30 Day Shred Redux

That's right you read that right, I'm starting over on the 30 day shred. The results I was getting were just too impressive not to fight through it again. I only made it just surpassed the halfway point before I was sabotaged. I didn't even make it to the change-up into difficulty level three which has really bothered me.

As of today I am back on day 3 of the 30 day shred. I started back on level one of the three difficulty levels and I am so glad I did. Let me just say, I am really feeling it today. Yesterday, I caught myself at some time or another walking as if I were decrepit old woman. After going for a walk with my kids to the store my aching muscles felt so much better. They just needed a better cooldown than what it shown in the video, nothing over the top just a nice 15 minute walk.

Julian Michaels is still the same reincarnate of a medieval torturer that I remembered. Even though I've done these workouts before, it really was day 1 all over again. It's not that I lost the muscle tone just the muscle memory of the workouts. Don't get me wrong, I love doing the 30 day Shred. I love that Julian Michaels is not your average cookie cutter, annoyingly perky trainer gazing blankly at you from screen like most other workout videos you've seen in the past. She is one tough cookie. She doesn't try to cheer lead you through the workout, but instead pushes you with her no excuses attitude. At one point in workout level one she says, "I have 400 lb people who can do jumping jacks, so can you!" Just when you start to feel the burn she gets this demented look on her face like she will come through your TV screen if you even think about resting.

On days when I want to get in a little more exercise (which is crazy sounding within the first few days of each level of the 30DS) I do a few repetitions of V-ups with my exercise ball. To me exercise becomes an obsession, once I really get over the first shock to my body and into a good workout schedule. The endorphin rush from a great workout is very addictive.

Here is a video of a good example of V-ups

My belly may have been cute 7 to 8 months ago when it was round with my baby boy. Now that it is round from too many sweets it's not so adorable. So it's outta here!

I will be wearing those goal jeans for my birthday. That means less than three more months to go!

Cheaper Dishwashing

Dishes

Save money on dishwasher detergent. When you add white vinegar you can use one of the cheaper brands instead.

To boost the cleaning power just add vinegar with the soap and run cycle as usual. This will work with dishes done in the sink as well.

Weight Loss Sabotage

I was doing great on my workouts. Julian Michaels was thoroughly kicking my sorry hide into shape. A shape I was beginning to really enjoy seeing. Then it happened...

Aunt Flo finally reared her ugly head after 6 months of no Postpartum visits. She arrived with all the evil excess baggage of migraines, bloating, cramping, sleeplessness, mood swings and feeling perpetually tired. I really did try to stick with working out, but after the first day I thought I was going to need some sort of hospitalization just to recover.

Then once I finally got Aunt flo and all her extra baggage out, I got sick. Not just a little sick either, no.. I am an overachiever and get a lingering chest cold that made me want to drag myself to the doctors for. Which was understandable since I ended up having my first asthma attack in years, but thankfully we still keep a rescue inhaler for that type of emergency. I hate the doctors though, they always want to poke me with needles and rarely do they only stab me once. All that poking and prodding would be for nothing, because I am breast-feeding and couldn't take most medications to help ease any of the symptoms without affecting my milk supply or flat-out being dangerous for my son. A visit to the doctors would be pointless and just be atrocious on top of me already feeling miserable. Instead I drank my orange juice, stayed hydrated, and tried to take it easy.

Back to the weight-loss saboteur sidekick, my dear sweet loving husband who isn't the most helpful when trying to lose weight. Sure he is a great workout buddy, but when it comes to healthy snacking it's a disaster. During this past month he has brought home ice cream sandwiches for me. (He's Lactose intolerant so none of them are for him.) Sure, they are the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches but that is a slippery sugary slope for me. Then next it was the Twix ice cream bar and more ice cream sandwiches. Which turned into a daily iced coffee instead of it being a weekly treat. Sweets are my weakness. Maybe he's being sneaky and vindictive after I silently giggled at him for never again attempting the 30 day shred after that first workout. Nah, he's not that spiteful and he is enjoying the results of my workouts too.

So, back to the 30 day shred I go. Maybe I'll switch it up a few days with the Zumba workout my mother's group has talked about. Back to the grind! Those goal jeans have been taunting me from the bottom of my dresser. No more self sabotage.

I love you honey, but no more ice cream sandwiches to say you love me, a hug and the real words are better for my waistline.

Love, Charleston by Beth Webb Hart

A book about real life happy endings.  It centers around a group of 2 sisters, their cousin and a pastor who's lives intersect in the picturesque town of Charleston.  This book went from a story about your divine destiny to the greatest story of how with the support of loved ones and faith you can overcome anything.

It starts with the story of Roy, a widower and small town pastor asked to offer his guidance at a large well to do church that he fears he can't connect with.  His strong belief in a greater plan leads him to accept the challenge of going where he was not comfortable, but led him to find love again.

The story of one sister, Anne, who as a bell-ringer for St. Michael's church in Charleston believed God spoke to her one day, telling her to "stay and wait" for her true love.  So, wait she does even when those around her try to make her doubt her unquestioning faith.

Then there is Anne's cousin Della, a wife and mother struggling with the stress that lack of money can put on your relationship and happiness.  The lingering doubts that she chose the right man.  The distance that can separate spouses when they don't clasp to their connection with each other when times are tough.

Though as this story shows the grass isn't always greener on the other side.  It also portrays Anne's sister life that from the outside looks like a picture perfect life.  After an emergency c-section with her 3rd pregnancy Lish falls into a deep depression.  Her battle with postpartum depression and the heart breaking way it takes over her life pulls at the reader.

Upon reading the first chapter I thought to myself,"Oh no, an overly religious book.", but the further I read into the book the harder it was to walk away from.  When the story turned to Lish's struggle with postpartum depression it was so vivid and heart wrenching that is left my hands sweating and shaking.   The strength of love, faith and unflinching support illustrated in this book left me hopeful about humanity.  I feel that no matter how many times I read this book I will come away with a different insight into faith and love, all depending on what I am facing in life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review from the book publisher through the website http://BookSneeze.com, but I am under no obligation to give a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

For other reviews on this book visit Book Sneeze

Baby Books and Milestones

As a crafty mom I would love to have the baby books filled out for my children as the milestones occur. Being a busy mom of 4 kids I know that isn't realistic. I have come up with a way for me to have the best of both worlds, a complete baby book and be on top of my day-to-day drudgery. (yes, dishes and laundry I mean you.)

I hang a large wall calendar, out of reach of little sticky fingers, but in a convenient spot for myself. As my children grow and reach their different milestones I can quickly jot them down on the calendar. Later I can transcribe them to my baby books when it is a more convenient time. (usually after bedtime)

I've saved little silly sayings from my kids and even taped a small envelope from the first haircut to a calendar.

Now that my older children are in school they are constantly bringing home art work or other papers they are proud of. (Make sure they put their name and date on the back of the artwork as soon as you see it. At the least the month or even school year) Ever year I make a folder with their name, grade and teachers name on it. We will fill this folder throughout the year. At the end of the school year we pick out the papers and art that meant the most to us. One piece of art makes its way to a special frame on the wall. (turning a part of the hallway into my own children's art gallery.) The remaining stay in the folder for the day I can transfer them to their own special book of works.

School Daze

Toward the end of the long summer I find myself longing for the start of school and the stricter schedule that comes with it. Even though it's hard getting back into the regular school schedule I find it comforting at the same time. Before summer has passed the midway point I find myself wistfully yearning for the homework battles, parent teacher conferences, early morning clubs, and even the last-minute school projects that come with the school year.

To help the school year run as smoothly as possible I have come up with a few laws of mom-land. Ok , so they are more strong guidelines, but it works for my household. Maybe they could help with yours as well.

Every night before bed we check our schedule for the next days specials class. (Specials classes are the Art, Music, Library and two days of P.E. that rotate throughout the week) We then choose an outfit according to the next day's schedule. This helps to get my older children off to school on time with as few conflicts as humanly possible. (they are two girls sharing one bathroom, some conflict is unavoidable.) I have made selecting clothing for the day even easier with a few minor changes in laundry habits. When doing laundry I have recruited my older daughters to pair up their own school outfits and hang them together on one hanger, so that they have a full outfit at their fingertips. This saves time at night when we are in the midst of a bedtime battle with my 4-year-old and gets them to bed at a decent time. Having them pair the outfits gives them some feeling of control over their own day-to-day wardrobe.

Once they get home from school I have them immediately wash their hands. School is the gathering place of outbreak monkeys children. Becoming the unsuspecting petri dish for whatever germ they are harboring on their hands from their day is not high on my wish list. This habit is what I credit for our children not getting sick for an entire school year and they both ended up receiving the Governor's Award in Excellence for Perfect Attendance. To receive the award you need to miss 3 or less days of school the entire year. That includes the fact that three tardy days are equal to one absence.

After a full body sanitizing in the clean room they have a quick snack. I wish I had a sanitizing room. Kid's carry the nastiest germs and share them freely. They usually get a popsicle or other frozen treat, because we live in a desert that has two seasons; hot and dry for 9 months or windy and cool for the other 3 months. I don't consider the 2-3 days of rainy weather a season or the once every five years freak snow storm one either.

We will then go over that days homework directions. Now that they are older they don't need this as often since they know my expectations. When they complete their work I go over it correcting it. Not giving the answers but circling wrong problems on math worksheets or giving a proofread on english work. They then take their homework back and correct the mistakes. Since doing this their grades have improved and their understanding of the work has increased. During homework time no TV is on in the entire house. It is time for the younger children to play quietly or read a book.

One thing that drives my kids crazy is that I do not accept messy written work. Neatness matters foremost. It wont matter if you spelled everything correctly if the teacher cannot read the paper to begin with. I started this at a young school age. Lauryn is the only one to still try to get away with scribbling her work in a way that looks like she attempted writing with her toes. It just takes one day of me making her rewrite her work as many as 3 or 4 times for her to improve her neatness.. Every once in a while she needs a reminder, but not as often anymore.  I wish my parents had cared enough about my school work to do any of this.

When I review their math worksheets I circle math problems they got wrong. If the continue to have trouble with their work I will not just supply them with the answer. Instead I go through the directions with them once again and work through a problem with them to show where they may have made a mistake. I let them do the work, showing me how they did the problem, so that I can explain where they made the mistake. After 2 years of doing this, more often than not they just need me to circle the problem they got wrong.

Once we finish with homework it is time to relax. They spend their time playing with their younger siblings. I'm surprised they have not arm wrestled for who gets to hold their baby brother first. Just the other day he spit up all over Morgan. It was so bad she had to go change her clothes. As she goes running down the hallway gagging she yells, "It's still my turn to hold him!"

Finger Painting Recipe

One of the most messy but still very fun crafts I've done with my children at any age is finger painting, or even footprints with the baby.

Finger paint

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. (leaving out the food coloring until later)
2. Cook the mixture over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth and thick. Once the mixture has thickened remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely.
3. After it's cooled, divide the finger paint into storage containers depending on how many colors you would like.
4. Add a few drops of food coloring to each container. Mix the coloring in very well. Your paint is ready for play!
5. Cover tightly when storing.

Tip

I use old baby food jars to store the paint in. Your children can help mix the food coloring in by shaking the tightly closed jars.  It was very easy to clean up and only left the slightest tint on the baby's foot, but not the hands. (weird, I know) Nothing that a good bath time wont get rid of.

Book Sneeze

As a blogger I recently signed up for a free service called Book Sneeze. It's a great program that gives a complimentary copy of a book for bloggers to become an online reviewer of. In some cases you may even receive advance copies before they even hit store shelves. The bookworm in me was quivering with excitement when I discovered this service.

As part of the program you're not required to give a positive review about the book , just an honest one. They do have a few easy guidelines to adhere to while writing your reviews. When finished you just need to post your review on your blog, the Book Sneeze website and another suggested consumer website. Your reviews must state that you did receive your book as a complimentary copy. (this is due to FCC regulations)

I was very excited to receive my first book and am thoroughly enjoying this unexpected read. I am an avid reader so the Book Sneeze program thrilled me to take part in. Although I can speed read a larger book in less than 2 hours I am enjoying the chance to throughly engulf myself in this book.

Look for my book reviews in the future.

If you are a blogger and interested in trying Book Sneeze just click on their link in the sidebar and sign up. In a few short days you too can also be a book reviewer.

Babies Don't Keep

One of the women from my motherhood forum posted this and it really made me smile. This poem really is how I feel most days. Everything else can wait because my baby wont always be a willing cuddle bug.

Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother,
come shake out your cloth,
empty the dustpan,
poison the moth,
hang out the washing
and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house
is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery,
blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little
Boy Blue (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done
and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing
will wait till tomorrow,
for Children grow up,
as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs.
Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep......