. I can walk, swim, use videos.....running itself doesn't make me health; exercising and eating a balanced diet helps me become healthy. It's easier said than done, right?

One day at a time I suppose.

Well....that's all I have time for! I'll be back with pictures later!

Let's just pretend I posted this on Wednesday, mmmmkay?

I cannot believe how ridiculously sore I am all over. I thought that maybe after a day it would get better, but I dare say I am sorer today than I was yesterday. It’s a good thing for sure; I just want to be able to thoroughly enjoy my workouts.

So far I have done the total cardio and upper body videos and am still in the “I like these” category. They’re encouraging without being ridiculous and emphasize the value of the correct form over number of repetitions for the exercises. The modifications are practical and still allow you to get a good sweat going. I’m thinking today will need to be a yoga day because I really need the stretching!

I have to confess that I really didn’t want to do the Upper Body video yesterday. I was already sore and tired. The last thing I wanted to do was put on workout clothes and try to do those pushups I’ve avoided for a year. I am soooo glad that I still went and did it. Do you ever have a workout that, once you are finished, say “Well that was a waste of time?” I don’t think so. I’ve gotten in that lazy mindset. You know the one that tells you to immediately change out of your work clothes straight into your pajamas? The one that says it’s okay to eat that candy bar, that Coke, that bag of chips before dinner? I don’t pretend to be naïve. This is going to be the most difficult part of my journey. I need to change my priority and the attitude associated with those priorities. I can’t force the hubs to change his attitude toward working out, but he will have to do it regardless. J Just three years ago I was a fitness fanatic. I loved that feeling, of enjoying being fit. I can’t wait to enjoy it again. I have been thinking of how to make things more motivational for me, and since I am losing weight to be a healthier mom for my kids I thought it would be a great idea to use them as my motivation! I am going to let all my readers in on a little secret of mine: I have a baby Pintrest board. There I said it. Much like my closet blogging, the baby board is a secret one. I will not make it public until we announce that we are pregnant with our first. I pin stuff as I come across things in the Popular section: onsies, nursery decorations, pregnancy announcements. It is probably the most populated board I have. I can’t wait to be a mom; to raise our children and love them with my whole heart. I think that putting up a couple pictures of the pins on my motivational board will help remind me of why I can’t give up, why I need to continue to work for this.

One thing that I’ve noticed while trying out these videos was that it a lot harder to do things like planks and pushups. Having 200 pounds to push up repeatedly is a lot harder than 150 pounds with some muscle. I look forward to the future when doing pushups for a minute won’t be so incredibly difficult. ( I think the fitness mindset is already starting to take hold J )

So as we are getting ready to leave for vacation on Friday, I will be trying to plan out the month of August’s meal plans for both the hubs and I. He is wary now, but with as much as it looks like he gets, I’m sure he won’t be complaining for long!

It has been raining and storming all day long. I love listening to the rain hit the window above me. It helps me create the illusion that I am doing something relaxing; like curling up with a book and glass of my favorite wine, all snug in a large sweatshirt and yoga pants. J I know you feel the same way! I can’t wait to get home and use the yoga DVD to stretch and unwind from the day. Maybe I will even have time for a bubble bath!

 

I hope everyone else is having a fantastic Wednesday! Just remember, we’re half-way through the work week! Woo!

Lately Updates

September by Chris Daughtry, Carmel Apple Pops, the crunch of those golden fall leaves, football on Friday nights, Cross Country meets on Saturday mornings, Soccer games on Saturday afternoons, apple orchards, pumpkin spice lattes, late nights with friends, sitting out on the roof watching the cars drive by, the warms of a hoodie, Notre Dame games, the Golden Dome, Daddy-Daughter Football game, watching the Notre Dame marching band bring the team to the stadium, smores, bonfires, running with a hat and jacket, early morning 5Ks, the Fort-4-Fitness, my first half marathon, warm apple cider, rake and run, fall activities at Indiana Tech, meteor showers, late nights, early mornings, hot chocolate, marching band, hanging out at Bellevue’s major intersection watching cars go by while enjoying a slushie, deep talks, the change of the season, cooler temperatures, jean weather, the smell of PINK body spray.

When the temperature begins to cool, even for a day or two, and it feels like fall, these are the strong memories that flash through my mind. So many good times with friends and family; whether it was pre-college, or college time. It’s amazing that through all of the changes, the ups and downs, the points I was hurting the most, that these memories would be seared into my mind, forever standing for what I love about fall. You know how there are those everyday memories, that each time you recall them, they become more and more fuzzy? Well these memories are so strong that I feel transported back in time. These memories are alive, and whenever I come across them I feel like I am back in the past, enjoying my Saturday cross country meet, or running with my friends.

Life is a lot different. I couldn’t even begin to describe how incredibly different it is now, but that’s not a bad thing. Three years ago I was hovering between 155-160 and running all over the place. I was in my final year of college, trying desperately to finish school strong while dealing with heart break. There were definitely a lot of pros in that time, but there were some significant cons.  Fast forward to current time. I am sitting at 205 pounds, not exercising at all (that part is changing!) and happily married to my best friend. If I had the choice to be healthy, but without my husband or overweight and with him, I’d choose the latter without hesitation. I am working towards being healthy, and my husband is working on it too. I love him more each day, even if I’m upset with him sometimes. He’s human; he’s not the one who is supposed to be perfect.

We have made a decision to both get healthy before we have children. So what’s that look like? For both of us, we will lose 50+ pounds. It’s my hope that this can be achieved in the next year, but it may take a little longer. I cannot be so unhealthy with children; they deserve better. Likewise, I want my husband to be around for our kids. I want him to be able to play and have fun with them. I am excited for this, but nervous as well. We needto succeed, but the question is how long will it take? I want to be a mother, I want to have children and raise them, to love them. I am so tired of being told not to rush into things. It’s not like I woke up as decided to have kids overnight, it’s not like this feeling started when everyone started announcing they were expecting. It has been almost a year. Just because I haven’t been vocal for the whole past year doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on my mind.

Karri over at Babe Before Baby has been having amazing results with the 21 Day Fix. A couple weeks ago I saw that she had a link to fill out for health help. I took the plunge and submitted my name and info. A few days later she contacted me about talking about the inquiry. I’m happy to say she gave enough good information because I now have my 21 Day Fix package at home! Since the hubs and I are going on vacation on Friday, I decided that we would start on Sunday, August 3^rd. For now, I will just use the workout DVDs while waiting for Friday to get here. I started yesterday with the cardio video. Holy cow! Even though it was only 30 minutes it totally kicked my butt. I am ridiculously sore today. The thing that I really liked about the video was that it wasn’t about speed, but more about form. Autumn was way better in terms of an encouraging instructor than other video instructors I’ve used before. We will see how the next few days go, but I expect to be sore when we leave on Friday. Additionally, I expect to lose a pound or so this week, but will probably gain it back over the course of next week’s vacation. I am not going to stress too much about perfect eating next week because all of our meals will obviously be out. I will try to make the majority of my breakfasts a healthy one.

So here is to a great, healthy week this week! Tell me what you’re doing to be healthier this week!!

Falling Short Every Time

Sometimes there are those posts, be it Facebook, blog, or Twitter, that really resonate within me. Today Karri over at babebeforebaby posted about Struggles, Failures, and Success. I feel like that post was written for me; I feel that way any time I look at another lady. I am just way too free with myself. Today I reminisced of my very short-lived "glory days" in which I was at my healthiest and feeling great and could do anything. Between Sophomore and Junior year of college I really got my butt into shape by eating sensibly; my portions were much more appropriate, and I enjoyed the occasional treat. I worked out almost every day by running. By the time pre-season started for soccer I was down from ~180s to the ~150s. I was noticeably different, to the point where even the really good looking girls in school commented on how good I looked. Looking back now I realize that what really kept me rooted was my walk with the Lord. I was involved in Bible Studies and a couple Bible Groups, spent the appropriate amount of time away from technology and buried myself in my reading of His Word. 

Then my best friend of the time (and crush of 3 years) stopped hanging out with me, stopped talking with me. I was so very upset and confused. I had spent a vast majority of my days hanging out with that person, which also introduced me to the Bible, and all of a sudden he was gone. That was the point that I lost my way. I remember that I began eating to comfort myself instead of turning to God. I remember being angry. All I wanted was my friend, if that's all we would ever be that was fine; why couldn't we be friends anymore? I spent many days alone and upset, crying over anything that reminded me of the friendship I once had.

Eventually I gained a couple really good friends who helped me through that time. Those friendships are still alive today, even though we live thousands of miles apart. I began working out more, eating a little better. I even found a great man that I get to call my husband today. His love and patience with me is far greater than I deserve; a true gift from God. 

I know I am no where near perfect; my struggles are common with many people. Today it really hit me. What I am missing. I am not as close to God as I once was, instead letting trivial things take his place. My heart aches for my God, but my pride has kept me from admitting it. 

So here I am, confessing my struggles. Here I am laying it out for whoever reads. That's the first thing I need to fix. I need to dwell with God closer and longer and keep Him at the top of my priorities. His Grace is enough for me, and I need to remember that He will always love me, no matter how many times I mess up.

Kiss Nails. Take II

Hey all! I thought it would be a good time to leave you with one of my promised product reviews. I am traveling for work tomorrow, so I have been busy in preparation for that. Nothing like a long days car ride to get you all out of whack for the week!

The product I wanted to review for you is none other than the Everlasting French Nails by Kiss. I had received a sample in my last Voxbox from Influenster to review and had a less than desirable trial. The original nails I had didn't even last the day, despite putting the recommended amount of glue on them.

I followed the directions given by Influenster, and left my review of the product on Kiss' Facebook page. I was very surprised to hear back from them within a day (I didn't even expect to hear back at all). They apologized for my less than satisfactory trial and offered to send me another sample.

A couple weeks later I got a package in the mail. I didn't just get one sample, I got two! In addition to some great coupons for later!

First off I have to say, I really like it when a company tries to make things right. If I leave a comment for them I honestly don't expect anything, I just want to give my thoughts to help their product succeed. Thank you very much for sending these samples!

I tried the straight-white French Tip nails first. They lasted almost a whole week, until I snagged my finger in something at work. Honestly, the second time around was a complete 180. I felt good having these nails on as I can't get my nails to grow long. I have an issue where my nails flake :/ so they don't stay strong. I truly enjoyed getting to sample this product.

As for the black tip....well.... I saved those for my business trip tomorrow. Thanks Kiss for giving me the chance to change my mind about your product!!!

4th of July and life as of lately

Happy 4th of July to my American readers!! Let us remember the real meaning of the holiday; independence and the birth of America! July 4th, 1776 we declared independence from Great Britain.

That being said, how are you celebrating this year? The husband and I are hitting up the Shelby county fair for some good food this afternoon. Later for dinner we will dine on so e nice steak and watch this fireworks display. I am really excited!

This last month or so has been hectic; we had a baby shower to go to and a bunch of moving things to take care of, but as of last weekend we are out of the apartment and strictly homeowners! Now we can focus on all the renovating/home projects we have been planning! I guess that also means we should also finish painting....

I have been making more of an effort to eat right and get some walking in. I have been wrestling with whether or not to get a gym membership. Part of methinks it would be a good idea, but the rest of me thinks it would be better to just get my own treadmill for home. I am currently sitting at 202.3, after having lost 3 pounds this week. Honestly for most days we have eaten the same thing so it's been really easy to keep on track. I am considering today a splurge day because we only go to the fair once a year, if that.

Additionally, I have been involved in increasingly more product reviews. I will have my next review up soon!

Stay tuned for more posts this next week!

Spring Fling VoxBox Review!

Hey everyone!

It's finally time to review all of the neat products I got from Influenster in the Spring Fling Voxbox.
What's a Voxbox? What's Influenster? I'm so glad you asked!

Influenster is a community of trendsetters, social media masterminds, and educated consumers who live to give opinions of products and experiences. We go to www.influenster.com and review products that we use daily, or even things we've just tried. I have used the reviews to determine whether or not something is worth the money to try.

VoxBoxes are boxes filled with complimentary products from your favorite (or soon-to-be-favorite) brands. Not all Voxboxes are created equal: some programs feature an assortment of products while others will spotlight one awesome brand. But make no mistake: All VoxBoxes are created awesome.

I really like this website because it is in no way scammy. I have looked at other sites that require you to do this and that, to sign up for other sites. Influenster is based solely on reviews. The big companies pay these people to get reviews from us. You take surveys that are on the site and answer questions and give reviews and if you meet a specific demographic for a box you will receive a survey. 

I do have a couple invitations to join Influenster so if you would like them please leave a comment telling me so.

This is my second Voxbox since joining in January. Here are all the items that I got in my box:

1. Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara
2. Kiss Everlasting French Nails
3. Peach Pie Car Freshener from the Labor Day Movie
4. Playtex Sport Fresh Balance Tampons
5. NIVEA Skin Firming Hydration Lotion

There was an addition Softlips Cube that was sent out to select Influensters, I did not receive the item so there will be no review.

I wanted to wait until I had a chance to try every item before reviewing. I would like to state upfront that these are my opinions of the products and are in no way influenced by the brands (IE: I didn't receive any money). These products were given to me complimentary for testing purposes for Influenster.

That being said.... lets start with #1

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara

I LOVE this product so much! I would say it was by far the best product I received. I really liked how easy the mascara went on. The brush was shaped a bit differently than most mascara brushes, which I think helped in the application. The look was also much better than the stuff I have been using. I would highly recommend this product to my friends and will definitely look for it when I'm out.

Kiss Everlasting French Nails

I wish I loved this product. I really do. I loved the look and the feel of the French Nails sooooo much. However, they did not stay on for me. Within the first day they started coming off. I tried re-gluing them but eventually they all came off that day. I was very disappointed in the product. I have seen many good reviews however, and wonder if I didn't just get a bad batch of glue. I don't think I'd recommend them yet until I tried them again to see if I would have the same problem.

Peach Pie Car Freshener from the Labor Day Movie

This item was just provided to get people to watch the Labor Day Movie. When I opened it I could definitely smell peaches, but it faded faster than any other car freshener I have had before.

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance Tampons

What girl doesn't love a free box of tampons? Probably someone who doesn't need them. I have been waiting to try these and can finally give a review. I would say I like them (as much as you can like a tampon) and was really glad that I had a free box today. The applicator is small and made of flexible plastic which is really nice in comparison to the cardboard counterpart. Easy open wrapper allows for a quiet and quick open. Small, easy to put in a small container to keep in your purse. Overall, good job Playtex! I would recommend this to friends and will most likely buy it.

NIVEA Skin Firming Hydration Lotion

As far as I know NIVEA is a pretty decent brand; they are one company whose body creams I go running to in the dryness of winter (ouch!). In terms of the "Firming" I didn't really notice any difference. The lotion smell is okay, but probably not my favorite. I will definitely use up the whole bottle, but I don't think I would buy it.

That's it readers! Those were the products I got for FREE to review. :) There's nothing more exciting than free stuff with no strings attached!